Teen Stress

Teen stress is on the increase! Teenagers stressed about parents, work, relationships or self image. Teenage stress can quite normal, but too much teenage stress is associated with teen depression and stress related illnesses.

Our teenage years are supposed to be a carefree time – but there is always homework to do, new technology to learn, and exams and worry about getting a good job.

Life can seem pretty heavy sometimes for a teenager.

While stress is a normal reaction and is good for us in small quantities, too much teenage stress for too long can make it difficult to cope and lead teen depression, teen anxiety and other stress related illnesses.

Here I discuss some of the common causes and symptoms of teenage stress, and what you can do about teenage stress.

Common causes of teenage stress

There are a number of causes of teenage stress which can include:

When you get stressed your heart may start to race as it increases blood to the muscles and the brain, which can make your body tense and alert – ready for action.

This can lead to a number of symptoms of teen stress.

Common symptoms of teenage stress

When stressed your body releases a number of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, to prepare your body to fight or flee from the cause of stress.

Whether the cause of stress for you is an annoying parent or friend, overload at school or worry about upcoming exams, the fight or flight response can be activated.

Knowing the early warning signs of stress is important.

Some of the symptoms of stress could be a difficulty concentrating or doing homework, angry outbursts, becoming withdrawn from friends and family or activities you once enjoyed, or a drop in school performance.

Other stress symptoms may include:

Sometimes stress can really start to pile up - exams, relationships, body image, and friends - and one of the worst things that you can do it to bottle it up inside.

By not releasing your stress you may start to be living with an unhealthy level of stress which can lead to things like teen depression and anxiety.

If you regularly experience some of these common symptoms of stress – then you may be suffering from too much stress.

Remember too much stress for too long can make us sick – you may start to notice things like physical exhaustion, hair loss, depression and skin rashes. See this article on "how does stress affect health?" for more information on stress related illnesses.

How can teenagers deal with teenage stress?

Know your signs and symptoms of teenage stress.

Different teenagers can feel stress differently, so knowing what your stress signature is can help you to identify when you are stressed.

Think about a time you were stressed. Maybe it was before an exam, or after a disagreement with mom or dad.

Can you remember how your body felt? Did your heart beat faster? Did you have butterflies in your stomach? Maybe you got a tension headache?

Keeping a stress diary can give you an idea of what is stressing you out and how you react to that teenage cause of stress.

This can be a good start to setting up your stress management plan.

Flip your negative thinking

Practice positive self talk can help to deal with teenage stress

Tap into your inner strengths and develop an optimistic attitude toward stress.

Developing your positive thinking habits in the face of stress can build your resilience and stress coping skills.

For example, going to a new school can be stressful but if you think that you may make alot of new friends then it could be exciting rather than stressful.

Use this cognitive therapy model to share some of your own disputes of some of your illogical beliefs that may be causing stress.

Another way to help your teenagers through stressful periods is to be a source of accurate information.

Trying to see and communicate both sides of the coin - the pros and cons of BOTH sides of the argument are important.

As a parent it is important to use non-judgmental language when disputing illogical beliefs with your teenager – try to avoid words such as "should" or "must" – as teenagers may rebel against being told what to do.

Relaxation strategies for teen stress

All of us need to relax at one time or another.

I like to swim or run to relax my muscles and use up accumulated stress products in my body. Find out the many ways that exercise reduces stress and how adhere to an exercise and stress relief program.

I also use a 10-20 minute breathing meditation every day – which I find beneficial for stress relief.

Find out what you like to do to relax and then bring them into your daily schedule. This can help to prevent stress and is also a good way to deal with teen stress.

Here are a number of relaxation techniques that you may want to check out.

In terms of teen stress management techniques or teen relaxation techniques, probably the simplest and most effective is diaphragmatic breathing.

I have used diaphragmatic breathing to reduce the stress that some of the young sub-elite athletes feel before a race – and have found this also to be helpful with teenage stress in exam times.

Diaphragmatic breathing is a basis for many other relaxation techniques.

Other strategies to reduce teen stress

These teen stress management tips will give you back a sense of control.

Just talking to somebody can help. Have you ever talked a problem out with a friend, only to find that after you have had a chat that the problem does not seem so big?

Well it can be the same with teen stress.

If you have a friend who is a good listener or your mom or dad, then seek out some support.

See a school counselor. A school counselor can give you ways to reduce your stress or manage it better.

Write down your strengths. Grab a piece of paper write down your strengths. Keep them in your back pocket and when you feel stressed or down, pull them out to give you a lift!

Dwell on the positive things in your life. Watch your thoughts and try to keep them realistically positive. Here we talk more about developing a positive mental attitude which can help to improve your skills for coping with stress.

Use positive statements to counter the effects of teen stress. What are some positive statements that you can say to yourself when you notice you are starting to feel stressed. Some statements may include "I feel relaxed and calm" or "I am at peace"

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