Why Teens Struggle More Around the Holidays — And How DBT Skills Help
The holidays come with lights, celebrations, and the idea that everyone should feel joyful. But for many teens, this season brings the opposite — more stress, more pressure, and more emotional overwhelm.
If your teen seems irritable, anxious, shut down, or on the edge of tears for reasons that “don’t make sense,” here’s the thing: their nervous system is trying to keep up with a lot.
Let’s break it down.
1. Routines disappear — and so does their sense of stability
School gives teens a natural rhythm. When that rhythm disappears, emotional dysregulation often increases.
No structure means more opportunity for anxiety, rumination, conflict at home, and sensory overload.
2. Social pressure intensifies
Social media is flooded with holiday highlights.
Teens compare themselves to people who seem happier, more social, more “together.”
That comparison can make loneliness, self-doubt, and insecurity hit harder.
3. Family dynamics shift
Being home more often can bring up old tensions:
feeling misunderstood
feeling “too much”
feeling like they’re disappointing someone
or just feeling overstimulated by noise and expectations
4. Big emotions have fewer outlets
Without school, sports, clubs, or friends nearby, teens lose their usual coping strategies.
The emotions don’t go away — they just have nowhere to land.
How DBT helps — during the holidays and beyond
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) teaches skills that change how teens manage emotions, navigate conflict, and communicate.
Here are the four areas we focus on:
Mindfulness
Teens learn how to pause, notice what’s going on inside them, and choose their next step instead of reacting on autopilot.
Emotion Regulation
They build tools for reducing emotional intensity, understanding mood swings, and grounding themselves when feelings spike.
Distress Tolerance
These skills help teens get through tough moments without shutting down, blowing up, or using harmful behaviors.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Teens learn how to express themselves clearly, ask for what they need, and set boundaries — even in chaotic family moments.
If your teen is struggling right now, they’re not failing — they’re overwhelmed.
Holiday stress doesn’t mean something is wrong with your teen.
It means they need support, skills, and a safe place to learn how to handle everything they’re carrying.
Our Teen DBT Group is now enrolling and begins soon.
It may be the exact support your teen needs for a calmer, steadier start to the new year.
Learn more + save your teen’s spot:
https://www.beachestherapy.com/teen-dbt-group
