Teen Stress.

I’d like to find one teen that isn’t stressed out on at least some level. There are tons of things going on in our lives, things that neither adults nor children can relate to. There is school, teachers always teaching new things, handing out tests, assignments, and projects, and constantly reminding us that we need all of it. School is a major stress, no doubt. There’s much more though, there’s stuff going on at home and with friends, constant peer pressure and nagging parents. Oh and let’s not forget about relationships, something everyone has to tackle at one point in their life. Being a teenager is loads of fun, but it’s a time of lot’s of changes and stress too.

The Biggest Causes of Stress Among Teens
school work (68%),
parents (56%)
friends' problems (52%),
romantic relationships (48%),
drugs in the neighborhood (48%)

With common knowledge everyone knows that stress is bad. But how much is too much? Here are some of the short term symptoms of reoccurring stress:
• Lose sleep
• Perform poorly in school
• React aggressively
• Become overwhelmed
• Become physically altered with bloodshot baggy eyes, swollen feet, aching back and increased blood pressure.
• Weight gain

Long term symptoms:
• Chronic head ache
• Mood swings
• Anxiety disorder
• Substance abuse
• Memory disturbances
• Heart attack due increased blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol
• Stroke due to similar reasons
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Exacerbation of allergies including asthma
• Irritable Bowel disease
• Ischemic Bowel disease like Crohn's disease
• Sleeplessness

It’s scary to know that some of these things can happen just because of too much work and too much pressure but think about it, there is no way of just stopping all of this. You’d have to stop puberty, never be in a relationship, and have no parents, friends or school. It’s just not doable. BUT there is something you can do and it’s called managing your stress!!! Here’s some recomended ways to manage stress:

• Avoid unnecessary stress
  
• Alter the situation, if something’s not working, FIX IT!
  
• Adapt to the stressor
  
• Accept the things you can’t change
  
• Make time for relaxation, it’s you’re biggest friend when it comes to stress.
  
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle

There are tons of good ways to relieve stress, all you have to do is find the one that works and BAM, you’re suddenly living a more stress-free life.


http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
http://www.stressfocus.com/stress_focus_article/stress-effects-on-body.htm
http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-stress/teen-stress-defined.html
http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-stress/stress-statistics.html

It's actually quite true what you say. We teens are always stressed and I'm not surprised that School work received 68%. School is what mostly gets us stressed since if we have alot of homework then we cant really do anything else. But its really important to balance things out and have some time to relax and take time for yourself. Sometimes, things will just not go right at all, and sometimes it will. Life is not always fair!

Everyone stresses, but i guess teenagers stress a lot, specially because of the hormones. Stress can come from school, i barely get any sleep, thats why i get sick right away when someone else is sick. You could also have family problems, like someone dying, or parents going through a divorce. Then there are your friends, who could also be having family problems, or even relationship problems.

being a teenager is hard work, we have lots of things to juggle and I do not know about you but there are times when I feel overwhelmed and I want to just give but then there are other times that I love the position I am in! Everyone goes through this i guess, it's a part of growing up!

Yeah, it's not so easy being a teenager. Stress can come from various things like school, friends, family, etc. In order to fight stress people should get involved in some kind of enterteinment activity like sports. We face different situations and experiences. Sometime they can be bad, sometimes good. At this age we learn how to deal with the different problems in life. As Nathan said, it all part of growing up.

Wow i can totally relate to this post. Stress is something no one likes having. When you live a stress-full life everything is more tiring, you are constantly in a bad mood, and you do not enjoy anything you do. Having stress is like having this constant pinch or pain and never leaves you alone. Like Gaby says a major source of stress for teenagers is school. We spend eight hours every day learning new things and when all that information goes into your head all at once, it is stressing trying to remember it or memorizing it.I think we get stressed because we worry to much about insignificant things(like i do). If we could just stop worrying so much about everything we would live a less-stress life.

LOVELY POST.
I think we can ALL relate to this. Not only teens, but adults as well. We all encounter things that causes us to stress but it's part of LIFE. We are constantly overwhelmed with school, friends, family, the whole nine yards. The key here is just learning how to manage the stress you happen to encounter. For example when you're feeling stressed do something you like/love to do (play guitar, surf, etc.) Life isn't easy, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger