How to Deal With Insecure Teenage Girls

Teenage girls often struggle within insecurity issues, such as their body image and ability to connect with peers on a social level. Hormone fluctuations and negative peer pressure can complicate emotions, making it even more difficult for them to develop a healthy self-image. Managing teen girls' mood swings and dealing with their insecurities can be a challenging job for parents. Encouraging them with kind words and helping them look on the bright side is often the best approach.

  1. Don't Overreact

    • Keep your emotions in check and don't overreact when your insecure teen daughter yells, cries or feels depressed for no apparent reason. When a parent responds to their teenager's angst with anger, frustration or tears, the result is usually negative, says clinical psychologist Lucie Hemmen writing for PsychologyToday.com. Your moody teen needs you to be a stable force in her life, so a calm, rational response to her anxieties and fears is the best solution. Tell her you're trying to understand how she feels and want to help however you can.

    Focus on Inner Beauty

    • Focus on her inner beauty, positive character traits, goals and hobbies. Your daughter might have a negative body image, regardless of her actual physical appearance, and feel skinny, pudgy, short, tall or ordinary compared to classmates and celebrities. Teen girls tend to ignore other traits and focus solely on appearance as evidence of their worthiness, leading to low self-esteem, according to Education.com. Help your daughter see that there's more to her than physical appearance and that you love and appreciate her for who she is. Participate in her hobbies and praise her when she makes good decisions, demonstrates honesty and acts kindly.

    Fight Against Obesity and Depression

    • Help your teenager adopt a healthy lifestyle by encouraging her to eat nutritious foods and exercise. Set a good example by doing these things yourself and asking her to join you. A healthy lifestyle can help your daughter maintain a healthy weight, reducing the risk of depression and enabling her to develop a positive body image. The onset of depression in teen girls is often associated with excessive weight gain, according to psychologists and researchers, Naomi Marmorstein, William Lacono and Lisa Legrand, in the January 2014 issue of "International Journal of Obesity." One of the best ways to deal with your teen's emotional ups and downs is to encourage her to avoid fat-laden, sugary, and/or processed foods and to stay active. Take walks, go on bike rides and prepare healthy meals together.

    Encourage Positive Friendships

    • Encourage your daughter to develop friendships with teens who have a positive self-image. Insecurity often breeds more insecurity, so you want your daughter to hang out with friends who are upbeat, stable and self-assured. When she has an emotion-filled day and feels insecure, suggest that she and a good-natured friend go to the mall or the movies or hang out at your house. The goal is to help her stop sulking by providing fun, entertaining alternatives with her peers. If her friends are busy, offer to take her out on a mother-daughter or father-daughter date.

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