Stress can affect anyone from children to adults. In between this age gap are the adolescents or teenagers. The cause of teenage stress is different from adult stress but the symptoms remain the same. Due to the difference of teen stress from adult stress, a different approach in tackling their stress is important.

The total population consists of an estimation of 20% teens. Yet teens are sometimes that neglected group of the population. Teenage or adolescent is the intermediate group between dependent childhood to independent adulthood and this transition is never easy. The teenage group is very vulnerable to physical and emotional stress.

Their stress may come from everywhere around them from their families, peers to their education. They may be compelled to follow the footsteps of an elder sibling to avoid comparison from their parents, or teens can be stressed from determining their role and image to the society.

Molding And Stress

The teenage or adolescent stage of life can cause major changes both in the physical and mental aspect of a person. These changes are significant in molding and shaping a person.

Physical changes in a person during adolescence include; increase in weight and height, change in voice, the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and for girls the menarche or the beginning of menstruation. On the other hand mental changes may involve; attraction towards the opposite sex, the feeling of independence, aggressiveness, experimentation.

All of these changes can cause stress to teenagers. It was surveyed that one third of teenagers undergo at least one episode of stress every week. The stress factor or stressors are different for teens and it may be due to; puberty, peer pressure, school demands, safety issues within the community, family responsibilities, negative feelings or thoughts, divorce or separation of parents, holidays, financial problems, or a death of a loved one.

The fact is that teenage girls are more affected or prone to stress than boys. Teenage girls tends to seek help from others for help with their stress while boys respond to stress by dealing with it alone and refuse help from others or by engaging themselves in activities that would help them focus on things other than the stressor.

The family members and friends are usually both the cause and support for teens. Without proper guidance, teenagers use healthy and unhealthy ways to cope with their stress.

Tackling Teenage Stress

Teenage stress can be handled both inside and outside of house. The first step in tackling teenage stress is to identify what caused their stress. The notion that there is no earthly reason for teenage stress should be avoided.

The teens should be allows to talk freely about their problems and they should be supported. Older people around them should help and teach the teens by teaching them stress relief methods and setting realistic goals for them in both curricular and extra curricular activities.

Parents or teachers must ask the teenager to define stress taking an example of an incident and ask them for their natural response to that stressful event. Advice about normal stress response and ways of tackling stress must be explained to the teens. Teach them that different stress can have different responses to different persons. Also, advise the teens to avoid unhealthy methods of relieving stress like aggression, alcohol or drug use.

During the time that a teenager feel stressed, full support must be given by the people around them. Teenagers, like children and some adults, are not ready to face major problems by themselves.

Stress and Your Happiness Level

It has been known that stress could have a direct impact on your health condition, such that it could put you at risk of developing certain illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, or serious heart problems. But the most significant impact of stress is something that is felt in your everyday life – your ability to stay happy and energized. Since stress is a fact of life, it does not mean that you have to completely accept it as something that you cannot change or have no control of.

This is due to a domino effect that stress creates in one’s life. If you are able to overcome stress, you can live healthy. If you live healthy, then you can stay happy. This is not as easy as it appears though. You need to follow a three-step plan: identifying your stressors, finding a stress management technique that works for you, and then adapting that into your life.

Identifying Your Stressors
The cause of stress in one person is different from the other. Hence, you need to take the time to look into what it might be that is causing you tremendous amount of stress in a daily basis. Could it be that you are loading yourself more work than you can handle? Are you stressed by the intense level of competition for academic excellence at school? Is your health condition causing you too much worry? 

Identifying your priorities in life could also reveal what your stressors are. But you can never skip this step when trying to realize proper stress management in your life. You cannot find a solution if you do not know the source of the problem.
Find a Stress Management Technique That Works For You 

Once you find out what the problem is, you can now look into different stress management techniques that can work for addressing that problem. Since there are different stressors for each individual, there are also unique ways of addressing the issue.

Some people find it would be good to set aside time for themselves, such as pampering, or doing things that they enjoy. For a few others, they like to stay indoors and enjoy a moment of solitude, such that they can be away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world to find inner peace. Whichever approach works for you, it is all up for you to discover. Experiment with using various stress management techniques first and then see which ones offer the best results.

Tips to Lead a Stress-Free Life

If you cannot think of any activity or ideas to overcome stress, here are some activities you can incorporate into your stress management regiment to stay happy and healthy: 

Create a relaxing environment that would facilitate in a relaxing body and mind. You can sit on a lounger in your patio while enjoying fresh air, listen to some soothing music, or light up scented candles in your room. 

You can travel and have a vacation for a few days. If you’re too busy, do this over the weekend. Use the opportunity to rejuvenate yourself and not think about anything that might cause you stress, such as work or financial problems at home.

Explore nature and the wild outdoors. A lot of people find being close to nature to be very relaxing. If you are one of those, here’s your time to do so.

Identifying Symptoms of Stress

When it comes to stress management, self-help is just as effective. But you cannot take steps to combatting signs of stress if you cannot recognize the symptoms for this condition. Hence, you must start by identifying the symptoms of stress. Some of the most common ones include the following:

• Muscle pain or tension • Headaches • Sweating and dizziness • Bowel problems • Nausea • Tensed feeling all over your body • Feeling of irritability • Memory failure • Insomnia 

In addition to the above symptoms, one could also develop severe problems resulting from stress such as asthma, high blood pressure, and other problems of the heart. 

Stress Management Methods

Your ability to manage stress could make the difference in your life. It would also enable you to overcome the physical, emotional, and mental impact of too much stress and worry in life. It is not enough that you come to identify the symptoms of stress. You need to act on it and make an effort to correct them!

Below are practical stress management methods you can employ.

Problem Identification and Finding Solution 

In any problem, you need to start by identifying the source of the problem. Without this knowledge, there is no way for you to identify the best solution. According to experts, identifying the problem means half of the battle is won. It enables you to regain control over the situation and better understand your condition.

Avoiding Source of Stress

Once you have identified the main source of your stress, your best approach is to avoid them or steer clear off them. For example, if a certain type of environment or being around a particular group of people is causing you stress or making you feel unhealthy, then it would be best for you to take them out of the equation in your life. Instead, re-focus your attention toward something more useful and substantial while drawing out positive vibes out of it.

Control Your Emotions

Learn how to take charge over your feelings. Identification of the source of stress will enable you to achieve this. You need to inspire yourself to think only positive thoughts and constantly reassure yourself that it is you who is in control of your emotions and avoid it from overpowering you instead. You can divert your problems into other more significant activities, such as engaging in sports, hobbies, or going on a vacation. There is no reason to dwell on things that is causing you to harbor ill or negative feelings.

Live Healthy! 

The most obvious yet challenging step towards stress management is to adapt a healthy lifestyle. How do you do this? You need to start with your body. Since this is the first one affected by stress, you need to begin with taking care of your body. Make sure that you are well rested such that you can enable your mind and body to rejuvenate itself. Avoid drinking or smoking since these are unhealthy solutions to stress; in fact, it will only make things worse!

How do you deal with stress? We all have many stresses in our lives but how we deal with stress drastically affects our quality of life. There are both positive ways and negative ways to deal with stress… which methods are you practicing?

1. Laugh - It has been said that laughter is the best medicine–and it’s true! Research proves that laughter is especially good for the heart. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine say that laughter contributes to an increase of blood flow to. See a funny movie, buy a book of jokes–LAUGH.

2. Take a break – When was the last time you went on vacation? Everybody needs a break every now and then. Plan a nice getaway with your spouse or family. Leave work at work. Get out and have some fun, relax and reduce your stress levels.

3. Manage your time wisely – One of the biggest causes of stress is poor time management. Do you often feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything you need to do? Do you run from one appointment to another, sometimes even arriving late? Planning and managing your time in a more wisely manner can greatly reduce a lot of stress.

4. Loosen up – Are you uptight? Do you take little time off for fun? While your time should be managed, stress can be caused by living a life that is too strictly controlled. If you find it difficult to have fun anymore, try loosening up the reigns just a bit. Take a day off; go for a stroll in the park; buy a flower and give it to a stranger.

Laughter is fun and it is also good for you. There are some serious benefits of laughter that exist and they all indicate that laughter is simply good for you. When you laugh at something funny or laugh with your friends as a way to bond with them, you are doing something that actually benefits your health in a positive way. And the good thing about the benefits of laughter is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money or go to extremes to make it happen. Here is some more information on the benefits of laughter.

It Feels Good

Laughing makes us feel good. When we laugh, hormones are released and we get a rush of “feel good” energy. This is the type of energy that you need in order to feel really happy. Ever notice that people who are truly happy in life also seem to laugh a lot? Well, they are laughing to not only express their happiness but it could be said that the laughing can help cause their happiness.

Relieves Stress and Tension

Another of the benefits of laughter is that it relieves stress and tension. People react to stressful events differently. People who love to laugh or who have learned about the positive benefits that laughter has on that stress understand that by laughing about it, this can help make the situation appear not as bad. It is good to see a humorous angle to something that is really annoying and stressful. This will release the proper hormones and chemicals that will make you better able to cope.

Healthy Immune System

Laughter is also good for the immune system. It can help your body heal in times of sickness and stress. If you are not feeling well a good thing to do is to find some reasons to laugh. This isn’t as costly as any drugs you may need and there are no negative side effects. But when you laugh it releases the right amount of hormones and chemicals that will help you cope.

Laughter is good for you. There are several benefits of laughter including making you feel good, helping you deal with stress, and boosting your immune system. If you find at least one reason to laugh each day it will help your immune system out a lot.

About the Author:

Paul Ingersole is an Australian based business person who enjoys writing.Paul discovered a great system that makes small continuous recurring profits using the internet.You can see Google Sniper at Paul’s website

http://www.guruswipe.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – You need to laugth at work to be productive