There is an over erupting volcano located inside of you. It’s powers are high and is present in all teens in some measurement whether you know it or not. The magma molten lava burns you uncontrollably until you are at your wits end. This volcano is stress. Around 10% of teens suffer from an undiagnosed anxiety disorder due to large amounts of stress (“Teenage Stress”). ….. You need to learn to notice your stress, deal with it, and avoid is as much as possible.

Noticing stress in your life can be crucial to living a fulfilling high school experience. Pressure can come from all around you in every aspect of your life. The top five sources of stress include: school work (78%), parents (68%), romantic relationships (64%), and younger siblings (64%) (“Teenage Stress”). Several signs of stress such as an increase in physical illness, anger, or irritability are often over looked. (“Teenage Stress Factors”). Stress can also often lead to difficulty sleeping, difficulty eating, and difficulty concentrating (“Teenage Stress Factors). Girls and boys have different relationships with their stress. On average 25% of boys avoid or refuse to deal with their stress, while only 19% of girls ignore their stress (“Teenage Stress”). Whatever the case may be you need to recognize your stress level because it is the first step to decreasing it greatly.

Next, you have to deal with your stress by fighting it head on. Stress is not easy to deal with in any case, but by using the numerous tools supplied to you, you can win this battle in no time. The number one stress reliever from personal experience and research is talking to an adult for example, coaches, teachers, or parents (“Teenage Stress Factors”). They have been through high school before and have great advice, plus they are also great listeners. In addition, a great tool is, eating right and exercising daily. Exercising will make you feel great about yourself, and by doing so you will releases bad hormones in your body that can lead to stress (“Teenage Stress Factors”). Always think positive wherever you may be. Think positive at school, think positive at home, and think positive in everything you do. You will see a huge change in your over all stress level when you stop worrying about the negative aspects of your life. Worry is the lava filled river separating you from your stress. Another option to reduce your stress would be keeping a journal on your stress levels. Write what is working for you to stay stress free, as opposed to what is making it worse (“Teenage Stress”). Then you can continually work on your stress level through out your daily life. When you are faced with a problem, confront it instead of letting it brew into unnecessary stress. Love yourself and be proud of what you have accomplished.

Avoiding stress can make your life ten thousand times easier. Our teenage years are supposed to be “the time of our lives,” if so lets work to make it that way. First, do not procrastinate by leaving homework or large projects until the last minute. Pressure and time limits send our stress levels through the roof. Work on large tasks gradually to make sure they are done to your full potential. Second, do not over plan; time management is key in keeping your stress level low. Do not take on more activities then you can handle, too many teenagers are over involved (“Teenage Stress Factors”). Decide what is most important to you, and involve yourself as much as possible in those few activities.. Thirdly, avoid drama. Social conflicts throughout your junior high and high school years can be overwhelming (“Teenage Stress Factors”). To minimize them, choose your friends wisely, think before you act, and place yourself in situations you can handle. Avoiding stress is not hard, is not impossible, and is not unreachable.

At last, take a deep breath; life is too short to stress. Help me in reducing the percentage of teens that are stressed out. Notice your stress, and once you do, use these helpful techniques to reduce that volcano inside of you. Do all you can to avoid stress, and only take on tasks you know you can handle. Live these teenage years to be “the time of your life.” You will thank yourself for it in the end.