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Article 5: "Tips and Strategies for Stress Management"

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Article 5: "Tips and Strategies for Stress Management"

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School stress impacts students of all ages and backgrounds. Stress for young people "can come from a variety of sources including doing well in school, making and sustaining friendships, or managing perceived expectations from their parents, teachers, or coaches," according to the American Psychological Association. If left unacknowledged and unassessed, school stress can lead to conditions such as headaches, muscle tension, anxiety, and depression, according to the Mayo Clinic. In some cases, the effects of stress can be more harmful to students than what caused the stress in the first place.No one can eliminate all of the external factors that can cause a student to feel stress. What students can do, however, is to manage how they respond to school stress.

Managing School Stress in Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade

Teachers have been witnessing heightened levels of anxiety in students, according to Education Dive. Stress can impact academic performance, attendance and behavior. This guide outlines ways to help K-8 students cope.

Study Planners and Organizational Guides

Having organizational tools in place, such as a study planner that notes when certain assignments are due and when tests or other exams will be coming up, can be beneficial to students who may be experiencing stress from impending deadlines or an overload of assignments. A notebook with segmented folders and dividers that helps organize schoolwork can benefit students who may be stressed because they don't feel in control of their work.

Tutoring and Academic Strategies

Academic setbacks can cause stress levels to rise. While some students can move on from a downturn, others "remain fixated on the setback and have difficulty moving forward," Edutopia notes. An effective way to handle this type of academic stress is to seek help. Tutoring can be an effective method of helping students cope with any academic difficulties they may be facing. Reading has been shown to be beneficial in tackling stress, even if it's not related to a school subject. Citing a study from the University of Sussex, an article from C2 Education notes how six minutes of reading can be effective in reducing two-thirds of a person's stress levels.

Staying Active and Exercising

Exercise can reduce stress by raising the body's endorphin levels, clearing the mind, and improving one's mood, according to the Mayo Clinic. Students can use exercise as a means of addressing and mitigating their own stress levels. The Mayo Clinic provides tips on how to develop an exercise program that can be beneficial to K-8 students. These tips include:

1. Establish specific goals

2. Work out with a friend

3. Change one's routine

4. Exercise in increments

The specific goal for students could be to reduce stress or something more long term, such as losing weight. They could work out with another peer or classmate under parental supervision and find new ways to keep themselves physically active, all while reducing stress.

Speaking Openly About Unique Student Concerns

Some students may face bullying at school or interpersonal issues at home. Individual students may encounter unique challenges and circumstances that defy easy resolution.In these situations, according to a Psych Central article, finding a trusted professional to speak with can help alleviate stress. Speaking to trusted professionals who oversee environments in which stressors are occurring, such as a teacher, school administrator or counselor, can prove to be particularly helpful.

Addressing School Stress for High Schoolers

Commonly reported sources of stress among teens include school, getting into a good college, making life plans for after high school, and financially supporting their families, according to PsyCom. This guide outlines methods that can help high schoolers cope.

Relaxation and Meditation

Several relaxation techniques can benefit high schoolers. These include:

Focus on breathing - taking long and slow deep breaths while disengaging one's mind

Body scan - concentrating on different body parts while releasing tension and relaxing

Mindfulness meditation - sitting in a comfortable position and paying attention to the present moment

Exercise, Yoga and Physical Activities

Similar to K-8 students, high school students can enjoy the stress-relieving benefits of exercise and physical activities. For high schoolers, that could be establishing a regular exercise routine, such as daily jogs or walks, working out in a gym or joining a team sport. Yoga, too, can be beneficial to high schoolers in reducing stress. The Mayo Clinic recommends finding a qualified instructor and choosing a class at an appropriate experience level.

Support and Study Groups

Study groups can be an effective means of reducing stress in teenagers, considering how academic pressures are one of the primary stressors of this population. These groups can help teens discover new solutions to academic problems and overcome difficulties they may be facing in school.Support groups can also be beneficial to teens in dealing with stress and anxiety. Psychology Today provides a comprehensive directory of available support groups for teens, depending on where they are located. For example, in Los Angeles, 14-to-19-year-olds can participate in any of a large number of helpful support groups. Teen Line also offers a directory of support groups for teens facing various issues.

Scheduling Tips and Tools

ADDitude magazine offers time management tips for teens who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that could be helpful to any teens who may be facing stress. These include effectively prioritizing important tasks, selecting needs over wants and estimating how long it will take to complete given tasks. The website Understood suggests additional tools to help teens stay organized, such as a multicompartment backpack and a watch or timer. Color-coding belongings also is recommended.KidsHealth offers ways that parents can help teens succeed in school. Some of these tips are related to scheduling, such as supporting and establishing firm homework expectations and ensuring that teens have time to get a healthy amount of sleep. Creating a calendar and having prioritized lists for certain tasks can help teens avoid and mitigate academic stress.

Hotlines, online communities and additional resources

Oregon YouthLine is a teen-to-teen hotline that can be beneficial to those facing school stress and related pressures. To get help, teens just need to call 877.968.8491, text "teen2teen" to 839863, email teen2teen@linesforlife.org or chat online at the organization's website. PBS also provides a directory of different hotlines and mental health organizations for teens. These include:

Dangers of Drugs, Alcohol and Other Harmful Coping Mechanisms

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a national helpline that is also available to teens. Their number is 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids has a parent's helpline that provides helpful informational services and guidance to parents concerned with their teens' potential or current drug use. Their number is 1-855-378-4373. They can also be reached via text at 55753. The National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens also provides helpful blog posts, videos and infographics that can benefit teenagers who may be facing stress as a result of substance abuse.

Handling School Stress as a College Student

One of the recurring pressures that teens experience stress over is applying to and choosing a college. When those students arrive on those college campuses, they still can face stress and academic/social pressures. This guide outlines resources that can help.

On-Campus Support Groups, Services and Mental Health Resources

Colleges and universities often offer on-campus counseling and mental health services to students. The National Alliance on Mental Illness also offers groups on different college campuses across the United States that can help students who are facing stress and mental health issues. In a 2019 publication, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) published new strategies for addressing mental health support on campuses that can serve as effective guidelines for helping students face school stress.

Online Support Groups, Hotlines and Other Digital Resources

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America offers an online support group where college students can share their experiences with stress and other mental health concerns.

ULifeline also provides a hotline and resources for college students facing stress and other mental health issues. To access these resources, students can text "START" to 741-741 or call 1-800-273-TALK. Depending on where students attend school, there may be additional digital resources available to them for tackling school stress through their college.

Calmness, Meditation and Other Mental Health Approaches

Britannica Digital Learning overviews several calming and breathing exercises that can benefit college students and help them alleviate stress. These include centering breath and "not mine" meditations, as well as an activity called "grounding with the senses."

Verywell Mind also describes how progressive relaxation techniques, self-hypnosis and positive thinking and affirmations can help to improve one's mental health and reduce stress.

Yoga, Exercise and Additional Physical Health Strategies

Yoga Journal provides an extensive list of articles that can help college students use the practice of yoga to reduce stress and increase mindfulness. An article from Harvard Health Publishing dives deep into how various types of exercises, from participating in sports teams to vigorous workouts, help to bring enhanced peace of mind to a person. The article encourages college students to embrace exercise, in whatever form they choose, as a means of reducing stress.

Managing Pandemic-Related School Stress

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 transformed the educational landscape. Students have had to grapple not only with stress related to the pandemic itself but also with new challenges that have arisen from transitioning to remote education.

For students and educators who are facing stress or mental challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the following resources and organizations may prove beneficial:

Local mental health resources: The American Psychological Association provides a directory of helpful tips and resources for COVID-19-related mental health concerns.

Institute for Disaster Mental Health: This organization provides tools and strategies for coping with stress, anxiety, and mental health concerns related to the pandemic. Some tips include focusing on what one can change, choosing news sources carefully, and managing anxiety by breaking problems down into manageable chunks.

Leadership guidelines and suggestions: For those who hold leadership positions, such as educators and administrators, the American Psychological Association provides helpful tips for guiding individuals through this time of stress and uncertainty.

Social media guidance: An article by the American Psychological Association notes how prolonged social media usage and exposure can create more anxiety than traditional forms of media. Understanding and mitigating the effects of social media can help students through this difficult time.

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School Stress Management for Students of All Ages | Wake Forest University

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School stress impacts students of all ages and backgrounds. Stress for young people "can come from a variety of sources including doing well in school, making and sustaining friendships, or managing perceived expectations from their parents, teachers, or coaches," according to the American Psychological Association.

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Curiosity: Would students use different types of coping mechanisms ?

Questions the article answers:
1) Can having a Study planner be easier for a student to know when big dates are coming soon?
2) Can being Organized actually improve stress levels?
3) Would tutoring and academic strategies be effective ?
4) Would exercise affect or harm a student ?

Research Path (where to next):
Would Study and Support groups be effective towards the health of students?

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Article 4: "High School Students' Stress and Coping Mechanisms"

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Article 4: "High School Students' Stress and Coping Mechanisms"

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Over time selective high schools have oriented themselves to address a context of increasingly competitive college admissions

School work, college applications, extracurricular activities, and parental expectations all contribute to teenagers' stress

Youth, schools, and experts identified substance use as a common strategy for coping with stress

"School, homework, extracurricular activities, sleep, repeat-that's what it can be for some of these students," says Noelle Leonard, PhD, a senior research scientist at the New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN).

According to Leonard academic, athletic, social, and personal challenges have been regarded as domains of "good stress" for high school aged youth. However, there is growing awareness that many subgroups of youth experience high levels of chronic stress, to the extent that it impedes their abilities to succeed academically, compromises their mental health functioning, and fosters risk behavior. Furthermore, this chronic stress appears to persist into the college years, and Leonard warns it may contribute to academic disengagement and mental health problems among emerging adults.

"We are concerned that students in these selective, high pressure high schools can get burned out even before they reach college," noted Leonard. "The Charles Engelhard Foundation is interested in the issue of college engagement, and funded us to explore whether the roots of disengagement reach back as far as high school. We found that indeed they do."

In a four-phase quantitative and qualitative study published in Frontiers in Psychol ogy in July 2015, a team of NYUCN researchers led by Leonard assessed the coping skills, academic engagement, family involvement and expectations, mental health symptoms, and substance use among juniors enrolled in two highly selective private secondary schools in the Northeast: one an urban day school; the other a boarding school.

"While there is no doubt students in selective public high schools also experience high rates of chronic stress, we decided to study the private school setting, which has been under-studied compared to public institutions," said Marya Gwadz, PhD, the study's Principal Investigator.

Among the differences, families pay substantial tuition rates for a private education and most students are affluent, and "such factors result in a unique set of pressures, expectations, norms, and resources," noted Leonard. The study focuses on students in the eleventh grade. Chronic stress tends to be particularly high for this cohort, as it is generally the point at which students consolidate their portfolios in preparation for college applications.

"We sought to describe the experiences of the students, but also uncover the larger cultural and societal factors that drive the problem of chronic stress, since schools, families, and youth don't operate in a vacuum," said Amanda Ritchie, MAA, a study collaborator. "We know schools and families are embedded in society and are responding to its changing requirements and demands, with respect to the competitiveness of the college admissions process, the kinds of skills needed to succeed in the workforce, and even uncertainties in the global economy."

In the first phase of the study, researchers conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with nineteen private school teachers, counselors, and administrators to elicit their perspectives on student stress and coping. These responses were in turn used to inform the second phase of the study, a quantitative anonymous internet-based survey, administered to a total of 128 juniors between the two private schools.

About half (48%) of those surveyed reported completing at least three hours of homework a night, with girls 40 percent more likely to report three or more hours of homework a night than boys. Participants demonstrated a relatively strong academic performance, with girls reporting an average GPA of 3.57, higher than boys' average of 3.34. Students showed high levels of motivation for academic achievement, with an average valuation of 2.35 on a scale of 0 (least) to 3 (most). On average, girls were found to be more motivated in this regard than boys (2.48 vs. 2.22). Students reported high rates of feelings of "closeness" to their parents, with an average valuation of 3.15 on a 0-4 scale.

Nearly half (49%) of all students reported feeling a great deal of stress on a daily basis and 31 percent reported feeling somewhat stressed. Females reported significantly higher levels of stress than males (60% vs. 41%). Grades, homework, and preparing for college were the greatest sources of stress for both genders. A substantial minority, 26 percent of participants, reported symptoms of depression at a clinically significant level.

In the third phase of the study, the NYUCN researchers conducted qualitative (semi-structured, open-ended) interviews with eighteen of the students surveyed to provide an interpretation of the results from the students' perspective.

For the fourth and final phase of the research, a panel of eight private school experts was convened- that included clinical social workers, psychologists, a private school guidance counselor, a teacher with both private and public school experience, a parent of two recent private school graduates, and a student who recently graduated from a private school. The Expert Panel members were presented with the results from the study's three previous phases in individual meetings and the responses from these interviews were used to further interpret and expand upon the data from prior phases.

"I think that parental pressure (on schools and students) is real," said a teacher with over twenty years of experience in the private school sector interviewed in the study's fourth stage. "Parents are coming in and thinking, I'm (spending a lot of money) and I need to get something, a very tangible something. A great education is not a tangible something; a diploma from Harvard, Princeton or Yale ...that's tangible."

Yet it has never been more difficult to enter one of these top-tier institutions, which may accept only 5 or 6 percent of their applicants, although in general a strong student will be able to gain access to any number of good colleges or universities. These highly selective schools and parents are responding to this competitive climate. Private schools have reacted by providing more difficult classes (which may require longer hours of challenging homework), college-level classes, and requiring extracurricular activities, as well as other opportunities for students to stand out, such as entrepreneurial or community service opportunities. Parents, in turn, may demand their children take Advanced Placement courses, even in cases where they are told their child is not a good fit for the course and may not be able to handle the work. Thus schools, parents, and students may feel caught in a cycle of escalating demands and expectations, largely out of their control and driven by greater societal factors.

Importantly, in a theme echoed by schools and experts, students noted that these demands did not always feel appropriate to their developmental levels. Instead, they felt they were asked to work as hard as adults, or even harder, with little time left for relaxation or creativity.

When exploring how students managed the various sources of stress described in the study, researchers found they used a variety of coping strategies ranging from healthy, problem-focused coping, to less adaptive, emotion focused, internal and external avoidance coping strategies. Active or problem-solving strategies for coping with stress included listening to or playing music, playing video/computer games, meditating, or getting away from school.

"Three main themes emerged as the most dominant adaptive coping strategies, notably, sports and exercise, preventive activities such as good planning skills, and maintaining a balanced perspective on school and grades," said Leonard.

"On the opposite end of the spectrum, our interviews yielded few descriptions of less adaptive strategies, in contrast to the many adaptive strategies articulated by students, with two exceptions, emotional exhaustion and substance use," said Michelle Grethel, Ph.D., an expert and independent consultant. Students described emotional exhaustion as a feeling of lethargy or immobilization in response to feeling overwhelmed and stressed. "I just don't do anything", "I won't do any of it" or " I lose the ability to function" were some of the ways students described this sense of paralysis. One student recounts: "You get tired. You don't really want to be around people. You just get in this kind of... funk where, like, you just kind of want to be alone in your room and just sleep. Or just like not dealing with anything..."

"Substance use for stress relief was a predominant theme in our interviews with students, over two-thirds of whom described substance use as both endemic to their social experience and as a method for managing stress," says Dr. Charles Cleland, a study investigator. Alcohol and marijuana were described as the primary substances students used for relaxation. As a male student noted: "most of the things that people do, here, when they're stressed is they go get drunk or they get high." However, for the most part students reported that substance use, while very common, did not usually rise to the level of problem or hazardous use.

Substance use for this purpose was not gender specific. One female student recounts, "Marijuana probably was a big anti-stress thing for me last year...just being relaxed for like an hour or two." In fact, the quantitative data indicates no gender differences for general substance use. Over the thirty-day period preceding the survey, 38 percent of students reported getting drunk and 34 percent of students reported getting high on an illegal substance, rates one to two times greater than reported in national normative samples.

"While students didn't discuss prescription drug use, members of the expert panel indicated its widespread use among students for whom it was prescribed as well as those for whom it was not prescribed," said Gwadz. One member of the panel, who counsels students noted "Using Ritalin (a stimulant commonly prescribed for ADHD) is seen only as a benefit and [the students are] incredulous that any faculty or counselor would challenge that taking Ritalin to get an edge in your academic performance, that there could be anything wrong with that ... that's what you have to do in this world."

Stress commonly leads to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Results of the study also indicated that parents, more so than their students, experienced a stigma associated with receiving mental health services. Members of the expert panel noted that parents will go to great lengths to avoid taking their children to an outside physician or counselor, as they believe their child will be labeled and such treatment will inhibit their child from getting into the college of their choice.

The researchers note that private schools take a multi-faceted approach to reducing the level of perceived stress and improving adaptive coping among students. High-performing schools mindful of the need to manage chronic stress among students have implemented strategies such as changing school schedules, staggering exams and assignments among different classes, and providing stress reduction opportunities such as yoga and meditation.

"Schools have an opportunity to engage and train families on ways to increase their capacities to serve as resources for their children; to educate families on the deleterious effects of chronic stress and the role of substances in coping with stress; and engage families and students in a dialogue about expectations for achievement and a wider definition of success, all of which may allow students to fully participate in the richness of the private school environment," said Leonard

Both Leonard and Gwadz note a number of promising avenues for future study. Given the exploratory nature of this study, they were unable to interview parents, who play a vital role in how students view and manage stress. While many students, teachers, and expert panel members in the current study discussed the role of parents in some detail, future research should explore parents' hopes and expectations for their children as well as how parents communicate these expectations. The researchers also hope to expand the study to include a more nationally representative sampling of private schools.

Researcher Affiliations: Noelle R. Leonard1, 2, Marya Viorst Gwadz1, Amanda Ritchie1, Jessica L. Linick1, 2, Charles M. Cleland1, Luther Elliott3, Michelle Grethel4.

1. Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR), College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY, USA

2. Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

3. National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., New York, NY, USA

4. Independent Consultant, New York, NY, USA

Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a grant from the Charles Engelhard Foundation and the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR; P30 DA011041). The study's authors wish to thank the participating schools, teachers, administrators, staff, students, and Experts.

About New York University College of Nursing

NYU College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science with major in Nursing, a Master of Science and Post-Master's Certificate Programs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in Research Theory and Development. For more information, visit https://nursing.nyu.edu/

The mission of the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) is to end the HIV and HCV epidemics in drug using populations and their communities by conducting transdisciplinary research and disseminating its findings to inform programmatic, policy, and grass roots initiatives at the local, state, national and global levels. CDUHR is a Core Center of Excellence funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant #P30 DA011041). It is the first center for the socio-behavioral study of substance use and HIV in the United States and is located at the New York University College of Nursing. For more information, visit www.cduhr.org.

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NYU Study Examines Top High School Students' Stress and Coping Mechanisms

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The study shows that there is growing awareness many subgroups of youth experience high levels of chronic stress, to the extent it impedes their abilities to succeed academically, compromises their mental health functioning, and fosters risk behavior.

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Curiosity: How does High School take part in the high stress levels of many students?

Questions the article answers:
1) What activities contribute/take part in student stress?
2) Do students use substances to cope with chronic stress?
3) Can a teen's schedule affect their way of having high stress levels?
4) Do students who attend private schools have less stress than those who attend public schools?

Research Path (where to next):
What can students do to cope with stress? I understand that teens can use substances to cope with stress and other disorders, but are there other ways a student can cope with stress and other disorders without the use of harmful substances?

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Article 3: "Three ways Stress Negatively Affects Student Performance"

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Article 3: "Three ways Stress Negatively Affects Student Performance"

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Today's students may be more stressed than ever before. In fact, the 2015 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment found that 85.6 percent of students had felt overwhelmed in the past year. ¹ The pressures of getting top grades, balancing extracurricular activities with studying, and spending time with family all add up. In addition, students manage another identity in the digital world. Social media platforms are one more thing to keep up with and are often rife with stress-inducing comparisons, gossip and bullying.

Significant life changes-such as a death in a family, moving to an unfamiliar location or a divorce-are likely to cause high spikes in stress. A 2016 study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology shows daily stressors play just as significant a role in affecting overall mental health. ²

Belief in oneself is vital to minimizing the negative impact from stress. As outlined , administrators and educators can provide counseling centers, online resources and other services to help students cope with stress. Students who can better manage their stress are more engaged in class, more likely to absorb what they're learning, and more likely to excel beyond the classroom.

Here are three significant ways excess stress can negatively affect students:

Stress Decreases Sleep Quality

There is a link between stress levels and poor sleep. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 70 percent of those who report persistent stress have trouble sleeping. ³

The National Sleep Foundation reports teens need at least eight hours of sleep to function at peak performance, yet only about 15 percent of teens get an adequate amount. ⁴ Poor sleep makes stress management more difficult, while also negatively impacting concentration, learning, listening, memory and problem-solving.

Stress Makes Students Angrier

Stress may be the culprit of students who are prone to bullying others. The Mayo Clinic reports stress increases feelings of irritability and anger, which increases the likelihood for angry outbursts and social withdrawal. ⁵

Besides directing anger at other students, students who are stressed may be resistant to following school guidelines and respectfully engaging with instructors. They may also exhibit disrespectful behavior online. Their focus on anger may cause overall work to suffer.

Stress Worsens Grades

When a student is stressed and preoccupied, it takes over their ability to focus during lectures or studying. Stress may even cause students to drop out of school or drop classes. The 2010 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment reported more than 25 percent of students say that stress lowered their grades or ability to finish a course. ⁶

For students experiencing stress at home, attending to schoolwork may not be a top priority. As research shows, stress exhibited by instructors directly increases the stress levels of students while in the classroom. Stressors may pop up at any moment to disrupt learning and concentration. ⁷

It's vital for educators to recognize the significant impact stress has on teens and young adults, and work to create a supportive and calm educational environment. School administrators who want their students to succeed academically should conduct regular check-ins with students and direct students to counselors and mental health programs when necessary and educate families about the negative impact of stress on students.
Learn how your school can help students overcome stress: Zap Student Stress with These Tools & Resources

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3 Ways Stress Negatively Affects Student Performance

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Today's students may be more stressed than ever before. In fact, the 2015 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment found that 85.6 percent of students had felt overwhelmed in the past year.1 The pressures of getting top grades, balancing extracurricular activities with studying, and spending time with family all add up.

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Curiosity: How much can stress really affect the work ethics of a teen ?

Questions the article answers:
1) How can stress decrease the sleep quality of a teen?
2) Why does stress cause teenage students to become angrier?
3) How does stress take part in academics and grades?

Research Path (where to next):
How does stress actually affect students in school? Does stress mess around with the ability of focusing and being able to participate in school activities?

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Article 2: "Stress Management and Teens"

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Article 2: "Stress Management and Teens"

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( I can't annotate this article or input it into my google docs, but the questions i ask can be answered using this article)

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Stress Management and Teens

No. 66; Updated January 2019

Teenagers, like adults, may experience stress every day and can benefit from learning stress management skills. Most teens experience more stress when they perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful and they do not have the resources to cope. Some sources of stress for teens include:

School demands and frustrations

Negative thoughts or feelings about themselves

Changes in their bodies

Problems with friends and/or peers at school

Unsafe living environment/neighborhood

Separation or divorce of parents

Chronic illness or severe problems in the family

Death of a loved one

Moving or changing schools

Taking on too many activities or having too high expectations

Family financial problems

Some teens become overloaded with stress. When this happens, it can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills such as drug and/or alcohol use.

When we perceive a situation as difficult or painful, changes occur in our minds and bodies to prepare us to respond to danger. This "fight, flight, or freeze" response includes faster heart and breathing rate, increased blood to muscles of arms and legs, cold or clammy hands and feet, upset stomach and/or a sense of dread.

The same mechanism that turns on the stress response can turn it off. As soon as we decide that a situation is no longer dangerous, changes can occur in our minds and bodies to help us relax and calm down. This "relaxation response" includes decreased heart and breathing rate and a sense of well-being. Teens that develop a "relaxation response" and other stress management skills feel less helpless and have more choices when responding to stress.

Parents can help their teen in following ways:

Monitor if stress is affecting their teen's health, behavior, thoughts, or feelings

Listen carefully to teens and watch for overloading

Learn and model stress management skills

Support involvement in sports and other pro-social activities

Teens can decrease stress with the following behaviors and techniques:

Exercise and eat regularly.

Get enough sleep and have a good sleep routine.

Avoid excess caffeine which can increase feelings of anxiety and agitation.

Avoid illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

Learn relaxation exercises (abdominal breathing and muscle relaxation techniques).

Develop assertiveness training skills. For example, state feelings in polite, firm, and not overly aggressive or passive ways: ("I feel angry when you yell at me." "Please stop yelling.")

Rehearse and practice situations which cause stress. One example is taking a speech class if talking in front of a class makes you anxious.

Learn practical coping skills. For example, break a large task into smaller, more attainable tasks.

Decrease negative self-talk: challenge negative thoughts - with alternative, neutral, or positive thoughts. "My life will never get better" can be transformed into "I may feel hopeless now, but my life will probably get better if I work at it and get some help."

Learn to feel good about doing a competent or "good enough" job rather than demanding perfection from yourself and others.

Take a break from stressful situations. Activities like listening to music, talking to a friend, drawing, writing, or spending time with a pet can reduce stress.

Build a network of friends who help you cope in a positive way.

By using these and other techniques, teenagers can begin to manage stress. If a teen talks about or shows signs of being overly stressed, a consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist or other qualified mental health professional may be helpful.

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Teenagers, like adults, may experience stress everyday and can benefit from learning stress management skills.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Curiosity: Why are teens more stressed than parents ?

Questions the article answers:
1) What causes stress in teens?
2) What are the influences in Stress on Health behaviors that teens have?
3) What is the percentage ratio of Adult to Teen to see which stresses more ?
4) Are teens adopting adults stress habits?
5) Does school take part in high stress levels?

Research Path (where to next):
What can stress lead to ?

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Curiosity: Can teens mature quicker when they stress?

Questions the article answers:
1)  What can stress lead to ?
2) What type of changes occurs in our bodies to react to danger?
3) How can parents help teens reduce stress?
4) What techniques and behaviors can teens use to reduce stress levels?

Research Path (where to next):
How does teen stress affect their work ethic?