Like people of all ages, teens experience stress. Yet, because they are undergoing rapid growth and hormonal changes, they are more vulnerable. About one-third of U.S. teens feel stress every day.
Stress, which is the mental and physical pressure one experiences from circumstances felt to be threatening, seems to be everywhere one turns. Although stress begins with a perception of outside events, it affects far more than the mind. Stress may be felt throughout the entire body. When stress occurs, it causes the adrenal glands, situated on the kidneys, to release a hormone known as adrenalin. At the same time, the brain instructs the pituitary gland, which is in the brain, to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH causes the adrenal glands to produce even more adrenalin as well as other hormones known as glucocorticoids.
What are the combined consequences of all these hormones? An adolescent’s blood pressure and heart rate rise. Blood moves away from the digestive system toward the brain and muscles. One may develop an uneasy feeling in the stomach and the respiratory rate may become faster. The liver releases more glucose, a source of energy, and the teen begins to sweat. All this works well if the adolescent is in the jungle trying to flee from a wild animal. But these responses are of little use when someone is attempting to cope with the stresses of daily living.
Teens face an assortment of stresses. The release of all these hormones will cause their muscles to be tense. A teen may feel unsettled and have head, neck and shoulder pain. Other common stress-related symptoms are insomnia, skin rashes, digestive problems, recurrent abdominal pain, chest pain, musculoskeletal pain, chronic fatigue, dizziness, hyperventilation, headaches, heart palpitations, and an impaired immune system. If stress continues over a longer period of time, it may impact an adolescent’s ability to complete his or her schoolwork, and the grades may fall. Some teens eat too little or too much and may neglect their appearance. Others may have trouble concentrating and relating to other people. In addition, some teen may become irritable and have emotional outbursts.
Severe stress may lead to a depression. Some teens attempt to feel better by using tobacco, drugs or alcohol. In addition to failing to solve their problems, these actions may result in the development of a substance abuse disorder.
One should take action before the stress gets out of control. One could begin by identifying the source of the stress. Is it external, such as an illness? Or is it self-imposed, such as concern about how the teen looks? There are some other suggestions. Is there something one can do to lessen the stress or to reduce the toll it is taking? Is the stress way out of proportion? For example, is the teen making it far more important than it is? Not having a date for this Friday’s dance may seem like a major crisis. However, there is a fairly good chance that a few years from now, no one will either recall the event or care about it. On the other hand, if one’s parents are unemployed and the family may be evicted and become homeless, then stress is a reasonable response to the situation. A teen, rather than concentrating on his or her stress could take action to connect his or her parents with a community agency that will assist them in weathering this financial downturn. Or the teen could find a part time job to help with family finances. In other words, instead of dwelling on the stress, teens should take action to deal with the stressor.
Not all stress is bad. A life without any stress would be boring. But no one wishes to feel overwhelmed every day. As in the case of most teens, much of the stress comes from school. Between classes, after school activities, homework, sports, and friends, the days are full. If a teen also have a job, a boyfriend or girlfriend, and responsibilities at home, there may well be essentially no time for oneself. Then, factor in still more stress producing items such as college board testing preparation, college applications, junior and senior proms, inadequate financial resources, and moving to a new home, college or community. When faced with so many stresses, some teens may unravel when they are stuck in traffic or lose their keys.
So what can be done? Teens can begin by trying to introduce more order into their lives. They will spend less time looking for the keys if they are always kept in the same place. Fewer homework assignments will be forgotten if they are carefully record the same notebook. If a teen has too many after school activities, then he or she should decide which are most enjoyable and devote attention to those activities.
To help with organization and reduce stress, adolescents can make a list of all that they need to do. The most important items should be placed first. One can write down the approximate amount of time that it takes to do each task. But then one should spend time on one task at a time. When teens go from thing to thing, there is a tendency to become scattered, unfocused and develop trouble with concentration. After an item is completed, it can be crossed off the list. That will enable the adolescent to feel that he or she is working toward the goal of finishing everything.
While it is tempting to keep working—there could be so much on a teen’s list-one should occasionally make time for a break. One could go for a walk or listen to some music, call or email a friend. Teens who share their stresses with someone else may reduce them. Some adolescents enjoy spending a few minutes breathing deeply or listening to a relaxation tape or even stretching their body. Aerobic exercise will raise the level of endorphins in one’s body, and this will make the teen not only feel better but sleep more restfully.
A few other points for teens may help to reduce stress. Although most teens probably heard this before, it is important to watch what is eaten. Junk food will not make the stress go away, but it will deplete a teen’s energy and contribute to weight gain. Sleep is vitally important, and one should plan to sleep at least eight hours a night. Teens who stay up very late will probably feel unwell the next day. It may also reduce one’s immunity, affect the memory and make a teen more at risk for mistakes and accidents. Extra sleep helps people deal with stress.
Teens who are faced with really serious internal stresses such as sexuality or relationship issues or really serious external stresses such as parental divorce or death or parental substance abuse, may need to obtain outside assistance. One could talk to the school counselor. The counselor should be able to provide adolescents with the name of a therapist and/or support group. Teens should not try to manage everything on their own. The stress will only be compounded.
Related topics:
Academics, anger, anxiety disorders, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder
