What Is Stress?

Stress is a normal and expected reaction to challenging or difficult situations. It is our body’s natural way of responding to various life and environmental events. It is something that everyone experiences, no matter how old or young they are.

Why Are Teens/Young Adults So Stressed?

Teens and young adults often face high levels of stress because of school, and sometimes even work. Many students are taking full course loads in HS and in College, while also working part-time. They also have to manage after-school activities, jobs, and social lives. For young adults, these time-consuming and important things can cause a lot of stress. This is not to mention the pandemic, which in the last few years has made life harder for young people. 

According to the American Psychological Association (APA) yearly survey about stress, In 2020 it was shown that teens and young adults were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic a lot. Their survey shows that Gen Z teens (ages 13-17) and Gen Z adults (ages 18-23) faced a new high level of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety due to the pandemic. 

What Are the Signs of Stress and Anxiety Due to School and Work?

The signs include:

• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Fatigue, difficulty concentrating
• Changes in appetite

Other signs of stress and anxiety at school and work are not physical but changes in behavior, which are things like:

• Procrastination and avoidance of important tasks,
• Worrying excessively, and difficulty making decisions.

Why its a Problem

Stress and anxiety at work and school can significantly interfere with our academic and/or job performance. They can also affect our relationships. Also, remember the whole bunch of health effects and behavioral changes above? Stress and anxiety at school and/or at work is a problems because of how much damage they can do to our future. If we cannot manage stress and anxiety in our young years, we risk it breaking us down and knocking us off a good path toward a better future. 

How to Manage

There are a few strategies students and young adults can use to manage stress and anxiety, some of which I have my own experience using;

• Breaking down goals into smaller tasks can make tasks seem more manageable,
• Organizing our time well and reaching out to those around us for help on our tasks.
• It also helps to talk to a professional, such as a therapist or counselor, which can often be beneficial for those struggling with severe levels of anxiety. These services are often available with our school and work for free. BBGTV.org has a lot of resources that can help.

By recognizing the signs and symptoms, and developing strategies to cope with them, we can reduce our levels of stress and anxiety and live healthier, happier lives.

What’s your thinking?

Now that you know more about stress and anxiety, and some tips and resources to combat it, let’s take a moment to answer some questions and leave comments about this blog.

Your responses to the questions provided at the end of the post and comments are anonymous and your identity is not collected. We only ask for the information you are comfortable providing and respect your privacy. Thank you for contributing your valuable insight!