95 | When Teen Anxiety Looks Like Avoidance or Shutdown with Psychiatrist Dr. Tracey Marks

About this episode

The episode discusses how teen anxiety can manifest as avoidance and emotional shutdown, featuring insights from psychiatrist Dr. Tracey Marks.

Hi Parents! Anxiety in teens doesn’t always look like worry or fear. For many families, it shows up as avoidance, irritability, emotional shutdown, or behaviours that are often misread as defiance or lack of motivation. Today I'm joined by Dr. Tracey Marks, a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in helping people build healthier responses to stress through neuroscience-based tools. Dr. Marks explains why the teenage brain under stress often moves into protection mode, making it harder for teens to communicate, focus, or engage. Tracey also breaks down the overlap between anxiety, ADHD traits, and stress behaviours, helping parents understand why labels alone don’t tell the full story. Together, we discuss common ways well-meaning parents accidentally escalate anxiety, how parents can respond differently in heated or withdrawn moments, and why a parent’s own emotional regulation plays a critical role in helping teens feel safe and supported. Parents will leave this episode with a clearer lens for interpreting their teen’s behaviour, practical tools to use in real-life moments, and reassurance that supporting an anxious teen is not about fixing them, but about creating…

People in this episode

Host: Monica Crnogorac

Guest: Dr. Tracey Marks

Topics covered

• teen anxiety
• emotional shutdown
• parenting strategies
• communication
• stress management

Keywords

• teen anxiety
• avoidance
• emotional regulation
• parenting
• ADHD traits
• stress behaviors
• communication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Resilience Reset Podcast, Mental Wellness Store

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