Dealing with Stress – Part -1: What are you Stressing About?

Stress and Anxiety issues are common teens. This Blog will guide you through fighting and preventing stress to make a healthy working environment. Stress caused due to various reasons has very serious effects on students, parents as well as teachers. Stress, when heightened, can cause various serious problems including but not limited to headache, nightmares, irritability and fatigue. Stress, over a prolonged duration can distress which in turn can cause various diseases.

This is why it is important for the students, the parents and the teachers to understand stress and know how to handle them efficiently and effectively.

Identify the Source of stress:

There can be hundreds of things that might cause you stress. Identifying the source can help you meet it head on and deal with it as efficiently as you can. Here are the most common causes of stress and anxiety in teens.

school work or demands
parents who are going through a separation or divorce
medical conditions
dealing with physical and emotional maturation
death of a family member or friend
learning disorders
moving to or transitioning to a new school
first experiences with dating and romantic relationships
friendships and making new friends
parents with high expectations
financial problems in the family
difficulty with body image
dealing with bullying

Maybe you had an ugly fight with your best friend and your whole life feels off-balance. Or, maybe you don’t know how to talk to the cute new boy that keeps catching your eye in geometry class. Think long and hard about what is causing your stress so that you can develop a strategy to overcome it.

Talk about it:

There are many people who care about you. Friends, family, teachers and mentors have increased interest in your welfare and well being. They will be more supportive than you think in helping you find a solution to your problems.

Talking to someone will help you get a new perspective on your problem which will help you deal with it more effectively.

Most Schools have councillors and mentors whom you can confide in. They are there to help you and not judge you. Feel free to talk to them about anything and everything that might be bothering you.

If there is an issue at home, you might be comfortable talking to a friend or your school councillor. If you have an issue at school, talking to someone at home will be helpful.

Keep a Journal:

If you think you cannot talk to anyone, or if you are just not comfortable, you can resort to keeping a journal. Journals never judge and they are the best listeners. Choose a notebook that you love and unload your thoughts and feelings on those pages.

Keeping a journal has its plus sides as well. You can improve your communication skills, language skills, writing skills along with many other advantages.

Get enough shuteye:

Sleep may seem like a waste of time. You could instead be answering doing a research, finishing your homework or at least playing your favourite game on your play station. But research shows that you’re more likely to succeed at your tasks and enjoy greater well-being if you get some serious shuteye.

It is understandable that it is hard to sleep when you are overwhelmed. This is highly unfortunate because, getting enough sleep only combats some of the fallout of stress.

Setting a regular bedtime; de-caffeinating yourself by avoiding caffeinated products and getting some physical activity done may help in getting the required 7-9 hours of sleep.

Go for a Run:

Get your blood flowing by going for a run or getting some exercise done. This will reset your mind and refresh your body and make your better equipped to tackle stress more efficiently. Stress also tenses your muscles, so a simple stretch could go a long way in fighting stress.

Positive Reinforcement:

We live in a highly competitive world and being good at your task is not good enough. Pushing yourself to the limit is good. But beating yourself up for not being good enough is definitely not. Set small and achievable goals and celebrating them will prove highly effective.

Teen stress is a serious issue and we hope the blog has helped at least a little bit. Lead your life peacefully and relaxed.