Since Monday I have had a chance to give four presentations about stress management to local high school students. Its a topic near and dear to my heart because I have to work hard at it [stress management] myself. Here is the gist of what I said to the teens.
A scale is a great way to think of stress management. We can’t avoid stress. Stress comes from the good things and bad things in life. The key is to balance the amount of stress we experience with an equal or greater amount of coping skills.
- A 2015 American Psychological Association study found that teenagers (Millennials) report higher levels of stress than adults. (http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2015/snapshot.aspx).
- Teens are sleep deprived and it leads to increased feelings of stress and anxiety. (https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html)
- Greater use of social media may increase the likelihood of experiencing depression. ( http://www.upmc.com/media/NewsReleases/2016/Pages/lin-primack-sm-depression.aspx
The students I met with identified their top five stressors as:
- Family issues (conflict).
- School issues (testing, homework, difficulty with learning).
- Money issues (not enough money for college).
- Peer/Friendship issues (conflict, drama).
- Depression.
We spent time talking about ways to counter the stress they feel. I shared the importance of taking care of our mind, body and spirit.
- Exercise is very effective at helping the body manage stress and combat depression. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/).
- Journaling helps to put our thoughts on paper and untangle the mess in our head. (http://www.depressiontoolkit.org/takecare/journaling.asp)
- Mindfulness has a growing body of research pointing to its benefits related to stress management. (http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner.aspx
- Additionally I suggested they…
- Read good books
- Keep a humor library
- Carve in more time for sleep
- Cultivate good friendships
- Pray (and like in the AA 12 steps, believe that a power greater than themselves can restore them to sanity).