Anxiety Is Running the Show: How to Help Students Regain Emotional Control

It’s no secret that today’s students are under more emotional pressure than ever before. From high school to college campuses, anxiety has become the most common mental health challenge young people face—and it’s not just affecting grades. It’s hijacking lives.

Recent data paints a sobering picture. Over 16% of U.S. adolescents (ages 12–17) now have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, a 61% increase since 2016. Among college students, the numbers are even more alarming: more than one-third screen positive for moderate-to-severe anxiety, and 77% report that mental health challenges—often anxiety—hurt their academic performance at least once in the past month. In Florida, where access to youth mental health care ranks among the lowest in the nation, the stakes are even higher.

If you’re a parent, educator, or mental health professional, chances are you’ve seen it: students who are smart, driven, and capable—yet crumbling under pressure. The question is no longer “Are students anxious?” but “What can we do to help them regain control?”

Signs Anxiety Is Taking Over a Student’s Life

Student anxiety doesn’t always look like panic attacks or public meltdowns. In fact, many anxious students appear to be “doing just fine.” But underneath the surface, they may be fighting battles that affect every aspect of their lives. Here are some key signs that anxiety is in control:

• Academic struggles: procrastination, perfectionism, test anxiety, or declining grades despite effort

• Emotional overwhelm: frequent irritability, emotional shutdowns, or crying spells

• Avoidance behaviors: skipping classes, social withdrawal, excessive screen time

• Physical symptoms: headaches, stomach issues, fatigue, or trouble sleeping

• Constant overthinking: fear of failure, excessive self-criticism, or racing thoughts

When anxiety runs unchecked, it becomes more than just a passing feeling—it becomes a lifestyle.

The Myth of High-Functioning Anxiety

One of the most misunderstood dynamics is high-functioning anxiety—the student who looks like they have it all together but is quietly unraveling.

These students:

• Maintain a 4.0 GPA but have panic attacks before every exam

• Lead clubs but obsess over every social interaction afterward

• Appear composed but struggle to sleep, eat, or rest without guilt

High-functioning doesn’t mean healthy. And often, these students are the last to ask for help—because their success masks their suffering.

Why Traditional Coping Skills Often Fall Short

Parents and schools often respond to anxiety with well-meaning advice: “Just take deep breaths,” “Use your planner,” or “Don’t stress so much.”

While helpful in theory, traditional coping skills fall short when they don’t address the emotional root of what’s going on. For high-achievers, tips like “just relax” feel dismissive—and they need more than surface-level strategies.

Emotional Regulation: The Missing Piece

What these students truly need is emotional regulation—the ability to recognize, manage, and respond to intense emotions in healthy, adaptive ways.

Unlike generic coping tips, emotional regulation:

• Helps students understand why they feel the way they do

• Provides tools to calm the nervous system in real time

• Builds long-term emotional resilience

• Reduces shame by validating emotional experiences

When students learn how to regulate emotions rather than suppress or avoid them, they regain a sense of agency—and anxiety starts to lose its grip.

7 Evidence-Based Strategies to Help Students Regulate Emotions

Whether you're supporting a teen at home, in school, or in therapy, here are seven proven strategies drawn from CBT, DBT, ACT, and other therapeutic models:

1. Thought Tracking: Teach students to write down anxious thoughts and challenge distortions like “I’ll fail if I mess up once.”

2. STOP Skill: A 4-step pause technique: Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed mindfully.

3. Values-Based Action: Help students identify their core values and take action that aligns with them—even when anxiety shows up.

4. TIPP Skills: Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, and Progressive relaxation to calm the body quickly.

5. Cognitive Defusion: Teach students to unhook from anxious thoughts instead of believing them as facts.

6. Emotion Naming: Encourage labeling feelings with precision—moving from “bad” to “ashamed,” “pressured,” or “disappointed.”

7. Grounding: Help students create daily calming routines that connect them to the present moment (e.g., sensory grounding or “5-4-3-2-1” exercise).

These emotional tools for anxiety do more than manage symptoms—they empower students to rebuild self-trust and resilience.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone

Anxiety doesn’t have to run the show. Whether you’re a parent worried about your teen, an educator seeing warning signs in your classroom, or a student who’s tired of the emotional rollercoaster—there are tools, support systems, and strategies that work.

At Approaching Change, we specialize in helping high-achieving but emotionally overwhelmed students regulate their emotions, calm anxious thoughts, and get back in control—without losing themselves in the process.

Book a consultation today—because your mental health matters.

Briggett Harris, LMHC