The Effects Of Teen Stress

1220 Words5 Pages
Imagine being a teen in today's society with four hours of homework each night and a sport that requires a two hour practice every evening. This is the schedule that most teens deal with daily. In today's society teens are more stressed than they used to be. “A 2013 survey by the APA found that stress is extremely common among teenagers. Teenagers who responded to the survey report they’re experiencing what they think are unhealthy levels of stress, especially during the school year” (“Teens and Stress”). Modern technology and complex scheduling have made school and people's lives more difficult both mentally and physically. This is causing young adolescents to be constantly stressed, and not knowing how to handle it. Stress can be defined…show more content…
One of teens biggest problems with stress is the inability to handle it when it becomes a big issue, and their ability to talk to someone when they are under much stress. “Adults often underestimate this level of stress and may not always be cognizant of the potential consequences of stress on teens and young adults. This lack of appreciation of the stress experienced by adolescents may be partially related to a lack of awareness of the sources of stress in teen life...” (LaRue). In order to reduce the average amount of teen stress, schools should provide courses for teachers and parents to learn about the causes of stress and how to identify it. By helping teens identify too much anxiety it will allow them to reduce their overall amount of stress. For starters, kids who are often stressed have difficulty focusing on one thing, sometimes it can be caused by a lack of sleep. This lost focus makes it difficult to get work done and have good quality work in the end. “When stress is perceived as uncontrollable or unmanageable, the person begins to experience a gradual to drastic decrease in performance levels, causing a decline in productivity and enthusiasm to…show more content…
By providing teens with someone to talk to it will give them someone who may understand how they feel. “Kids deal with stress in both healthy and unhealthy ways. And while they may not initiate a conversation about what's bothering them, they do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles” (“Helping Kids”). One main issue that is related to teen stress is the misunderstanding of the issue by others who are not experiencing it first hand. It is difficult for parents and teachers to help teens when they are stressed if they don’t know how exactly the teen is feeling or even if the teen is stressed. To better understand teen stress adults need to be more aware of when their teen is stressed and how to help them. “It is particularly devastating for parents to see their once upbeat child broken by a malady that they did not see coming. Even for those who did detect something amiss, many had little idea on how to assist. As one parent put it, "With a physical illness the family is in it together, but with a mental illness everyone feels alone". Another parent described it as "watching your child bobbing up and down like a cork at sea and unable to reach them” (“'Likes' contribute”). Adults need to be more aware of how their teen is feeling and if they are stressed. Knowing that they are having anxiety earlier on will
Open Document