Are your mornings with your teen filled with stress, anxiety, or last-minute chaos? If so, you’re not alone. Many working moms feel overwhelmed as they try to balance their busy careers and home life, all while supporting a teen who struggles with anxiety—especially during the morning rush to school.
Getting your child out the door on time can feel like a daily battle, but it doesn’t have to be this way. In this blog, we’ll explore practical ways to help both you and your teen manage anxiety, create smoother morning routines, and foster a sense of calm during those often chaotic moments.
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Recognizing the Signs of Anxiety in Your Teen
Teens experience anxiety in many different ways. For some, it may look like irritability or avoidance, while for others, it can appear as perfectionism and overachievement. As a working mom in Temecula, Murrieta, or Menifee, you might notice your teen staying up late to perfect school projects, getting overwhelmed before tests, or even having emotional breakdowns over seemingly small things.
Example from Therapy: I once worked with a teen from Temecula who was a straight-A student. She put a lot of pressure on herself to get perfect grades. When she didn’t score 100% on a test, she would have intense anxiety, often leading to self-harm. It wasn’t until her mother called me at Outside the Norm Counseling that she started getting her needed help. What became clear during our sessions was that this teen had been asking for therapy for a long time, but her parents didn’t see the signs right away. By the time she came to me, she was not only dealing with anxiety but also depression.
What to Look For:
- Trouble concentrating or making decisions
- Feeling irritable, tense, or restless
- Experiencing nausea or abdominal distress
- Having heart palpitations
- Sweating, trembling, or shaking
- Trouble sleeping
- A sense of impending danger, panic, or doom
- Avoiding social situations
- Refusing to go to school
- Perfectionism or irritability
If your teen in Temecula or surrounding cities like Murrieta has mentioned feeling overwhelmed or asked for help, now might be the time to consider professional support.
How Your Own Emotions Impact Your Teen
As a working mom, your own emotions set the tone for your household. Your teen might pick up on your stress or frustration, especially during the morning rush. It’s easy to get caught up in the pressure of getting everything done—work deadlines, meetings, and home responsibilities—but this pressure can trickle down to your kids.
The Emotional Mirror: Kids often mirror the emotional energy around them. If you’re running around feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, your teen might feel the same way. Taking a moment to check in with yourself can have a big impact on your teen’s anxiety, whether you’re in Temecula or another bustling area like Lake Elsinore or Wildomar.
Self-Regulation Skills: One way to help manage morning stress is by regulating your own emotions. Before the morning chaos begins, take a few minutes for yourself—whether it’s a quick breathing exercise or setting realistic expectations for the day. I know it sounds impossible considering your busy schedule, but for change to happen, change MUST happen. By staying calm, you model for your teen how to handle stress in healthier ways.
Creating a Calmer Morning Routine
Mornings don’t have to be stressful. With the right structure and tools, you can create a routine that eases anxiety for both you and your teen, whether you’re navigating the mornings in Temecula or Corona, California.
Here are a few tips to create a smoother morning experience:
- Prep the Night Before: Lay out clothes, pack lunches, and get backpacks ready before bed. Recruit your child to help. I know I do this with my kids and incentivize them by allowing them to pick out their lunches when grocery shopping—something healthy, of course. This helps eliminate some of the morning decision-making, which can trigger stress and anxiety.
- Use a Visual Schedule: For teens who thrive on structure, a visual schedule can be a game-changer. This allows them to see exactly what needs to be done and in what order, reducing anxiety about forgetting something. Having a conversation about this and sharing your routine not only helps you both connect but also provides your child with ideas. This strategy works well for families in Hemet or Riverside as much as it does in Temecula.
- Allow Extra Time: Try waking up 10-15 minutes earlier to create a buffer. Rushing out the door at the last minute can send your teen’s anxiety through the roof.
Case in Point: One of my clients in Murrieta started teen therapy using these strategies with her son, who was struggling to get out of bed each morning due to anxiety about school. He struggled to communicate with his parents. Mom felt overwhelmed and shared her fears. By adjusting their routine, learning new coping skills, and planning ahead, they noticed a significant reduction in morning meltdowns.
Helping Your Teen Manage Their Own Anxiety
It’s important to give your teen tools to manage their anxiety, both in the mornings and throughout the day. Teaching them self-regulation skills will not only help with the morning rush but also with anxiety they face at school or with friends.
Techniques That Work: Encourage your teen to try these anxiety-reducing strategies:
- Deep Breathing: Taking a few deep breaths can quickly reduce anxiety. Example: Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and exhale for 5 seconds. Do this 5 times.
- Journaling: Writing down thoughts and feelings before bed can help clear their mind and ease anxiety for the next day.
- Break Tasks Into Smaller Steps: If your teen is overwhelmed by big tasks, help them break it down into manageable chunks. This reduces the feeling of being overloaded.
Empowering Your Teen: When your teen has their own coping tools, they feel more in control. I once worked with a teen from Fallbrook, California who learned how to communicate her anxiety to her parents without feeling embarrassed. Initially, she didn’t have the words to explain what she was experiencing, and every time she said “I don’t know,” it aggravated her parents. Once she put these skills into practice, her parents were able to better support her without jumping in to fix everything.
When to Seek Professional Help
Sometimes, despite trying different strategies, your teen’s anxiety may not improve. If you notice that your teen is consistently struggling with anxiety, avoiding school, or engaging in harmful behaviors like self-harm, it’s time to consider professional support, teen therapy in Temecula or nearby areas like Menifee or Hemet.
Red Flags: Look for ongoing signs like:
- Consistent refusal to go to school
- Avoiding friends or social activities
- Panic attacks or constant worry
- Self-harming behaviors
Get Help Early: In the case of the straight-A student I mentioned earlier, her anxiety escalated to the point of self-harm because her parents didn’t act quickly enough. By bringing her into therapy earlier, we could have helped her before it became so overwhelming. Therapy not only helped her manage her anxiety but also helped her parents learn how to support her in a healthy way.
Teen Therapy in Temecula California
Managing teen anxiety and creating smoother morning routines is possible, even for busy working moms in Temecula, California, or surrounding cities like Murrieta and Wildomar. By recognizing the signs of anxiety, managing your own emotions, and helping your teen develop coping strategies, you can reduce stress and create a more peaceful morning routine for your family.
Remember, you don’t have to navigate this alone. Learning new skills from a therapist can help both you and your teen. If your teen is showing signs of anxiety, now might be the time to seek professional help and start teen therapy.
Ready to help your teen conquer their anxiety and ease the morning rush? Book a session with us today. Visit Outside the Norm Counseling or call us at 951-395-3288 to get started. We serve Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Corona, Lake Elsinore, and surrounding communities.
