Stress Among Teenagers
In today's times when stress has become an integral
part of life. Every other person is under the grip of some kind of
stress irrespective of their age. Hectic lifestyle, high competition,
unending expectations are often the major reasons of increasing stress.
The way stress becomes a part of our lives, we are not even aware of
it and by the time we come to know, we already are a victim.
Reasons
for stress can vary from person to person, but it has been found that
teenagers experience stress mostly during some sort of transition -
either positive or negative. Some of the common reasons of stress during
teenage years are:
- Change of schools.
- Physical and psychological changes during puberty.
- Issues at home: Alcoholic parents, divorce, seriously ill parent or
sibling, psychological or physical abuse from a parent or sibling.
- Someone close just passed away--a parent, grandparent or a sibling, a special friend, or a pet.
- High expectations from parents and school..
- Extra-curricular activities that are time consuming
- Unable to fit in to a social group
- Unable to prioritize things --everything seems important.
Effects: Issues in school, Financial problems, Broken homes, Abusive parents or sibling, teens are overwhelmed with stress, which in turn affects their physical and mental health and well-being. Over the past few decades the stress level among teenagers has shown consistently escalating levels. As a parent you can tell if your child is stressed out or he/she is not able to concentrate, is impatient or agitated all the time. He /she looks okay, but gets angry at small things and starts crying over petty issues.
Apart, from theses symptoms of stress, different children may show different signs of stress. Some of the common signs are:
- Increased heart beat
- Heavy breathing
- Fumbling or stammering
- Sweating
- Migraine
- Diarrhea
- Insomnia
- Alcoholism
- Drug addiction
Dealing with stress:
- As a parent talk to your child, in case your child does not open up then ask someone close to speak to him/her.
- Visit the school, try finding out the reason or may be you can ask your other child about the issues his/her sibling is facing.
- Try to find out from your child's friend or peer group about the possible cause.
Your
child may be suffering from some kind of stress due to stressful lifestyle we are leading. But as a parent you can try that he/she doesn't
turn to some sort of addiction or other wrongful ways. The best way to
do so is:-
- Keep an eye on your child's daily activities.
- Get your child involved in activities which he/she enjoys.
- If still you are unable to find out the causes, visit a doctor.
And
last but not the least, it is important that we spend time with our
children, listen to them, talk to them. Be a part of their lives!