Stress is defined as the state by which we cannot shut down the 'fight or flight' mechanism that has been built into us over thousands of years of evolution. This mechanism ramps up our symapthetic nervous system, enabling us in short intervals to escape from predators and attackers. In the short-term this mechanism can save our lives, but is not intended for long-term stimulation. In our daily lives, the mechanism intended to help us ends up hurting us, because stresses like traffic, relationship issues, or work pressure don't go away easily, and we're not evolved enough to physically handle the levels of stress hormones being produced.
Teens can experience daily stress just like adults can, and oftentimes don't have the coping mechanisms that we have had the extra years to learn. Most teenagers will experience stress when they view a situation as potentially harmful, over-whelming, or painful, and they are unsure of how to handle it. Some sources of stress for teenagers include:
- schoolwork
- social pressures
- physical changes
- parental divorce
- illness or death in the family
- changing schools
- financial issues
- exceedingly high expectations from parents
While a teen has much more energy than the average adult, and can likely recover more easily from stress physically, the long-term effects are still not pretty. At the very least, ignoring your teen's stress can lead to behaviour patterns that, when copied as an adult later on, could lead to heart disease and high blood pressure, or worse. Although these issues are rare in teens, they become serious as adults and breaking patterns early on can do wonders for your teen's life.
How can you help? First of all, remember that your teenager is still your son/daughter, and though not yet an adult, can learn how to cope with stress given the right support and encouragement. Try to foster communication without judging them, and listen to them for signs that stress is affecting their health, behaviour, thoughts or feelings. Some ideas you can offer them to decrease their stress include:
- Exercise.
- Eating something healthy.
- Getting some sleep.
- Drinking some water.
- Listening to music.
- Watchng a comedy.
- Playing outside.
- Being a kid for an hour.
- Getting a massage or some acupuncture.
The essential points to drive home here are that a. they can still act like kids when they want to unwind, and b. they can do some of the things adults do to relax as well. Perhaps the hardest thing for teens is being caught in the middle of 'you're not old enough', and 'grow up already'. That's enough to cause anyone some stress!
By Richard Lobbenberg, Acupuncturist and TCM Practitioner
