Causes of Stress in Teenagers

Causes of Stress in Teenagers
Stress is defined as an applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body; mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting conditions occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health. Teenagers today have a lot of stress because of a lot of different reasons. Family struggles with parents, fighting to grow up and be a part of the community around them, Experiencing many new things for the first time, and much more. However, there are three main things that cause stress for teenagers. School related issues, relationships, and peer pressure.
Firstly, school related issues are the main cause for teenage stress these days. It can be caused by them being pushed too hard by their parents or teachers, because for some a lot is expected of them. “They worry about their grades. They may struggle with homework and passing tests. Many feel they must meet the expectations of parents and teachers. This can cause more stress. Teens who play sports might feel the pressure of being part of a team. They may worry about how they'll perform in front of teammates and classmates. They may fear letting their teammates down if they don't play well.”- Gregson, Susan R. It can also be caused by them doing so badly in school they gave up all hope of them doing something worthwhile with their lives or it could be caused by them just not living up to their own standards.
Secondly, another cause of teenage stress is their relationships. Relationship stress can be caused by them not living up to their partner’s expectation or just plainly by them breaking up with someone that they thought they really did care for. Also, it can be caused by an individual liking someone a lot and the feeling is not mutual. All of these aspects can cause teenagers to feel like their in way over their heads. The result being confusion and once again: that feeling of being lost, or lonely. Relationships tie into other aspects such as looks, popularity, feeling important and being involved. Relationships are the strings that keep us in check. Who goes to a football games alone? Prom? It’s the social network that brings these events alive in the hearts of the teenager. Involvement is crucial to the mental and perhaps physical well-being of developing teenagers. A lack of any of the above mentioned activities may result in the beginning development of bad social habits that carry throughout the life of anyone that falls victim to isolationism. On the same token, it is important to make sure that the relationships that teenagers are involved in are healthy ones and not based solely on sexual influences. A program currently active in some public schools has noted significant positive results from their sexual education efforts. “RTV is developing teens that are abstaining from premarital sex, remaining in school, and even better, improving their grades and behavior as evidenced by improved GPA and reduced suspensions. They are learning to work for success and to protect their futures. We are fostering teens that may be the first in several generations to become self-reliant and support them versus a life on and off public assistance. They are the core of a better nation. Their offspring will receive a perception quite different from that of their parents and grandparents. They won`t be the product of a single family nor will they be 50% more likely to be involved in criminal behavior. They will have a good start in life and will manifest a true turn of the tides of teenage pregnancy.” - JACQUELINE JONES DEL ROSARIO It is totally necessary to encourage teens to make the right choices in the relationships they get involved in. unfortunately, it’s not like you can just go up to your son or daughter and tell them not to date this guy or girl, It all starts at an early age when it is important JACQUELINE JONES DEL ROSARIO to instill important values and morals that will stick with the child that they may make good decisions without their parents strangling them and attempting to be too controlling over their child’s every move.
Lastly, peer pressure: Words can hurt. Friends can make you feel so pressured into doing something, you feel you have no choice but to go with the flow. After all, who wants to be called "chicken"? They might tell you, "It's no big deal." or "Everyone's doing it." In the teen world, reputation is extremely important and giving in to peer pressure for some, is a way to safeguard it. Many times, peer pressure drags victims into things they are not whe interested in, or things they know is morally wrong. Many times, the possible consequences are weighed against the social gains of such acts and in most cases, the costs far outweight the gains. This cause stress because the victim feels like they must perform such tasks in order to be apart of the group as a when in reality, this is not true. The company in which they are surrounded determines the activities and actions they are likely to be drawn into. Because of this, a way to limit stress would be to firstly recognize that the group or individuals involved are bad influences, then avoid them entirely, not partially. “Bad company corrupts good morals”-bible.