DeWaard 1 Rachel DeWaard Duerr English 12 8 January 2013 Stress Among Teens Everybody deals with stress in some

part of their life. Many people dont know how to properly deal with it, so it just festers and causes problems. Stress is the most prominent in the teenage years. Body changes, friends, and drama are just a few things that lead to stress in the teenage years. Stress is the bodys reaction to a challenge, whether that challenge is good or bad. Stress can be helpful or harmful. It can keep you on your toes, give you quick reactions, and have you perform well under pressure. It can also have negative effects if it is long lasting, which can cause depression or anxiety. Stress is a big problem facing teenagers today. In the teenage years, kids go through many changes in their life; such as new challenges and pressures. The teenage years are marked by many changes, and these changes put added stress on teens specifically. There are many things that can cause stress in the teenage years. The start of these problems include social disputes, school challenges, family, and jobs. Everyone is different, and so are their problems and how they manage them. Too much stress can lead to mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety disorders (McNeely, Blanchard 1). Stress can be difficult to deal with, and many teens have problems with this.

DeWaard 2 Everybody is different and everyone deals with their problems differently. Not one solution will work the same way for everybody. A solution that helps everyone in some way would be ideal. Some activities that bring on stress are school, work, and family. A solution to help with school stress could be less homework, or a less vigorous school curriculum. School is a major part of a teens life, and by reducing the amount of work from this trigger of stress, stress could be managed and there would be less of it. Another way to deal with the stress of school could be for teens to do their work right away, do not procrastinate, and ask for help if needed. This solution may not be realistic, because it may be difficult not to procrastinate for some, but it would work pretty well. A solution that would work for any type of stress would be counseling. A counselor at the school could help teens deal with their stress, and may help work out their problems. Also, redirecting the stress in a positive way would help with stress from any trigger. Teens could listen to music, take a bath, exercise, ect. The teen must find what works best for them, and their specific type of stress. There was a study on avoiding stress from the University of Toronto. The study found that avoidance techniques can help (McGuffin). Avoiding the cause of stress could be helpful for a short period of time, but it must be dealt with sooner or later. The best solution would be able to solve problems from any type of trigger. In order for these solutions to work, they must be feasible. Some things to look at would be if they can solve all types of stress, work for most people, and efficiency. The

DeWaard 3 solution of solving the school related stress would not meet all of these criteria. It would only reduce school related stress; it would not reach stress at home or work. This solution would work for almost everybody, though. This solution is not very efficient. Students would not learn as much and would be challenged in their academics. Counseling would help with any kind of stress, and it may help any type of person. It may not be very realistic for everybody because not everyone would want to ask for help. Redirecting stress would work for any type of stress. This would work for everybody because teens could find their own way to redirect the tension. This is efficient because teens like to take their mind off their problems and do something else for awhile. Teens that develop a "relaxation response and other stress management skills feel less helpless and have more choices when responding to stress (Amer. Acad. of Child and Adolescent Pyschiatry). Avoiding problems that trigger stress may be helpful, for awhile, but it is not good to avoid the problem all together. The most effective solution would be the redirection of stress, and then when the teen has calmed, and recognized the problem, they can deal with the cause of stress. This can be adapted to any teen because they can find their own and personal way to deal with their stress. Some different ways to deal with stress could be exercise, take a bath, listen to music, talk to a friend, meditate, etc. The teen will find the way that work the best for them and it would help with their stress. This solution is very efficient and doesnt use many resources. The hard part is to help the teen solve their problem after

DeWaard 4 they have redirected their stress. Teens would find it easier to deal with their problem after they have calmed down or released some energy. Avoiding and not dealing with the problem at all would lead to even bigger problems. So it is important for the teen to acknowledge their stress trigger, release tension in their own way, and then deal with the problem. Dealing with the problem may still be difficult for some. This is where counseling or tutoring would be helpful in solving or at least reducing the problem. Everyone is different, so the solution to get rid of teenage stress must be able to adapt to each individual. Redirection of stress and then dealing with the stress trigger is the best possible solution to reduce stress in the teenage years.

DeWaard 5 Works Cited American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Facts for Families. Helping Teenagers With Stress. New York: Harper Collins, 2005. N. pag. AACAP.org: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. McGuffin, Ken. Avoidance Strategies Can Be Valuable Stress Reliever, Says New Paper on Work/life/school Balance. Rotman School of Management. University of Toronto, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. McNeely, Clea, DrPH., and Jayne Blanchard. Teen Stress. The Teen Years Explained. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.