Factors of Teenage Stress

Academic Pressure

Adolescent endure increasing amount of stress as they grow. The course load skyrocketed as students enter grade eleven and science divides into three streams. Especially grade twelve students who are not only responsible for their academic performances but also decisions for their post secondary studies. Nowadays, students are mostly stressed out by “tests, grades, homework, academic and achievement expectations and parental pressure” (Anoushka Thakkar). Teenagers face stress from their peers, families, and themselves when they are deciding which post secondary institutions to attend or what path to take if they are not pursuing studies immediately after high school. According to a grade twelve student Bob, “it was physically stressful when [he] was applying for universities, then it got mentally stressful when [he was] waiting for the offers.” Being in the middle ground of adulthood and childhood, teenagers have a lot going on in their minds. In addition to maintaining academic performances, they are also developing their sense of responsibilities and establishing connections to the outside world.

Relationships

On the verge of being an adult, teenagers are building relationships and connections with others. The relation between a child and his or her parent has a significant impact on his or her growth. It can be difficult to manage these parent-child relationships when parents are letting go, especially when the teen develops a contrasting opinion. On Healthyfamiliesbc.ca, a few solutions to maintain a healthy parent-child relationship are outlined, such as “regular family meals, one-on-one time, and family traditions.” Moreover, teenagers can be struggling to build healthy relationships with people in their age. They are usually heavily influenced by close friends or peers around them, which can be both positive and negative. Building healthy and stable relationships may not be so easy for some teenagers, given that some of them are developing a sense of who they are and can be overly dramatic at times. Therefore, sometimes it can be stressful to develop and manage relationships.

Social Interaction

Adolescents start to develop a sense of who they are and establish their ways of interacting with others. High school becomes a significant location for soon-to-be adults to have social interactions, like a mini-society. The way they interact with each other will help develop their future methods of communication in social interactions. Some incidents can be stress triggers for students including “bullying and subtle instances of relational aggression” (“6 Common Triggers of Teen Stress”). Also, building romantic relationships and friendships takes a lot of effort in solving conflicts between individuals, which can be stressful for teenagers, who are already encumbered with loads of academic stress. In the middle of finding themselves and seeking approval, teenagers can be pressured to behave in certain ways to appease their peers, which adds on to their stress level and can be irritating at times. This social expectation can be a cause of stress for many teenagers.

Eating/Sleeping Habits

At the most important years of high school, it can be difficult for teens to establish healthy eating and sleeping habits. Teenagers, especially senior high school students have to maintain their academic grades and extracurricular activities at the same time. With only twenty-four hours per day, they may choose to sacrifice their sleep time or mealtime in order to complete the tasks at hands. In other cases, teens may be inflicted with several eating disorders due to the amount of stress that they endure. In the link “6 Common Triggers of Teen Stress”, “[m]any teens report lying awake at night (35 percent), overeating or eating unhealthy foods (26 percent), and skipping meals (23 percent) due to stress in the past month.” These unhealthy habits only accumulate to teens’ stress level, since many necessary nutrients can not be obtained or sleep is insufficient.

Social Media

Although social media provides information and networking, the stress it causes can not be neglected. Nowadays, social media is in use for a wide range of purposes including work, communication, and network. According to Dave Chaffey, “[t]he number of social media users worldwide in 2018 is 3.196 billion, up 13 percent year-on-year.” Especially teenagers, who follow the technological development closely, can experience a great amount of stress due to social media. Bailey Parnell explains the reason behind social media: “these likes, the comments, the shares, they’ve become this form of social currency by which we tribute value to something.” Most teenagers who spend their time on social media can be constantly comparing themselves with some idealistic image online which results in low self-esteem. To them, the reactions online towards their posts become a way to measure their self-worth. When teenagers become too immersed in the virtual reality, it can be difficult for them to concentrate and focus on their everyday lives.

How to Deal With it

Stress can result in students’ inability to concentrate and significant falling in their academic performances. In addition, stress can develop into more serious or even severe mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. It is necessary for teenagers to learn how to reduce stress or seek help if he or she finds the situation out of control. Three main solutions are maintaining a positive mindset, rich diet, and good sleep habit. It is beneficial for decreasing the amount of stress if teenagers take time to relax and try to be mindful in their daily lives. Some ways to deal with stress include “[getting] enough sleep, [exercising] regularly, and [meditating] using focused self-reflective exercises” (Tammy Sons). Other suggestions can be listening to one’s favourite music, talking with someone trustworthy, and even taking a walk. With reduced level of stress, students can have better academic performances and more enjoyable lives.

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