Sample articles from the parent library in the Answers app

Teenagers today are exposed to much more stress than what you were when you were young. Not only does 24-hour television and media exposure put them right in the middle of the adult world, but high demands at school, less family time (e.g. you get home late due to traffic), peer pressure, possible earlier sexual ripening and their search for their own identity gives plenty cause for stress.

Here are some tips for how to reduce your teen’s stress:

1. RESTT –
2. let them relax (which does not include watching scary movies or playing demanding and stressful computer games, but things that really brings relaxation. This can include a walk in the park, a hobby, taking a nice hot bath, doing some exercise, getting involved in some sport that interests them or listening to music);
3. eat well (check their nutrition and make sure they have a balanced diet and get in enough vitamins and minerals);
4. sleep enough (e.g. eight to nine hour per night);
5. talk (getting teenagers to open up is not always easy, however, if you show interest, keep your cool, do not come down on them – even if they say or do something you do not like or agree with, and spend time with them, they may very well open up and talk to you. If not, at least motivate them to speak to someone else); and
6. think right or develop a positive attitude (e.g. use statements like “I can”, “It is only temporary”, “It is not the end of the world”, “I have people that can help me” and “I will get through this” instead of thinking and talking only negatively);
7. Identify the stressors. Help your teens to pinpoint and describe that what stresses them. Describing it is important because this helps to see if there is more than one thing that stresses them;
8. Let them vent. Allow your teen to go out, spend time alone, scream in their pillows and say exactly what they feel and think (at least now when they are stressed). Explain to them that to get their emotions out will help them to feel better and it will help to see the issue more clearly;
9. Organise and plan. Prevent over-scheduling or for them to take on too much. Let them cut out a few activities or at least for some time then;
10. Prioritise. Teach them to work out a flexible schedule so that they can get to the most or more important things first and with whatever time they have left do the others; and
11. Realistic expectations. Take care not to place high demands on or allow them to develop unrealistic expectations. Let them understand that nobody is perfect and motivate them to keep expectations realistic and achievable.

If you have a good relationship with your teens it should not be a problem to talk to them and to bring the above ideas to their attention. However, if the communication between you and them are not that hot then you can use some other ways to get the message across. A note in their lunch box, a book on how to deal with stress or you can print the articles on this website that shows how to deal with stress and leave it in their room.