1-800-LIFE-LINE: Tips for Teens!

"I am not going to cover the usual all health related, or growing-up related advice as what you normally hear. Talking to my son on several occasions, I have uncovered some of the most usual strange situations teens will experience during their school years. They are listed below along with several tips to overcome the issue:

Stress
Oh no! I have to finish that 7 page report for tomorrow! I haven't even started it! or, "Ehh... Parent's are fighting again. Will they ever stop?" and, "What's happening to me as I get older?".

These and many more are questions and statements teens ask themselves frequently. All these questions are tough or embarrasing, so many teens won't ask an adult for help or answers. They keep it locked up inside, and that builds up. You are like a balloon. Each question or negative statement you put into your mind is like air. You start off when you are first born with an "empty balloon". Over time, mostly in your teen and adult years the air is being blown into the balloon. The air piles, and piles over time and that balloon will eventually burst. If this is happening to you, you could burst - just is a different sense. Here are some tips for relieving stress from your everday life:

- Find the source or sources of your stress. Are you being bullied or teased at school? Parents going through a divorce? Death of a loved one? Puberty? Other ideas... Just find the source of it and think of what you can do to eliminate some or all of the stress coming from the "culprit".
- Keep a relaxed, and confident profile. Do not get all worried about the smallest of things. As long as it is not a danger to your safety, or the safety of others, everything will be fine. Be confident, be yourself. It is better to be hated for who you are than loved for someone you are not!
-Excersize. Not only does it help your health, you will feel good after you preform such activity. Workout alone or with friends. You don't have to run a mile or more as a chore, just talk a nightly brisk walk around your neighborhood.
- Organize your life! Whats worse than being unorganized? Set up a system for yourself to organize everything from meetings, homework time, sports, your papers. That will take a lot of stress off of you.
- Do nothing! That's right, folks, do nothing at all. Close the door, open the window, have a seat, and take a little break from life. If your mind is racing, learn to meditate and just let that stress go.

Acne
"Oh great! Tomorrow is picture day and I got pimples on my face!"

Acne, or outbreaks on the face and head, is not pleasant for anyone - let alone teens. Acne is just one of the larger things that come along with puberty. Acne can break relationships, or lose you respect. No one likes to look at a face with red zits covering it - do they?

But, Acne is just one thing that a teen must get used to because it sticks around for quite a while. The really only "good" thing about it is that, normally your friends and classmates will have acne around the same time as you will. Acne adds stress, so we must defeat it right! Here are some tips:

- Acne is found MOST common in teens who have a high-fat diet. Teens are more likely to develop acne on the face, head, chest, and back if they eat greasy and fatty foods. This includes chocolates, poptato chips, fast-food, a large quantity of candy, etc. So, try to watch what you eat, and deduce fat and oils from your diet accordingly.
- Being overweight may also lead to acne. Try excersizing, and loosing some weight. You will feel real good about yourself!
- Use special Acne Eliminating cleansers to help reduce acne from your complextion. You can typically buy ointment or cleansers at a pharmacy, or at small stores who sell medication.
- DO NOT POP THEM! If you see a pimple on your face, head, chest, or back DO NOT pop it. That will add oils from your face to your fingers, continuing the cycke of acne to cover your face. Leave them alone, and do not touch them.

Puberty
Puberty is by far the biggest issue in teen's lives. Puberty usually begins at the age of 9 and ends around the age of 19-20. During those years, boys become men and girls become women. A lot more respect also comes along with puberty, as adults will look at you as "one of them".

I cannot give much information about this topic as it differs between girls and boys.
The best thing I can offer for this issue is go to Google.com type in:
Puberty in BOYS
- or-
Puberty in GIRLS

Popularity
Everyone wants to be cool and popular in school, right? A lot of kids are hurt daily because they cannot be in such a social class as they desire due to many factors. Here are some ways to avoid those feelings:
- Many popular kids judge on who your friends are. If you hang out with geeks you will be associated with them. Do NOT change your immediate friends to get into a "cool clan". Look for MORE friends who possibly know a popular kid, or are popular themselves.
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T! DEMAND respect. I mean... don't go up to a popular kid, or anyone for that matter and actually demand respect. What I mean is walk with confidence, look people directly in the eye, overcome shyness, and make complete statements when talking. This will gain you respect from many people - which already makes you cool!
- Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Say what you are thinking, and let it be known!

In more articles I will be writing I will cover more topics in my series: 1-800-LIFE-LINE : Tips for teens!