Stress & Anxiety

Stress & Anxiety Causes Impacts on Performance Warning Signs: Physical, Mental, and Emotional Management Relaxation & Imagery

Stress Have you ever heard, teens have it easy, since they don't have to deal with grown-up issues. For adults, stress often results from job responsibilities, family duties, or financial obligations. Teenagers are just as familiar with stress as adults. In addition to academic pressures, sports, school activities, and the college application process, teens also deal with pressures about sex, drugs, bullying, divorce, death.

Causes of stress & anxiety School work – School work stresses most teens at one point or another. For students who aren't naturally gifted in certain subjects, like math or science, getting good grades can be an intense struggle, to the point where simple assignments are stressful and exams even more so. When an adult works a job, he typically does something he is skilled at and trained for, but teens must often complete tasks in subjects that they dislike or find hard to grasp. Relationships - Relationships are often a source of stress for teens. Friendships and romances may cause anxiety, fear or even depression. Breakups and first dates tend to be especially stressful.

Causes of stress & anxiety Expectations - Expectations from parents, teachers and other adults in authority produce another common source of stress. When parents communicate high expectations for academic or extracurricular performance, teens feel additional stress in what is already a stressful environment. Social Circles - Young people are constantly comparing themselves to one another; who is the best dressed, who has the best boyfriend, who gets the best grades, who has the best body. These constant comparisons are a huge cause of stress among teens. The desire or attempt to fit in leads to peer pressure to try things such as smoking, drinking, cheating or sex. Work Load - Even though teens don't usually work full- time jobs, mandatory activities and school fill their schedules to the brim, leaving little time for fun or rest. School hours usually take up six hours each day, then there are extracurricular activities and several hours of homework which can lead to fatigue and burn out. Family Problems

Stress and Performance Stress and anxiety can be good and motivate a student to achieve their goals. But too much stress is definitely bad. Do you feel just enough stress to keep you on your game, or are you a great big ball of nerves? People feel little stress when they have the time, experience and resources to manage a situation. They feel great stress when they think they can't handle the demands

Warning signs of anxiety Signs of teen stress & anxiety can come in many forms. Every teen will experience some signs at different times, but when they last for longer periods of time it can tend to create further problems. Signs of stress & anxiety can be physical, mental or emotional.

Physical Signs Headaches Stomach aches Muscle aches Nervousness Over eating or under eating Problems sleeping

Forgetfulness Disorganized Lack of concentration Drop in grades Mental Signs Forgetfulness Disorganized Lack of concentration Drop in grades

Emotional Signs Anger quickly Sadness Frustration Easily Agitated Anger or tantrums Violence

Stress Management

Stress & Anxiety Management Laugh Find your own personal and safe way to unwind (e.g., hiking, exercising, journaling, eating a favorite treat, doing a craft, playing games, working on a puzzle, etc.) Regular sleep (at least 8 hours per night) Well-balanced diet Avoid caffeine Get sunlight – Vitamin D Exercise regularly Be prepared/organized – don’t wait until the last minute to do assignments or study for a test Drink water (4-8 glasses per day) Avoid drugs, alcohol, and tobacco

Stress & Anxiety Management Learning relaxation techniques – breathing exercises, meditation, and muscle relaxation are great techniques for alleviating tension Aromatherapy – relaxing aromas include lavendar, rose, bergamot, cypress, balsam fir, chamomile, and orange Attention Retraining Talking – talking and working out one’s problems with somebody else will help reduce built up tension Learn to forgive and forget past wrongs

Just Keep Swimming When all else fails… Visit your Student Services/School Counseling Office Ms. Altenberger, School Psychologist