Youth Stress By Gemma Allan Stress involves the body’s natural reaction to change and the pressure to do something. It is a healthy aspect of daily life and is necessary to stay alert and cope with challenging situations although in excess amounts it can be detrimental. Stress among youth is an issue that is overlooked in society but is very much evident with studies showing that approximately 10% of all adolescents suffer from an anxiety disorder (www. teenhelp.com). To ensure that youth stress is recognized it is important that the causes, affects and coping strategies of stress are fully understood within society. For young people, stress derives from almost all aspects of life. School, time management and constraints, social and family expectations and difficulties and growing up in general are all issues which in most youth cases are the main causes of stress. School related stress comes from the obvious reasons being an abundance of assignments and homework and what feels like limited time to complete them. The pressure to do well is also a lingering stress cause as well as teachers, for both good and bad reasons, the good being wanting to impress them and show them improvements and the bad being teachers who from a students perspective are unfair, harsh or hard to learn from. Due dates of assignments and homework also add extra pressure at school. Social and Family issues can also be stressful for adolescents; this can include anything from friendships to relationships to family problems. Loosing or gaining friendships can be stressful for youth as often change in any circumstance is a stress trigger. Expectations in romantic relationships at an adolescent age are also very stressful for teenagers as well as family issues relating from anything like parental separation to fighting with siblings. A main cause in youth stress is the realization that as adolescents we are growing up and we must deal with new expectations and responsibilities like having to figure career paths and get part time jobs. Finding time to balance all aspects of life including social, spiritual, physical and mental/emotional can often be the most stressful part of life for young people. Stress can have a variety of effects on the body. These effects can be determined into 4 categories being the physical, mental/emotional, spiritual and social effects. Physically the effects of stress include an increase in blood and heart pressure, butterflies, lack of co-ordination, slower reflexes and tense muscles. The
physical effects of stress are often much easier to detect than other aspects. Mental/Emotional effects of stress can be the most detrimental for youth as the mind is a powerful weapon. Indications of stress can include angry, sad and confused emotions as well as headaches and crying. In the worst cases, stress can cause depression, which in some cases self-harm and suicide could be the outcome. Effects of stress in a social aspect can include two polar opposite outcomes. The first being that stress can cause us to isolate ourselves and avoid social situations in general and the second can be that we over indulge in social situations, this can be due to peer pressure or they can be used to separate ourselves from other stress related issues. Spiritually, effects of stress include turning to or turning away from a particular religion and stress can also change the way we perceive our beliefs and ourselves. Coping with stress can be a difficult task but with the right tools it is the most effective way to relax. In personal cases, getting organized is the most effective way to cope with stress. By making a schedule, or not leaving assignments and homework to the last minute, or prioritizing in general can assist us in avoiding stressful situations and takes a weight off our shoulders. By finding an activity to help us wind down and escape our stress, even if only for a short time, it can allow us time to relax. This can include anything from taking a shower/bath, listening to music, watching a movie, playing a sport, taking a walk, watching the stars or just taking time to breathe. Although this can seem quite simple it can be the most effective. When stress becomes too much to handle letting out our emotions can be the appropriate way of coping. This can range from a physical aspect of crying or screaming to let out our angry and frustrated emotions to the social aspect of talking to someone like a family, friend or even a counselor we trust that can give us advice to handle our stress. Some times going out with friends to a movie or to lunch or even a party can also help relieve stress. For some people finding some one to talk to can be hard so by using outside agencies to understand personal stress issues or to just talk about them can really help. Organizations such as Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800 – www.kidshelp.com.au) or Lifeline (13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au) can be of great assistance for youth stress. If stress becomes more serious and leads to greater issues organizations specifically related to the issue could be more appropriate for example; Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636 -
www.youthbeyondblue.com.au) for depression, or seeing a doctor or specialist it starts to bring harm to yourself and others. Youth stress is a serous issue within society but with the correct strategies it can be helped or even prevented. By organizing and planning before stress gets out of hand or by taking time out to relax it can relieve and control our stress. It is important to remember to find balance in our life and don’t forget that a small amount of stress is healthy but make sure that we always stay in control.
