How Does Stress Affect Teenagers?

Stress can be a normal factor, part of every teenagers life but with social pressures it can get overwhelming easily. Some causes of stress in teens are academic expectations, social difficulties, and personal challenges.

Mental Effects:

Teenagers can already have mood swings, feel anxious, and irritable. With the added effect of chronic stress they can find it hard to focus which lessens how they perform in other parts of their life.

Physical Effects:

Stress while also affecting the mind, can also impact the body. Teens can suffer from stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, or sleep problems with high stress levels. High stress levels can additionally weaken the immune system and make them more prone to illnesses.

Behavioral Effects:

Young children may find it hard to cope with stress and could turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. This can include withdrawing from society, engaging in substance abuse, and even changing their diet.

Coping with stress:

To live with stress, it is recommended for teenagers to find healthy habits to turn to when feeling overwhelmed. Talking to friends or family, sleeping regularly, practicing mindfulness, and much more are favored by many. Finding a proper support system in your community can give one a sense of company and hope.

Sources:

• https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/teens-and-stress-when-its-more-than-worry

• https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/articles/stress-in-teenagers

• https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Helping-Teenagers-With-Stress-066.aspx

• https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anxiety-disorders/anxiety-and-stress-in-teens

• https://www.apa.org/topics/children/stress

Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board