Anxiety is challenging at any age, but for teenagers, it’s especially difficult to navigate. In a culture that can be overwhelming with the constant saturation of overstimulation, social media, and normal hormonal changes, adding anxiety to the mix can be paralyzing. Teen anxiety can look like negative self-talk, sudden shyness, avoiding activities that once brought happiness, and/or reckless behaviors.
The important thing to remember is that, for teens dealing with anxiety (and their parents), there are resources and guidance out there from folks who know what you are going through.
Journals & Workbooks to Help With Anxiety
One soothing way for teens to work through anxiety is to use a workbook. Workbooks contain useful information, helpful examples, specific exercises, worksheets, and tips to help you work through bouts of anxiety. Just as different situations present different anxiety reactions, the workbooks are each a little different and offer many different methods to tackle anxiety.
1. Yes I Have Anxiety: Deal. With. It. By Nicole Stephan
A perfect way to bridge the gap between social media and self care, Yes I Have Anxiety: Deal. With. It. is full of activities and creative prompts, making it an excellent place to start when looking for a workbook to help redirect anxious thoughts. It’s also a Tik-Tok sensation—Author Nicole Stephan shares her process during writing the book and encourages readers to interact with her and others with the hashtag #yesihaveanxiety. It’s a safe place for teens to express how they feel with people their own age dealing with similar struggles.
2. Put Your Worries Here: A Creative Journal for Teens with Anxiety (The Instant Help Guided Journal for Teens Series) by Lisa M. Schab LCSW
This highly-rated workbook geared toward resolving teen angst is full of prompts focused on art, poetry, music, and creative writing. Recommended by therapists, this workbook has practical prompts that today’s youth can relate to, such as having too many tabs open in one’s mind and how to close them, or how to write a “break up“ letter to your anxiety. Author Lisa M. Schab has written seventeen highly acclaimed self-help workbooks and journals with a focus on children and teenagers.
3. Gratitude Journal for Teens: Prompts to Cultivate a Habit of Awareness and Improve Well-being by Scarlet Paolicch
Cultivating gratitude is a habit that is helpful at any age and this workbook is a wonderful experience for teens! This journal offers techniques that help with focusing on gratitude and positivity, resulting in greater happiness, better school performance, improved relationships, and higher self-esteem. Each prompt is formatted to help center and focus on feeling your feelings, as well as ways to find gratitude in the moment. Visually appealing, with colorful fonts and fun emojis, pre-teens and teens will enjoy the positive message that feeling their feelings is okay, while learning how to deal with those feelings.
CBT-Specific Books & Workbooks on Anxiety for Teens
Defined as a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behavior and emotions, Cognitive Behavior Therapy has been shown to have a positive impact on those struggling with anxiety.
The following books are a fantastic place to start exploring CBT:
4. The Anxiety Toolkit for Teens: Easy and Practical CBT and DBT Tools to Manage your Stress Anxiety Worry and Panic (Life Skills, Mental Health and Wellness Books For Teenagers) by Teen Thrive
A highly rated book on the matter, it states there are proven methods to deal with teen anxiety (like CBT and DBT techniques) with long-lasting results.
“One of the things I love about this book is how useful it can be to every teen — even if you don’t have a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. It provides instructions for many different tools that have been proven to help manage anxiety and are easy to try.” – Ehrin Weiss, Ph.D.
5. Feeling Better: CBT Workbook for Teens: Essential Skills and Activities to Help You Manage Moods, Boost Self-Esteem, and Conquer Anxiety (Health and Wellness Workbooks for Teens) by Dr. Rachel L. Hutt
Clear and concise, this workbook is loaded with activities that teens and parents are raving about. From the bright, colorful cover, to the easy-to-understand, informative text, Feeling Better is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal for managing anxiety.
6. Anxiety Relief for Teens: Essential CBT Skills and Mindfulness Practices to Overcome Anxiety and Stress by Regine Galanti, PhD
Breaking down what type of anxiety your teen is struggling with and finding the best way to approach them is the hallmark of this book. Opening with the Anxiety Quiz, your teen can determine if they have social anxiety, a phobia, panic disorder, or a different form of anxiety, and the unique ways to handle each in the most effective way.
7. Social Anxiety Relief for Teens: A Step-by-Step CBT Guide to Feel Confident and Comfortable in Any Situation by Dr. Bridget Walker
This book provides a simple, five-step program to help teens free themselves from fear and uncertainty through cognitive behavioral therapy. Reviewers rave over the easy-to-understand text and how many of the stories resonate with the reader.
Books on Mindfulness for Anxious Teens
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Cultivating a practice of mindfulness can be achieved with a little bit of guidance resulting in a payoff in peace of mind.
8. The Mindfulness Journal for Teens: Prompts and Practices to Help You Stay Cool, Calm, and Present by Jennie Marie Battistin MA, LMFT
This journal offers teenage survival skills and ways to practice the pause, helping the mind to not get overwhelmed by using specific mindfulness techniques for anxiety. Filled with simple breathing exercises, easy meditations, and dozens of writing prompts to add to your daily routine all combine to make a powerful weapon against anxiety.
9. Mindfulness for Teen Anger: A Workbook to Overcome Anger and Aggression Using MBSR and DBT Skills by Mark C. Purcell & Jason R. Murphy, MA
Breaking down the differences in healthy and unhealthy anger is the first step to overcoming it and making better choices. With an emphasis on cultivating compassion, this book leans into relationship skill-building with lessons that carry on well into adulthood.
10. The Self-Compassionate Teen: Mindfulness and Compassion Skills to Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice by Karen Bluth, PhD
Oh, the critical inner voice—we all have it; however, for some people (perhaps especially teens), it can be incredibly harsh and critical. This book serves as an excellent guide on self-compassion and how it can decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. Engaging, straightforward, and practical, the author backs her tactics with the interesting neuroscience on how the techniques provide positive results.
11. 5-Minute Mindfulness Meditations for Teens by Dr. Nicole Libin
Easy-to-implement exercises to keep the attention of even the most distracted teen, this book offers a way to deal with thoughts and feelings that can feel overwhelming and unmanageable. Eye-catching fonts and colorful charts are also an added plus!
First-Hand Accounts From Teens & Young Adults With Anxiety
Anxiety can make your teen feel isolated and misunderstood. It’s important for them to know that what they are dealing with is not singular to them. The following books are firsthand accounts of teenagers living with anxiety and their experiences:
12. Anxiety Insights: What Gets to Us and What Gets Us Through by Lori Maney Lentini & Dr. Nicole Lentini
Written by a loving mother chronicling her daughter’s severe anxiety and depression and how they dealt with it together, it’s a powerful tale of those with these challenges and the people that love them. Anxiety Insights covers a tough topic that is written in such a way that is both relatable and encouraging.
13. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
While fictional, this upbeat novel is a fun mix of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery. The main character, Audrey, is a fourteen-year-old who struggles with anxiety from being bullied. Her journey with that and her triumphant tale are excellent; you can’t help but cheer for Audrey. Overall, Finding Audrey is a wonderful YA read with a relatable main character and her heartwarming adventure.
Getting Help for Your Teen
These books, workbooks, and journals are a great starting point when embarking on the journey to wellness and calming the anxiety. While not a replacement for teen counseling, they can act as a supplement to any anxious teen’s treatment plan. Finding the right therapist for your teen can be a daunting task, but using an online therapist directory can be a great place to start, where you can sort by experience and insurance coverage. Remember, you’re not alone! Help and hope are out there.
