What Causes Teen Stress?

Stress in your life is unavoidable. Get used to the idea, because there is no way around it. The causes of teen stress are many, but the most common is peer pressure. The overwhelming need to fit in will cause many teens to do whatever it takes to be accepted by their peers. Teens want to be liked and sometimes it feels impossible to gain the approval they crave. This desire for acceptance will many times cause a teen to do or say things that they know are wrong.

Everywhere a teen looks there are important decisions to be made. Many of these decisions will impact the rest of their lives. Drugs, alcohol, whether or not to become sexually active, which career path to choose, college or trade school; all these decisions contribute to the causes of teen stress.

Pressures from parents and classmates to perform well at school can also be a factor in causing teen stress. Getting good scores on your SAT exams, doing well on other tests, getting into a good college, and trying to get scholarships also factor in to the mix of what makes being a teen stressful.

So what can a teen do about stress? First of all, just realizing you are not alone can be a big help. Stress among teens is very common. Talking to a parent, your peers, or a counselor can help you learn to cope with your anxieties and stressful situations in a more positive way. Believe it or not, most of your peers are feeling much the same way you are. You don't have to carry your burdens alone.

Some ways to manage your stress are:

Engaging in a physical activity

Take a break. Just doing something else for a while can sometimes make the solution to a problem more easily seen.

Talk to someone who can always make you laugh

Try not to dwell on the negative aspects of life right now. These stresses are just temporary anyway.

Sometimes a situation will feel really overwhelming. Don't let it get to you! Try breaking the problem down to smaller pieces and resolving one issue at a time. By dealing with one smaller bit you can conquer the issue more easily. Remember, you may not be able to control all the situations in your life, but you can control how you deal with them. Doing this in a positive way can minimize the effects of teen stress in your life.