Is Stress Ruling Your Life?

Stress. Teenagers deal with it every single day, and there’s a reason for it. As teens, we’re always juggling more than one thing at once, and putting say basketball, homework, a part-time job and school all in the same eight-hour time period can get pretty stressful. A little stress is a good thing; it pushes you to work harder or do better. But sometimes too much of it becomes overwhelming, and teenagers get stressed out to the point that they can’t handle it anymore. Stress is normal but needs to be taken care of in a healthy way.

According to kidshealth.org, one-third of all teenagers suffer from at least one episode of stress a week. A study done in Baltimore (presented by kidshealth.org) surveyed 875 teens and asked them to list all the factors that stressed them out. Thirty-six per cent listed school work, 32 per cent said family, 21 per cent said friends and 20 per cent said siblings. The study also showed that girls are more affected than boys and that they both handle stress differently. Girls handle stress by finding help, talking about it or even taking actions against the problem, whereas boys try not to deal with the stress and try to find a way to distract themselves by doing something else.

So how do you know if you’re experiencing stress overload? If you have the following symptoms: physical illness, increased anger, irritability, increased feelings of hopelessness, over-worrying and/or trouble eating, sleeping or concentrating, then you need to chill!

Studies have proven that teen stress can have a negative impact on adulthood. Health Canada also considers stress a risk factor to many diseases such as heart disease. Major health problems aren’t exactly ideal when you get older, which is why it’s important to handle your stress now.

Check out sites such as stressfocus.com for some helpful tips. Stressfocus.com recommends sleep as the number one stress reliever. Without sleep, your brain can’t concentrate properly and it’s harder to focus on the topic at hand. The recommended length of sleep is nine hours for teens. It also suggests breaking your goals into smaller tasks. Talk to someone. If the stress is seriously getting to you, it always helps to talk about it either with a parent, friend or even a favourite teacher.

With the right methods and tricks, tackling stress can be easy. The next time you have a project due the next day, activities to go to that night, a monkey of a brother or sister bugging you to no end, just take a deep breath. Welcome to the teenage way of life.