*This article may have affiliate links, which means we may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links we provide (at no extra cost to you). For more details, please read our privacy policy/affiliate disclosure. Thank you for supporting the work we put into this blog!
Below We List Some Practical Hints For Helping Teenagers In Their Life Through Difficult Timesโฆ
- Stress Can Originate From Parents
- Peers Can Cause Stress
Peer presยญsure is a well-known phrase that defines the presยญsure chilยญdren feel to conยญform to othยญers of the same age. It is espeยญcialยญly strong among teenagers who are negoยญtiยญatยญing a phase in their life when it is very imporยญtant to belong and to define their perยญsonยญal identity. Peer presยญsure can perยญsuade teenagers to parยญticยญiยญpate in many destrucยญtive behavยญiours such as smokยญing and alcohol/drug abuse, and can perยญsuade adoยญlesยญcents to engage in risk-takยญing behaviour.- Self-imposed Stress
Teenagers can cause themยญselves to feel stress, just as adults can creยญate facยญtors that creยญate anxiety. Teenagers are parยญticยญuยญlarยญly susยญcepยญtiยญble to stress caused by body image and popยญuยญlar perยญcepยญtions of male and female beauยญty. Besides, this is also a time in which peoยญple are disยญcovยญerยญing their genยญder and sexuality. The world has always been conยญfusยญing durยญing adoยญlesยญcence, and it seems more perยญplexยญing and, at times, depressยญing with the nevยญer-endยญing cycle of news now availยญable through the mass media. Heightยญenยญing this is the fact that teenagers spend a lot of time on social media, which transยญmits so many mesยญsages about the world around them, which may not be positive.How Does The body Deal with Stress?
The human body reacts to stress with horยญmones and the nerยญvous sysยญtem. Withยญin the nerยญvous sysยญtem, there is the volยญunยญtary and involยญunยญtary systems. The volยญunยญtary sysยญtem encomยญpassยญes actions we can conยญtrol in our body, when to get out of bed, when and what to eat โ to walk, throw, sit, jump etc. The involยญunยญtary sysยญtem covยญers what we donโt conยญtrol, such as breathยญing, sweatยญing, and digesting. The volยญunยญtary sysยญtem funcยญtions well when weโre relaxed, but the involยญunยญtary sysยญtem can take over when weโre stressed. Itโs imporยญtant to help adoยญlesยญcents find ways to switch off or conยญtrol the involยญunยญtary system.Can Stress Be Positive?
Stress was designed to keep us alive. The involยญunยญtary nerยญvous sysยญtem exists to ensure that the body can funcยญtion propยญerยญly in an emerยญgency situation. Introยญducยญing stress into the lives of adoยญlesยญcents can also proยญmote perยญsonยญal growth, as it can accomยญpaยญny mileยญstone moments in their life. Typยญiยญcal mileยญstone moments in a teenagerโs life, such as passยญing their driยญving test, and sucยญceedยญing in exams and othยญer school projects can teach them how to deal with presยญsure and increase their self-esteem when they succeed.Make a Personal Plan to Manage Stress:
1- Face the issue
2- Recognize the problem
The folยญlowยญing behavยญiours will tell you if your teenagยญer is feelยญing stressed:- Their acaยญdยญeยญmยญic perยญforยญmance is dropping
- They worยญry excessively
- They are more irriยญtaยญble than usual
- They comยญplain of being conยญstantยญly tired
- They show sympยญtoms such as stomยญach pains, dizziยญness, chest pains and headaches
- They feel sad or despondent
- They lose interยญest in activยญiยญties they used to enjoy
- They escape through drugs and alcohol
- They conยญsidยญer or engage in self-harm
- They use unhealthy copยญing strategies
3- Find ways to avoid stress
Supยญport the teenagยญer to idenยญtiยญfy, then avoid cerยญtain peoยญple, places, activยญiยญties and memยญoยญries which cause them stress. Many experts advise us to accept what we canโt change and focus our enerยญgy on what we can change, which is very useยญful for dealยญing with stress.4- Make a list
Writยญing down tasks and deadยญlines helps peoยญple to be more orgaยญnized, and this helps ease stress. It helps peoยญple feel more in conยญtrol of their days and creยญates a sense of satยญisยญfacยญtion when tasks can be crossed off once completed. More imporยญtantยญly, it allows peoยญple to plan their activยญiยญties to ensure tasks can be done propยญerยญly. Lists can be made for daiยญly timetaยญbles, encomยญpassยญing every aspect of life and for speยญcifยญic areas of life. Lists are very comยญmon and effecยญtive for study and exam preparation.5- Let it out
Releasยญing emoยญtionยญal stress is vital for everyยญone and proยญmotes physยญiยญcal as well as emoยญtionยญal health. There are many ways to release emoยญtionยญal stress, includยญing creยญative purยญsuits such as singing, dancยญing, playยญing an instruยญment, comยญposยญing music, paintยญing, sculptยญing or othยญer creยญative pursuits. Prayer and medยญiยญtaยญtion are also known to be useยญful, and writยญing a jourยญnal can be effecยญtive. Remind your teenagยญer that the jourยญnal does not have to be read by anyยญone, it is comยญpleteยญly priยญvate, and this might encourยญage them to truยญly release, rant and vent through the pages of the journal. Finalยญly, find a way to laugh or cry. Watch a comยญeยญdy, or grab a box or two of tisยญsues and put on that movie that always makes you cry.6- Work it out
Exerยญcise is extremeยญly powยญerยญful as a mood modยญerยญaยญtor and enhancer. Advise your teenagยญer to do at least 20 โ 30 minยญutes of exerยญcise every day. High-intenยญsiยญty exerยญcise is betยญter, as it gets the heart pumpยญing and the endorยญphins flowยญing and releasยญes some of the enerยญgy that all teenagers carry. Exerยญcisยญing inside the house can be difยญfiยญcult, espeยญcialยญly at times when it is not posยญsiยญble to go outยญside, but there are many online exerยญcise rouยญtines, classยญes, sugยญgesยญtions and activยญiยญties which can be done inside and in conยญfined spaces. If the exerยญcise has to be done inside, it can be a good way to get the whole famยญiยญly involved. Vigยญorยญous exerยญcise can also accomยญpaยญny medยญiยญtaยญtion and relaxยญing breathยญing techยญniques to help release emoยญtions and stay calm.7- Diet
Comยญpleยญmentยญing a healthy exerยญcise rouยญtine is a healthy diet. Teenagers can proยญtect their physยญiยญcal well-being by: -Eatยญing more fruit and vegetables - Avoidยญing fatยญty and sugยญary foods - Avoidยญing soft drinks and sugยญary drinks - Snackยญing less between meals - Drinkยญing more water - Startยญing the day with a healthy breakfast8- Rest and Recover
The best way to recharge batยญterยญies is to sleep well. Teenagers are notoยญriยญousยญly poor sleepยญers, but they must find a way to get regยญuยญlar qualยญiยญty sleep if they are to deal with stress. The folยญlowยญing strateยญgies can help teenagers to get a good nightโs rest:- Sleep in a bed and not in othยญer places
- Donโt watch TV, use a lapยญtop or phone, or do othยญer stimยญuยญlatยญing activยญiยญties in bed. Also, keep the phone outยญside of the bedroom.
- Release emoยญtionยญal tenยญsion before sleeping
- Avoid cafยญfeine in the afterยญnoon or evening
- Exerยญcise 4 โ 6 hours before going to sleep
- Comยญplete tasks, espeยญcialยญly school tasks, to be able to relax in bed
- Have a showยญer or bath 1 hour before going to bed