major cause of stress to teens

Major Cause of Stress to Teens

Stress is the uncomfortable feeling you get when you’re worried, scared, angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed. It is caused by emotions, but it also affects your mood and body. The Simple English Wikipedia describes  teenager, or teen, as a young person whose age falls within the range from 13–19. They are called teenagers because their age number ends with "teen". Someone aged 18 or 19 is also considered a young adult.

Being young does not prevent the teenager from experiencing stress. They may feel anxious about body changes, friendships, grades, tests, family issues, homework, work, lack of sleep, health, extra-curricular activities or even love life. Stress is a normal part of life and the teenager together with parents, teachers and loved ones around can learn how to reduce stress and to cope with it.

What are some of the triggers, or stressors as they are called, that make us feel stressed? There is a myriad of situations but a few common ones include:

Worries over school and homework         

Family demands.

Romantic relationships

Health concerns

Puberty

Physical danger

For the majority of teens, stress starts at school where a large part of their daily life is spent.  There is a range of academic pressure derived from a need for perfection, worry over grades, parental pressure, competition, sports, or a tough class load. The nervous breakdowns, panic attacks, burnouts, and depression are also apparent in many younger students. The same situation is not always stressful for all people.

 Friends can be the best people to relieve stress and provide a strong support network to fall back on when times get tough at school. However, the wrong group of friends will only add to troubles. Choose the friends that will be positive and supportive when the going gets tough. Having a good group of friends will help maintain a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.

At the home front, parents expectations of grades and ambition can stress the teenager. Further, demands from siblings, house/room chores, tv,etc all add to the list of “to do” things. Here, time management becomes important. Decide what is most important and prioritize what needs to be done early in the week, and what can be done later. If focusing on a few projects a night rather than worrying about all of them every night a better job will be done on each assignment.

On attaining puberty, body changes, hormones and emotions can cause uncertainty and stress. Every teenager goes through it. This is the time for romantic relationships as well. The love followed by the attention, long chats, alertness to personal looks, even jealousy and anger, all contribute to tension and stress.

The teen should never feel alone with their problem – chances are good that other people feel the same way, too. They should  talk with parents, siblings, a friend, or a counselor. Positive relationships are the building blocks of mental health. The teen should also learn to manage and reduce stress. Physical activity and exercise helps relax muscles and reduce stress. Get enough sleep as one of the biggest causes of stress in teenagers is not getting enough sleep. Eat good food and aim for a family diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegies, lean meat, dairy foods and wholegrains. Relax and unwind: this might be going for a walk, reading a book, having a relaxing bath or listening to some music.

Finally, much stress can be avoided with relaxation and and good time management. To summarise, one of the most important factors in teen stress is expectations of themselves. Therefore, set reasonable goals that you can reach within the time that you have to complete certain activities. Parents and teachers can help set goals and prioritize activities.