Teen Stress

Stress is our body’s reaction to our changing environment. Stress is not pressure to perform, personal problems, or illness; these things are stressors, and stress is our reaction to them. Stress can affect anyone from children to adolescents to adults. Teen stress is very common among the adolescents today.

Teen stress is similar to the adult stress in terms of the signs and symptoms. But the causes of teen stress are totally different and they need somewhat different stress management programs for dealing stress. It is estimated that teens from 20% of the total population. Yet they are a neglected group of the population. The adolescent group is the intermediate group between the dependent childhood and the independent adulthood. This transition from childhood to adulthood is never so easy. This group is a vulnerable group to both physical and emotional stress. There are problems everywhere for them - problems at home with their parents and siblings, problems in the school with their friends and education. The adolescents cannot be treated as either adults or kids because their problems are totally different.

* Signs of Teen Stress:

1. Feeling down, on edge, guilty or tired
2. Having headaches, stomach aches, trouble sleeping
3. Wanting to be alone all the time
4. Not enjoying activities you used to enjoy
5. Feeling resentful of others
6. Feeling like you have too many things you have to do

Teen stress can lead to more serious teen health problems. Struggling with major teen stress and low self-esteem issues can lead to more serious problems such as teen eating disorders, hurting you, teen depression, alcohol abuse and drug abuse, and even teen suicide.

Surveys conducted shows that one third of the teenagers suffer at least one episode of stress every week. Though stress has the same kind of response in all the age groups, the stress factors are different. Stress in teens could be due to

• Pubertal Changes
• Changing relationship with peers
• New demands in the school
• Safety issues in their neighborhood
• Responsibilities to their families
• Negative thoughts and feelings
• Separation or divorce of parents
• Death of a loved one
• Chronic illnesses
• Changing schools
• Financial problems
• Holiday stress

Stress is something that comes in many forms. Everyone has advice on it, but the way you learn to deal with it is what is most important. Open the lines of communication with everyone around you. If they know what they are doing to you, they can then help you to lessen the amount of stress you have to endure. Be sure to remember to listen to their side of things and work to accomplish a compromise in all situations. You won't get everything your way, but it will take a load off your shoulders in the long run. Teen stress is one of the hardest things to get through, but you can rest assured that it has been done. Billions of people in the world have all had to go through the travails of the teenage years and they have through to the other side. So prepare yourself, get help when you need it, and look for help when you can. By relying on people who have "been there, done that" you can see your way clear to the other side. Then, you can safely look back on your teen stress and say stupid things like, "the teenage years are the best years of your life!" The parental approach to teen stress management should rely upon family dynamics. The home should be a place where the teenager feels safe and secured. The home should be perceived by the teen as a place of refuge where there are people who understand and care about whatever it is that they are going through. Parents should value their relations with their teen and cherish it as something precious. Once parents earn the trust and respect of their teens, then everything would fall into their proper perspective.