More and more young people are struggling with stress and anxiety — and it's not just in their heads. Research consistently shows that anxiety rates among school-age kids and teens have been climbing for years. So what actually helps?
A 2023 review by Zisopoulou and Varvogli looked across decades of research on stress management for children and adolescents. The good news is that evidence-based relaxation techniques — things that have been properly studied and tested — do work, and have worked for a long time.
Some of the most reliable approaches include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation (where you tense and release different muscle groups), mindfulness, and guided imagery. These techniques calm down the body's stress response — the racing heart, tight chest, or churning stomach that anxiety brings on. They're not magic, but practised regularly, they give young people real tools to manage overwhelming moments.
What matters most is that these aren't just feel-good activities. They change what's happening physically in the body. And importantly, they're skills — the more you practise, the better they work.
If anxiety is getting in the way of school, friendships, or just feeling okay, reaching out to a psychologist is a great first step toward getting your life back on track.