Tapping into the TEEN BRAIN right here and right now…. Youth Action Board Teens are talking about
stress, pressure and anxiety. Root
causes and ways to cope. They want you
to know where it’s coming from, who’s contributing, who’s helping and HOW teens
can help themselves in healthy and productive ways.
Youth
may feel a lot of stress during their teenage years and this increases their
risk for drug abuse. Teens and their parents can learn ways to reduce or manage
stress, which improves a teen's overall health and well-being and makes them
less likely to abuse drugs. The teenage years bring a lot of changes, and these
changes be stressful.
Teens
may worry about school, friends, family, extracurricular activities, and the
future, as well as the many upheavals and disasters in the world. Teens who
have been exposed to some sort of trauma, like abuse, disasters, accidents, or
violence in their home or neighborhood, may even develop post-traumatic stress
disorder.
Being
under a lot of stress can increase the risk that a teen will use drugs. In
fact, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, stress is one of the major factors leading to teen
drug abuse and to relapse in recovering drug users.
While
stress is a natural response to problems teens may face, and can be helpful in
small doses, long-term stress causes a lot of negative mental and physical
health problems in teens, such as:
• Insomnia,
or trouble sleeping
• Headaches
and unexplained aches and pains
• Frequent
illnesses
• Tense
muscles or jaw
• Upset
stomach
• Eating
too much or too little
• Feeling
shaky
• Increased
heartbeat
• Cold,
sweaty hands
• Feeling
out of it or disconnected
• Trouble
concentrating or getting things done
• Irritability
or anger
• Always
feeling tired
• Depression
or anxiety
When
teens don't have healthy ways to cope with stress and its effects, they may
turn to drug abuse to treat some of the symptoms. Of course, using drugs can actually increase stress and cause
other mental and physical health problems. Teens can learn healthier ways to manage stress and reduce
their chances of turning to drug abuse. Some methods that can help teens manage
stress include:
·
Learn
a relaxation technique for reducing feelings of stress, like deep breathing,
visualizing a peaceful place, meditation, tai chi, or yoga.
·
Try
to get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet.
·
Exercise,
especially when you start to feel stressed. This can be as simple as taking a
walk around the block, going on a bike ride, lifting weights, or doing some
push ups.
·
Listen
to calming music.
·
Watch
or listen to something that makes you laugh.
·
Find
a stress-free activity that you can enjoy like music, art, or writing.
·
Find
a friend or family member to talk to about your concerns.
·
Try
taking a break or having a change of scene. Sometimes doing something different
for a while can make problems seem less overwhelming.
·
Learn
to accept that you cannot control everything going on around you and that not
everything is your responsibility, and then focus on the things you can
control.
·
Set
realistic expectations for yourself, even if those expectations are not the
same as what friends, family members, teachers, or coaches have for you. This
may include accepting that you don't have to try to be perfect and that it's
okay to make mistakes or to fail sometimes.
·
Try
not to put off important things that need to be done, like writing a paper
that's due soon. Procrastination can increase stress.
·
Make
time to do fun, safe activities with friends or family members.
·
Try
not to be so busy that you don't have any time to relax. While it's great to be
involved in a lot of good activities, it's also important to have some quiet
time for yourself.
·
Try
to keep time spent watching TV or using other media in balance with other
activities in your life.
·
Focus
on your accomplishments and on positive events rather than on setbacks and
negative events.
Source: http://www.teendrugaddiction.com/content/stress-drug-abuse.html
#teensarestressed
#teenssupportingteens
#teenshaveinsight
#focusonthepositive
#youcandothis
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