|
Helping Teens Handle Stress
Teenagers, like many adults, may experience stress everyday and can benefit immensely from learning stress management and encompassing coping skills. Most teens experience increased stress when they perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful and they do not have the internal/external, developed and in-depth resources or coping mechanisms to help them handle stress. Potential sources of teen stress might include: demands and frustrations at and with school, negative thoughts and feelings about themselves, issues/problems with friends or peers at school, physical, emotional, physiological changes and body/self image, unsafe living environment/neighborhood, separation or divorce of parents, chronic illness or severe problems in the family, death of a loved one, moving or changing schools, taking on too many activities or having too high expectations, family financial problems. Some teens just become overloaded with stress. When it happens, inadequately managed teen stress can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills such as drug and/or alcohol use.
Changes occur in our minds and bodies to prepare us to respond to
danger. This "fight, flight, or freeze" response includes faster heart
and breathing rate, increased blood to muscles of arms and legs, cold
or clammy hands and feet, upset stomach and/or a sense of dread. The
same mechanism that turns on the stress response can turn it off.. This
"relaxation response" includes decreased heart and breathing rate and a
sense of well being. Teens that develop a "relaxation response" and
other stress management skills feel less helpless and have more choices
when responding to stress.
If a teen talks about or shows signs of being overly stressed, a consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist or qualified mental health professional may be helpful. Monitor if stress is affecting the teen's health, behavior, thoughts, or feelings, listen carefully to teens and watch for overloading, learn and model stress management skills, active, healthy and a balanced lifestyle, supporting involvement in sports and other pro-social activities. |
|
