Causes of Teenage Stress

Young people are not immune to anxiety, and there are numerous causes of teenage stress. These years are a time when many physical and emotional changes take place, which is a recipe for some symptoms of stress.

During the teen years, young people will experience the following physical changes:

• Growth spurt
• Increase in weight
• Change in voice (for boys)
• Start of menstruation and breast development (in girls)

Many young people are insecure about their appearance and don't feel confident about their bodies. Whatever they happen to look like, it doesn't feel "right". They compare themselves to the images they see in magazines, not realizing that what they are seeing is the result of the attention of several hair and makeup professionals, special lighting, and airbrushing.

The teen years are a time when young people are caught in the middle between childhood and adulthood. On one hand, they are trying to break free from their families and decide who they are, but they are not ready to stand on their own two feet and make their own decisions yet.

One day they may seem ready to take on the world, and the next they seem to want to be told what to do. This confusion can be a source of stress, and the teen may not even be aware of it.

A study conducted on what causes Baltimore teens to stress out reached the following conclusions about the reasons why they were so tense:

Respondents were able to name more than one cause of their stress, which is why the numbers add up to more than 100 percent.

This study also found some other interesting results, namely:

• Boys are less affected by stress than girls.
• When boys are feeling stressed out, they tend to respond to it by ignoring it or by getting away from the source of the stress and engaging in an activity.
• Girls are more likely to ask other people for help dealing with their stress levels. They also may try to deal with the source of their stress head-on by addressing the source of the problem directly.
• While the teen's family can be a source of stress, young people also turn to their family for support when they are feeling anxious about things.
• Like adults, teens use a variety of methods to cope with their stress, some of which are more healthy than others.

The same suggestions for helping adults deal with stress apply to teens as well. It's important that they have at least one person in their life they can confide in about their concerns. Sometimes just hearing from someone who has "been there, done that" will help them get a better perspective on things.

Teens should also be encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyle habits, which will make it easier to cope with the stresses of moving from childhood to adulthood. Young people should make a point of:

• Getting enough sleep
• Eating a balanced diet
• Exercising regularly

In addition, having a jam-packed schedule can add to teen stress. If all the demands on a young person's time are making them feel overwhelmed, then it may be time to cut back somewhat.

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