Worrying state of Teens under stress

Teenagers are likely to experience stress as adults. Teen stress arises when teenagers face a situation which they think it to be impossible to manage within their physical and emotional resources.

Common causes of teen stress

Young people can become stressed for many reasons. Since a large part of teenage life revolves around school and home, most of the causes of Teen stress also originate at school or home. There are lots of types of teen stress. Similarly there are several causes of teen stress. Most of them face emotional stress due to the any or some of the following reasons:

• The pressure of expectations from self and from others
• The pressure at school from teachers, coaches,
• The pressures due to grades and homework
• Strained relationship with classmates
• Strained relationship with parents/siblings
• Physical and biological changes in the body during adolescence
• Negative feelings about oneself/low self-esteem
• Heated arguments with or between parents
• Financial problems in the family
• Tragedy in the family (e.g. death, divorce, cancer, AIDS)
• Break up with boyfriend/girlfriend
• Separation or divorce of parents
• High crime rate in the living environment/neighborhood
• Moving to a new surroundings
• Changing to a new school
• Horrifying societal events like 9/11 terrorist attacks or communal war

Teenage stress and teen types

Before we understand the average teenager response to stress, it is important to classify teenagers into two categories: "strong-willed" and "others". Teenagers falling in the strong-willed category are independent and responsible, while those falling in the "others" category do not have adequate emotional reserves to fight stress either due to their lifestyle or due to family circumstances.

How do teens respond to stress?

Most teenagers respond to stressful events in their lives by doing something relaxing and positive, or by seeking friendship and support from others, and then they move ahead in life. Some examples of such positive-approach activities are listening to music, watching television, keeping up friendships, and figuring out solutions to the problems by drawing strength from family and friends. This way to deal with stress is beneficial for adolescents who are strong-willed, independent-minded, and who take responsibility for themselves.

But some teens, especially those who hail from broken families, are not able to cope with any kind of stressful event and become overburdened with emotional stress over a period of time. This may result in serious health problems such as anxiety, withdrawal symptoms, aggression, suicidal tendencies, physical illness, or even drug/alcohol abuse.

Teens of the "strong-willed" type develop a "relaxation response" and other stress management skills and obviously feel less helpless and have more choices when responding to stress compared to the teens of the later category.

The role of parents in teen stress relief

Parents have a big role in helping their teenaged children coping with stress. First and foremost, they must patiently listen to the problems of their children, without passing any judgments. They must also encourage their children's involvement in some kind of sports and pro-social activities.

Techniques to manage and control teen stress

Healthy habits and a well-planned routine in life will go a long way in making an adolescent deal positively with stress. Some good habits that should be made a part of daily life are:

• Strictly avoid junk food. Eat healthy food and on time.
• Exercise regularly.
• Avoid excess caffeine intake via colas and coffee, because caffeine increases the feelings of anxiety and agitation.
• Do not use illegal drugs, stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco.
• Learn relaxation exercises (abdominal breathing and muscle relaxation techniques).
• Build up an internal stress-defense mechanism by developing an assertive attitude. For example, be polite yet firm while dealing with a situation that you perceive to be stress. While being polite and firm, remember not to lose your cool at any cost.
• Think about situations that cause emotional stress. Now play-act and practice these situations and come out with stress-busting solutions.
• Break up stressful tasks into smaller, manageable and simple tasks.
• Do not talk negatively about anyone and particularly about yourself. If you feel that you have an intrinsic defect, and then analyze that defect and pen down solutions that will solve your condition. Always try to maintain positive feelings about yourself.
• A break always helps. Music, friends, singing, writing, painting, etc., can help a lot when you are confronted with a stressful situation.
• Building a social circle will automatically help your in times of stress.

By using these techniques, teenagers can learn to manage stress. Stress for teenagers is becoming a sensitive issue. Many take the extreme step of committing suicide and ending life. Parents and schools should play an active role in this regard. It needs to be understood that if teen stress is not taken care in the appropriate time it could ruin the child's career and as well as produce psychological impacts.