Imagine this: you are a teenager in high school, and everything’s good- except one thing, you have assignments on assignments stacking up! Schoolwork on top of life itself can make you overwhelmed with stress. Teens all over the globe suffer from stress. Whether it is a lot or a little, stress will always be a major factor in life, especially when you are a teenager.  Stress is an emotional feeling that can leave you feeling angry, nervous, and frustrated. Understanding teen stress is easy if you break it down into three categories, the causes, management, and health effects.

Stress is a normal part of life, but some factors can dramatically increase stress levels in teenagers. One huge contributor is school. Balancing school work for 4-8 classes is very mentally challenging and time-consuming. Not only do teens have a lot of work to do, but they have to study and try to excel in their academics. Spending so much time on school takes time away from family and friends, which could help manage a student’s stress level. Another factor that contributes to stress in teens is family. Family problems and strict parents/guardians can be very hard on a teen. Family problems; such as fights, can stress a teen out immensely because it puts them in a very negative environment. When a teen gets involved in their families issues it makes it more difficult to cope with. Strict parents also cause stress by setting expectations too high. Some aspects of life can cause it to be more stressful.

Along with the causes, learning how to manage teen stress is very important, both for the parents and the teens themselves. A stressed-out teen can be a huge challenge for parents. Their child may seem more irritable or less like themselves. It’s important to know that it’s not necessarily their fault and they still love you! A good way to help a teen with stress is to just reassure them. Letting them know that they are doing great and they are doing all they can to succeed. The support will help them be calmer, help them take a breather, and realize that everything will be okay! As a teenager, managing stress is difficult because it is so overwhelming. The first thing is to try to keep a good attitude and think positively. Also, making time for hobbies and things you like will help you get away from what is stressing you out and will help open your mind. Another thing to try is to seek out support from friends and family. If you don’t have a close relationship with any family members or friends, phycological help is also an option that can help. There are many ways to manage teen stress in healthy ways.

Even though stress is a mental feeling, it can actually physically affect your body. Stress can cause teens to have headaches, rapid breathing, high blood pressure, and even stomach aches.  This happens because stress hormones can make your heart pump faster, so blood can reach the vital organs and limbs quickly.  Insomnia is also an effect of stress because it can make it harder to fall asleep. Long term stress also can weaken your immune system, which can make it easier for you to get infections.  Both men’s and women’s reproduction parts can also be affected by stress. It can cause women to have fertility problems and men to experience erectile dysfunction. It is crazy how much stress can physically affect our bodies.

For teenagers and their parents, stress is a difficult thing, not only to understand but to deal with. Between school and parents, it’s easy to understand why so many teens struggle with stress. It’s our job to educate ourselves about stress and how to deal with it and why it’s so important we don’t just ignore it. Today’s teens are the future, so knowing all we can about stress will truly help all teens and benefit the future.