Helping Teens Manage Stress

Surveys show that stress among teenagers has been on the rise in recent years. Teens are reporting more frequently feeling depressed and experiencing anxiety. School is one of the biggest sources of stress for teens, as well as being accepted into and paying for college.

As teens in your life are preparing to go back to school or getting ready to go off to college, look for signs of excess stress. Some of these signs could include sleeplessness, frequent stomach aches, fatigue and social withdrawal or isolation.

Help teens manage stress by working with them to develop strategies to cope with it. Examples of strategies that might work for them include re-framing the situation, using other tasks and activities as a distraction from worrying and identifying and accepting negative emotions like stress rather than trying to ignore or get rid of them.

This article from Psychology Today further discusses how stress impacts the health and well-being of teens and includes more strategies for managing it.