stress
Mental Health Related Articles
HELPING TEENAGERS WITH STRESS
Teenagers, like adults, may experience stress everyday and can benefit from learning stress management skills. Most teens experience more stress when they perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful and they do not have the resources to cope. Some sources of stress for teens might include:school demands and frustrationsnegative thoughts and feelings about themselveschanges in their bodiesproblems with friends and/or peers at schoolunsafe living environment/neighborhoodseparation or divorce of parentschronic illness or severe problems in the familydeath of a loved onemoving or changing schoolstaking on too many activities or having too high expectationsfamily financial problemsSome teens become overloaded with stress. When it happens, inadequately managed stress can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills such as drug and/or alcohol use.When we perceive a situation as difficult or painful, changes occur in our minds and bodies to prepare us to respond to danger. This Afight, flight, or freeze@ response includes faster heart and breathing rate, increased blood to muscles of arms and legs, cold or clammy hands and feet, upset stomach and/or a sense of dread.The same mechanism that turns on the stress response can turn it off. As soon as we decide that a situation is no longer dangerous, changes can occur in our minds and bodies to help us relax and calm down. This Arelaxation response includes decreased heart and breathing rate and a sense of well being. Teens that develop a Arelaxation response and other stress management skills feel less helpless and have more choices when responding to stress.Helping Teenagers with Stress, "Facts for Families," No. 66 (01/02)Parents can help their teen in these ways:Monitor if stress is affecting their teen=s health, behavior, thoughts, or feelingsListen carefully to teens and watch for overloadingLearn and model
HELPING TEENAGERS WITH STRESS
Teenagers, like adults, may experience stress everyday and can benefit from learning stress management skills. Most teens experience more stress when they perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful and they do not have the resources to cope. Some sources of stress for teens might include:school demands and frustrationsnegative thoughts and feelings about themselveschanges in their bodiesproblems with friends and/or peers at schoolunsafe living environment/neighborhoodseparation or divorce of parentschronic illness or severe problems in the familydeath of a loved onemoving or changing schoolstaking on too many activities or having too high expectationsfamily financial problemsSome teens become overloaded with stress. When it happens, inadequately managed stress can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills such as drug and/or alcohol use.When we perceive a situation as difficult or painful, changes occur in our minds and bodies to prepare us to respond to danger. This Afight, flight, or freeze@ response includes faster heart and breathing rate, increased blood to muscles of arms and legs, cold or clammy hands and feet, upset stomach and/or a sense of dread.The same mechanism that turns on the stress response can turn it off. As soon as we decide that a situation is no longer dangerous, changes can occur in our minds and bodies to help us relax and calm down. This Arelaxation response includes decreased heart and breathing rate and a sense of well being. Teens that develop a Arelaxation response and other stress management skills feel less helpless and have more choices when responding to stress.Helping Teenagers with Stress, "Facts for Families," No. 66 (01/02)Parents can help their teen in these ways:Monitor if stress is affecting their teen=s health, behavior, thoughts, or feelingsListen carefully to teens and watch for overloadingLearn and model