Lifestyle

Top 10 Ways To Handle Teens’ Stress

Teenage Life Quote

Published on December 22nd, 2018

Many adults nowadays wonder what can possibly cause the teens to stress and whether teens’ stressing out really is a thing. They only have to go to school, which is not even 10% of responsibilities the adults have to deal with on a daily basis.

However, stress is not only caused by the amount of responsibility and obligation one has in life, but also emotions. Stress is an utterly uncomfortable feeling that you get when you’re worried, anxious, frustrated, angry or simply overwhelmed. And teens, in that case, have so much to stress about.

Therefore, in this article, we will try to help stressed teenagers by providing tips and trick on how to handle stress appropriately.

Stress can come from many different places, both internal and external, like:

  • Parents: the pressure parents put upon their teenage children is enormous these days
  • Friends: peer pressure, the necessity to fit in and be accepted can cause enormous stress for teenagers
  • Teens themselves: the pressure teenagers put on themselves for various reasons: lack of confidence, the need to fit in, get good grades, get into college, etc.
  • Dysfunctional family and parent’s marital discord
  • Dealing with sexual feelings
  • Thinking about the future
  • Witnessing body change
  • Need to be independent
  • Feeling like you’re not good enough
  • Death in family

So, now that we know the primary sources of stress in teenagers, let’s look at some ways to handle the stress:

1. Proper Nutrition

Proper Nutrition

Many psychologists advice that if you want to reduce the stress level and the way stress affect your body, it is important to take care of what you eat. Proper and healthy nutrition is the key to dealing with stress; if you eat junk food or even skip meals, of course, your body is going to make you feel bad and lower your abilities to perform better in school and sports.

By eating healthy, you are more like to keep your moodiness in control, reduce stress and deal with stressful situations more readily. So, instead of eating sugary and greasy food, try to eat more veggies, whole grains and even meat, which is, of course, not processed.

 

2. Activity

Ways To Handle Teens' Stress_1

There are hundreds of studies showing that activity, exercise, meditation, and yoga can help teenagers ease stress. When your body is active, you’re encouraging it to heal itself from stress but also stop stress from intruding when you are in peace.

During exercise, meditation or yoga, your mind also tends to distance itself from the stress causes, and lets you observe all the issues and problem from that distance rather than letting you get directly caught up.

So, if you want to control stress and build a strong and healthy body, make sure to exercise regularly. Whenever you feel like you are getting stressed, overwhelmed or anxious, go for a run or do a set of cardio exercises; this will help you think clearly, perform better and school and stay healthy, both mentally and physically.

 

3. Sleep

Sleep is important

The number of hours you get to sleep can affect your mind and body immensely. No matter how much work you have to complete for school, it is always important to get a good night’s sleep.

Why? Because, if you don’t sleep enough, you will start witnessing changes in your behavior in both, normal and stressful situations. Lack of sleep can prevent you from thinking clearly, and it can make you feel irritable, moody and impatient.

Therefore, make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. If you have trouble sleeping, try exercising before bedtime, and don’t use technological devices before sleep as well.

 

4. Relaxation

Get A Better Night's Sleep_-3

If you want to lower your stress levels, there are numerous relaxation techniques you can use. Here are some tips:

  • Take some time to focus on deep breathing
  • Try to visualize a place you find particularly relaxing
  • Try progressive muscle relaxation by tensing and relaxing each muscle group
  • Take a walk in nature
  • Listen to relaxing music
  • Develop a love for reading

 

5. Friends and Support Network

Ways To Handle Teens' Stress

Stress can make a lot of teenagers less social and more aloof when it comes to their friends. However, spending time with friends is extremely important as they can help you cope with stress.

Therefore, make sure not to cut your friends away, and, instead spend time with them even out of school; go to parties, adventure parks, concerts, galleries, or even picnic and hiking.

 

6. Leave Your Room

Leave Your Room

We all have the tendency to shut down and close up when feeling stressed; especially teenagers. This can be, however, extremely dangerous for their mental and physical health.

So, what you need to do is leave your room and go outdoors regularly. Even if it’s raining or snowing, going outside can improve your mood, as well as clear mind and improve school performance.

 

7. Creative Output

Creative Output

It is vital for everyone in these hectic and stressful days to find a creative output. Teenagers, especially, need this kind of output in their lives as it can help them discover new talents and learn how to focus and tackle issues.

Maybe, if you are stressed, you can use the stress in your life as a sign that you should learn how to play piano, to paint and draw, or even write stories. Let the pressure in your life become a motivation to learn a new skill and completely master it.

 

8. Control of Emotions

Control of Emotions

Being overwhelmed by stress leads to even more complex emotions, like anxiety, fear, and anger. None of these emotions yield anything useful, so it is essential to put them under control when stress creeps up on you. By just paying attention to breathing, for example, you can make the stress go away in no time. Other things you can do to cope with emotions are:

  • Complete muscle relaxation
  • Tuning in with emotions you feel mentally and physically
  • Learn to be compassionate and low-tempered
  • Don’t push the feelings away; let them stay until the stress wave recedes

 

9. Stop Worrying About School

Stop Worrying About School

School projects and due-to papers can cause an enormous amount of stress for every teenager and student. However, it is important not to take school that serious; of course, education is important, and so is getting a degree, but none of that is a priority.

Your mental and physical health should always be a priority. Therefore, learn how to organize your time and stay productive, so there is time for relaxation and friends.

Moreover, learn to prepare in advance and study for exams the day the teacher announced them. If you need help with writing papers, take a look at free essay examples that you can easily find online.

 

10. Build Your Optimism

Build Your Optimism

Many studies show that people who are optimistic have a better biological response to stress. That is, these people have stable cortisol hormone levels which help them cope with stress and build their optimism even in the most challenging situations.

Luckily for you, it is quite easy to become an optimistic person, but it does take time. One way you can do it is by focusing on the positive things in life instead of on those that are wrong and unfortunate. Even if something bad happened during the day, make sure to appreciate all the good things that happened as well.