Your teenage years should be among the best times of your life. However, the truth is high stress put on teens can result in severe anxiety and depression. Teen stress has been linked to withdrawal, aggression, risky behavior, and substance abuse. Stress is when you react to pressure, either from an outside source like school, sports, clubs or inside sources, like wanting to fit in or trying to do well in school. Junior Kiana Stotts said, “I think that sometimes people do not think about the stress teens go through because we are so young. But we have to balance a lot and even though we are young we still have many responsibilities. It does get really stressful trying to balance success in school, sports, clubs, jobs, you name it! I think that is is important for adults to take into account how stressed we get from all the responsibilities we have.” Stress is normal for everyone; little amounts of stress are even proven to be beneficial to our health. Without small amounts of stress, we would not have the motivation or the will to push ourselves to do well. It is the extreme stress that is causing health problems.

 Thousands of teens are faced with anxiety and depression because of the stress they are faced with on an everyday basis. With college on the line for the majority of teens, the pressure to do well is intense. Depression and anxiety disorders are different, but it is common for someone with an anxiety disorder to suffer from depression, too. About half of the people diagnosed with depression also have an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. People with depression often experience similar symptoms as an anxiety disorder, but does not mean they have an anxiety disorder. Symptoms that indicate either condition include: nervousness, irritability, sleep problems and difficulty concentrating.

 The adolescent brain is more sensitive to stress hormones and can suffer damage from stress that lasts into adulthood. On the other hand, because the adolescent brain develops quickly, good habits for coping with stress can also last into adulthood. To cope with teen stress, here are some tips. If you experience any symptoms of anxiety or depression, talk with someone and get help. Learn stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Exercise regularly, do not skip meals, and get enough sleep, too. These tips should help teens when they are going through stressful time and assist them to live a better lifestyle.