Combating teenage stress

Pages: 105-107
Sudershan Nain (Sant Nischal Singh College of Education for Women, Santpura, Yamuna Nagar)

It has always been difficult being a teenager, teenager not only face the identity crisis, peer pressure and cut throat competition but also the unrealistic hopes and rising expectations of parents and teachers concerning their choice of career, so it seems like today’s teens face much more challenges than ever before. Instead of just worrying about acne, puberty, and what they are going to do after graduation, today’s issues seem more life-threatening and life-changing. In a more informal survey of 60 students, the primary sources of tension and trouble for teens and their friends are: relationships with friends and family; the pressure of expectations from self and others; pressure at school from teachers, coaches, grades and homework; financial pressures; and tragedy in the lives of family and friends as death, divorce, cancer. In addition to all of the other new and old teen problems, newer issues that teens face today include cyber bullying, school violence, shootings, and worry about terrorism. And social pressures and the pressure to do well in school is a big stress, as it has always been, for many teens. Whether or not we think today’s teens have more problems, bigger problems or just different problems, it is important to get our teen help for those problems before they become overwhelming. This paper provides information about the prevalence of adolescent stress. The study points out some of the stressful events young people experience, describe how young people deal with stress, and indicate the risk factors for young people most vulnerable to stress.