Anxiety in young adults and teens is rising. Worldwide, anxiety disorders were up by 52% from 1990 to 2021 among adolescents and people in their early twenties. Those aged 20 to 24 years have seen the sharpest increase.
This mental health issue often goes unrecognized. Why? Teens can be good at masking their feelings, and young people may feel a stigma about addressing mental health concerns. At the same time, the pressures of academic performance, social media, and the transition to adulthood can make anxiety uniquely difficult to manage.
Without the right support and treatment plan, untreated anxiety can worsen over time. This could contribute to depression, academic setbacks, social withdrawal, or difficulty entering the workforce.
Exercise is a clinically supported, accessible tool for reducing anxiety in young people. This guide will explore the benefits of exercise for anxiety, along with the types of movement that may help the most and how Brain-Body Therapy builds them into a convenient, personalized program. You’ll also learn the warning signs of teen anxiety to look out for and how parents, friends, and loved ones can help those facing this common mental health struggle.
What Is Anxiety in Teens and Young Adults?
Anxiety in teens and young adults is a severe, ongoing emotional response to life’s pressures. It goes beyond normal levels of stress and worry, sometimes showing up as persistent feelings of fear or interfering with daily life.
Why Teen Anxiety Is Different
Teen anxiety often manifests differently from anxiousness in younger children, who might fear separation from loved ones, the dark, or unfamiliar settings. With teenagers, the mental health condition can stem from peer pressure, body image issues, academic pressures, social media use, constant access to distressing news, and uncertainty about the future.
Today’s teens also spent some of their most critical developmental years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows that anxiety among adolescents was higher after the pandemic than before (a prevalence of 19% vs. 11.6% prior to COVID-19).
Common Symptoms of Anxiety in Teens and Young Adults
Behavioral, psychological, and emotional symptoms of anxiety in teens and young adults can include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritability
- Avoiding social situations or increased isolation
- Drops in academic performance
- Low self-esteem
- Catastrophizing everyday situations
- Constant worry
- Excessive need for reassurance
In more serious cases, someone may self-medicate with substance use or engage in dangerous or reckless activities. There can also be physical symptoms, such as headaches, racing heart, body tension, stomachaches, or fatigue.
Since many of these warning signs can resemble normal teenage behavior and reflect typical experiences of early adulthood, they’re often overlooked.
How Exercise Calms an Anxious Teen Brain and Body
Exercise can help ease anxiousness, both physically and emotionally. Here’s how.
Physical Activity for the Physical Manifestations of Anxiety
Anxiety may manifest physically in young people with symptoms like muscle tension, racing heart, shallow breathing, or restlessness. Movement directly counteracts these physiological stress responses.
Physical exercises for anxiety may reduce circulating cortisol (known as “the stress hormone”) and adrenaline, the hormone produced as part of the body’s “fight-or-flight” stress response. At the same time, it can help release “feel-good” hormones and neuropeptides, such as serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
The result can be a measurable calming effect felt throughout the body. This is particularly important during adolescence when the brain is still developing.
A Research-Backed Solution
Exercise has been shown to be an effective supportive option in a comprehensive plan for treating anxiety in young adults and teens. There’s extensive research on moderate-intensity activity for general anxiety disorder (GAD) in particular.
Getting your heart rate up and engaging your muscles regularly (three to four times a week) and keeping it up for the long term (at least 12 weeks but ideally indefinitely) can have immensely positive effects on mental health. This is what Brain-Body Therapy follows with its at-home therapeutic exercise programs.
Sedentary Lifestyle and Anxiety
A sedentary lifestyle (getting little to no daily movement) is closely linked to heightened anxiety symptoms in teens and young adults. Beyond anxiousness, lack of exercise seems to increase the risk of depression and poor sleep.
Of course, mental health issues can make it harder to feel “up for” workouts. This can create a vicious cycle where sedentary behavior increases anxiety, and anxiety contributes to sedentary behavior. Although getting started is often challenging, structured exercise routines are especially valuable for those navigating anxiety.
Best Workouts for Teen and Young-Adult Anxiety
Not all workouts are created equally. Virtually all movement can be beneficial, but what specific types of activity are best for promoting a sense of calm, confidence, and self-assurance?
Developed by a mental health specialist and a global fitness consultant, Brain-Body Therapy’s evidence-informed programs include:
- Mindful movement
- Breathing-focused exercise
- Cardiovascular exercise
- Strength training
Learn more about these exercises for anxiety in young adults and teens.
Mindful Movement
As with yoga and tai chi, this approach combines physical activity with mindfulness techniques. It can help teens and young adults feel grounded, limit racing thoughts, reduce tension, and feel more connected to their bodies.
Breathing-Focused Exercise
Those feeling anxious might unknowingly have shallow, chest-based breathing patterns that keep the nervous system in a heightened state of alert. With that in mind, some of the best exercises for teen anxiety integrate breathwork with movement to support more regulated breathing and a calmer mindset.
Simple deep-breathing techniques can be practiced at home with no equipment, making them one of the most accessible and immediate tools for interrupting an anxious moment.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Brain-Body Therapy incorporates moderate-intensity cardio into its programs for people experiencing anxiety. Simple, dynamic moves like jumping jacks and mountain climbers can be done anywhere, without the need for expensive equipment.
Outdoor activities that get the heart rate up (but not too high) can also be positive. Think walking outside, hiking, or team sports.
Strength Training
Resistance training builds both physical and emotional resilience in young people. And it’s not only recommended for young adults. Strength-focused exercises have also been shown to be safe, effective, and beneficial for adolescents and teens.
Building a Sustainable Exercise Routine for Teen Anxiety
Here’s how clinically supported exercises for teens with anxiety can be built into a sustainable routine.
Combining Strength Training With Cardio and Mindful Movement
Following clinical guidelines and research-based recommendations for managing anxiety and depression in young men and women, Brain-Body Therapy combines strength training with cardio and mind-body movement. Programs usually start with two days of resistance training and three days of cardio each week.
The idea is to provide structure with foundational exercises, offering measurable progress and a sense of accomplishment that directly counters the low self-esteem that often accompanies teen anxiety.
Starting Small and Building Consistency With Accessible Movement
Consistency matters far more than intensity. A simple, repeatable routine that fits around school, homework, and extracurricular commitments can support lasting anxiety relief over time.
Brain-Body Therapy does this by providing a daily exercise assignment. Many of the bodyweight-based workouts can be done anywhere, often without equipment.
Brain-Body Therapy’s Custom Workout Programs for Anxiety
The personalized exercise programs for people experiencing anxiety include:
- Zone 2 cardio. Keeping the heart rate at 60% to 70% of its maximum, this moderate-intensity, steady-state cardio is a pillar of Brain-Body Therapy’s therapeutic exercise plans for anxiety.
- Individualized plans. Custom anxiety workout programs are tailored to each user’s mental health diagnosis and fitness level.
- Exercise progression. The routines progress gradually over time, slowly introducing additional forms of movement and increasing the resistance or intensity as fitness improves.
Resources for Employers and Schools for Teens and Young Adults
Schools, universities, government agencies, businesses, and therapy practices can incorporate Brain-Body Therapy’s anxiety-focused programs into broader student, employee and patient wellness initiatives to address the growing mental health needs of young adults in their communities.
Contact Brain-Body Therapy to learn more.
Personalized, Therapeutic Exercise Programs From Brain-Body Therapy
The best exercise for depression and anxiety often combines moderate-to-high-intensity aerobic activity with strength training. Built upon counseling-inspired mind-body wellness principles, Brain-Body Therapy offers diagnosis-specific, evidence-informed workout programs tailored to each individual.
The Brain-Body Therapy mobile app includes accessible exercises for teens at home, with easy-to-follow routines that call for little or no equipment. Users can send reports showing their exercise progress to their therapist or doctor, right from the app.
Get more details about how the Brain-Body Therapy method works. Or download the app on the App Store or Google Play.
Teen Anxiety – FAQs
What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety in teenagers?
Symptoms of anxiety in teenagers can include excessive worry, irritability, emotional outbursts, or constant reassurance-seeking. They can be physical, too, such as body tension, stomachaches, headaches, or fatigue. The warning signs can show up as situation avoidance, isolation, trouble sleeping, or intense distress over social acceptance, body image, or school performance.
How does exercise help reduce anxiety in teens and young adults?
Exercise can help teens and young adults manage or overcome anxiety by lowering stress hormones and releasing mood-boosting endorphins. It may also help with muscle tension and other physiological stress responses. Regular physical activity promotes mindfulness and can help build self-esteem as well.
Can yoga or breathing exercises really make a difference for teen anxiety?
Yoga, breathing exercises, and other mindfulness-based activities have been shown to help reduce anxiety symptoms in adolescents and teens. These practices promote feelings of groundedness, minimize racing thoughts, and help you feel more connected to your body.
Can exercise replace therapy or medication for anxiety in teens?
If you’re wondering how to help a teenager with anxiety, know that exercise isn’t a replacement for talk therapy or medication for those with more severe psychological conditions. Still, research shows that regular physical activity can be an effective option for alleviating anxiousness, managing stress, and promoting emotional resilience.
How much exercise does a teenager need to see a reduction in anxiety symptoms?
When treating anxiety in teens with exercise, you might see reduced symptoms with three to four aerobic sessions a week. To improve results and support strong bones and muscles, consider a program like Brain-Body Therapy that combines cardio with two or three days of resistance training.
Brain-Body Therapy takes the guesswork out by providing diagnosis-specific workout plans tailored to each individual’s mental health needs, age, and fitness level.
See what people are saying about how the Brain-Body Therapy app closes the gap between mental well-being and movement.