Learning About Teen Stress
Signs, Causes and Ways to Reduce the Stress in Your Teen's Life
According to an Associated Press/MTV survey, (msnbc.com accessed Dec 11, 2008) 85% of teens say they are stressed out. Excess stress can cause long term health problems including depression, so it is important to learn signs of stress. Thinking through the reasons behind the stress in your teen’s life will help you come up with ways to help reduce or eliminate unnecessary stress, providing a way for your child to thrive.
Reasons for Teen Stress
Little down time because of a packed out schedule can be one cause for stress in your teen. Between school, homework, sports and other clubs that students become involved in, it is a wonder that these teens even find time to eat and sleep. Although some children thrive on this packed out schedule, many children become very stressed from the hectic pace.
Pressures placed upon teens today can cause a lot of additional stress. Pressure to achieve, pressure to be like everyone else, and pressure from bullies can all cause stress in your teen's life. The pressure to achieve comes from home, from teachers and from peers as college looms in the distance. Peers can pressure their friends to drink, do drugs, have sex and get involved in other activities. This can lead to bullying, which is a very real problem in today’s schools.
Signs of Stress in Your Teen
Signs to watch for that may indicate that your teen is stressed out include poor grades, increasing irritability, decreased social interaction, changes in sleeping habits and changes in appetite. Different children react differently to stress, and your teen may complain of frequent stomach aches, be unusually moody or showing signs of depression. When you find out that your teen is stressed, there are some specific things that you can do to help.
Ways to Overcome Teen Stress
Stress can create a multitude of long term health problems, so reducing stress whenever possible is the best thing you can do for your teen. First sit down and identify areas of stress that are within your capability of changing. For example, eliminating some extra-curricular activities may help. If academic pressure is a source of stress, decide whether a tutor may be appropriate to help.
If your child is being bullied, work with the school to create a safety plan for escape for your child. Help your child find an ally at school that she can go to when she needs to talk, and know that she will be safe. When working out how to handle difficult situations that your teen finds her self in, take the tine to role play. Practicing lines to say when in a certain situation will help your child be more prepared and find greater success in handling situations that come up.
Work together with your teen to come up with ways to resolve excess stress in her life. Encouraging her to learn how to handle her schedule, and deal with peer pressure at school are just small pieces of what it takes to be an involved parent. Even though you cannot protect your child from the pressures of life, teaching her how to handle life one step at a time will help her build healthy life habits.
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