Ten Tips for Helping Teens Manage Stress

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Adolescence is a time of rapid change and increasing responsibility. Teens can easily grow overwhelmed with school, friends, and extracurricular activities. Parents can take steps to reduce their teen’s stress, and to help them cope with stressful situations.

1. Encourage open, honest communication. Parents should strive to build a positive relationship with their teens, so that they will feel comfortable sharing their problems and asking for help. It is also important for teens to know that other adults, like guidance counselors, teachers, and clergy people, are willing to listen.
2. Provide structure and routine at home. Teens are often stressed by changes in their environment. Creating a stable routine at home provides respite from the changes they encounter everywhere else throughout their day. The predictability of a routine gives teens a sense of security and safety. The establishment of a sleep schedule is especially important.
3. Support the exploration of extracurricular interests. These activities can provide an alternative outlet for anxiety, and they can give teens a sense of belonging. Be savvy about extra-curriculars, however, and discourage a teen from participating in too many activities, which can be a source of stress unto itself.
4. Promote physical activity. Again, the physical activity provides a means of “letting off some steam.” It also increases the amount of serotonin produced by the brain, which has a calming effect. Physical activity could be an organized sport, or a simple daily bike ride with friends.
5. Model effective problem solving. Brainstorm possible solutions to stressful situations, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Help the teen choose the best solution, and assist in implementing it if necessary. Afterward, help the teen to evaluate the choice he/she made.
6. Insist on healthy eating habits. Excessive intake of sugar and caffeine can lead to feelings of anxiety and agitation. A healthy diet allows the body to operate more efficiently, and grants a sense of well being. Teens who eat a healthy diet tend to feel less tired or run down, and they are also less likely to eat in response to stress.
7. Don’t demand perfection. Teens who feel competent and capable are less likely to experience stress if they do not attain perfect results. Rather than criticizing a teen who does not meet expectations, discuss expectations and decide together if these are reasonable. Come up with a plan for achieving them, and acknowledge success.
8. Help the teen to develop assertiveness. Often teens get overwhelmed because they feel they cannot speak up for themselves. They may feel unable to say “no” or to articulate their emotions effectively. Teaching them to identify their emotions using “I feel…” or “I need…” statements is a useful strategy.
9. Rehearse success in stressful situations. Role playing can be an excellent tool for making a teen feel ready to face a difficult situation. For instance, if giving a speech in front of the class induces anxiety for the teen, play audience while the teen delivers the speech a few times.
10. Help the teen develop a personal “tool box” of coping mechanisms. These could include deep breathing exercises, counting down from ten, or touching a specific spot on the body, like an earlobe or a knee. Such strategies give the teen a way to cope if they begin to feel overwhelmed.

By creating a safe environment, encouraging healthy habits, and modeling effective coping and problem-solving methods, parents can help their teens cope with any stressful situation.