Stress and How to Lower It: A Guide for Teens

Stress & How to Lower It:
A Guide for Teens

When you’re dealing with something challenging or upsetting, you might feel tense or stressed. You may have some good ways to deal with stress or may need help. This guide will give you more information about stress and what you can do about it.

Here's some Q&A about stress:

What is stress?

What causes stress in our lives?

What are the effects of stress?

How can I lower my stress level?

What should I do if I'm dealing with extreme stress?

What is stress?

When you’re stressed, you feel it in your body and mind. Here are some signs of stress:

Your heart beats faster
Your blood pressure goes up
Your muscles might tighten up
You may feel anxious
You may feel confused, or feel like you're moving too fast
Your stomach might feel knotted up
You might feel more irritable or get into arguments more easily

What causes stress in our lives?

We live in an interesting, but also a hectic world. Teens can have lots of sources of stress, including:

Lots of homework and projects at school
Family tension as you try to be more independent from your parents
Pressure from friends to do risky things
Tension with your girlfriend or boyfriend
Difficult people in your life
Upsetting news about disasters, war, or personal tragedy
Not getting enough sleep

What are the effects of stress?

A certain amount of stress is OK, if it helps you deal with a short term problem. For example, if you’re stressed about writing a paper for school, and your stress causes you to ask your teacher for advice, and you finish the paper, then your stress has done its job.

In the short term, stress can:

Help you focus on a situation or solve a problem
Tire you out
Make you nervous or irritable

If, on the other hand, you’re stressed out day after day, your body may start sending you some warning signs that something’s really wrong. This kind of chronic stress can cause physical and mental issues.

Long term stress can contribute to health problems like:

Substance abuse
Depression
Anxiety
Insomnia
Self-Injury
Digestive problems
Lower immunity to colds and other illnesses

If you are getting stressed every day, you should take some steps to (1) lessen the number of stressors in your life, and (2) treat your body and mind to some stress-reduction techniques.

How can I lower my stress level?

Here are some ideas to lower your stress:

Simplify your life. Think about everything you're supposed to be doing at the moment. If you see that there’s just too much to do TODAY, you’ll have to cut down on some activities to make your schedule more manageable.
Exercise is a great way to de-stress. Vigorous exercise releases chemicals in your body called endorphins, which make you feel happier and more relaxed. You don’t have to be a super-athlete to exercise. You can play sports at school, or sign up for a class at your local YMCA.
Take a Break. Find a quiet place to relax. Have a (healthy!) snack. Read a book or magazine, or even watch something low-key on TV.
Sleep. Even just a few nights in a row of not-enough-sleep can mess you up. One or two extra hours of sleep per night will leave you less stressed and feeling better overall.
Meditation and Prayer can help you feel calm, focused, and more positive. You can meditate or pray on your own, join a group, or get videos out from the library about different meditation and prayer techniques.
Writing. If you like writing, it can be a good way to de-stress. You may want to keep a journal or write a letter or a story.
Have a cry. In our culture we often try to convince people, especially guys, not to cry, as if it were a sign of weakness. But it really is no such thing. Crying can sometimes help you feel a lot better.

Special Note: a really harmful way to try to de-stress is with street drugs, alcohol, or binge eating. These may seem to make you feel better, but they have destructive effects on your life and your health. If you find yourself turning repeatedly to these harmful activities, it’s time to get counseling to help you deal more positively with your stress.

What should I do if I'm dealing with extreme stress?

Sometimes the stressors in a person’s life get very serious. Some examples of an extreme stressor are: being in a serious accident; being the victim of a crime; violence in your family or neighborhood. These serious stressors can have lasting effects on your body and mind. Here are some resources for coping with more extreme stress:

Parents or other Trusted Adults. If you feel that your stress is more than you can manage, you should definitely seek help. Have an in-depth talk with one of your parents, or another trusted adult in your life. Be as honest as you can about the stress you’re dealing with, and the effect it’s having on you. Confiding in a caring adult can help you feel less alone, and that person can help you find ways to manage your stress.
Counseling & Medication. In addition to help from family members, counseling can be a great resource. It involves meeting with a professionally-trained person, a therapist, doctor, nurse or religious leader. This person can help you figure out the cause of your stress, how to minimize it, and how to learn techniques for handling stress better in the future. Sometimes your healthcare provider will prescribe medication to help you manage your stress symptoms, as they work with you to change your life so that it’s less stressful.

If you realize that you’re getting stressed out, keep in mind that you can do something about it. Stress-reduction activities can really help you keep your stress at a manageable, low level. And if you start to develop good stress-reduction habits now, you’ll be able to use them in the future.

Written by the CYWH and YMH Staff

Updated 2/27/2008

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