Major Stressors in Teenage Life: How to Live as a Teenager

The life of a teen is normally assumed to be more carefree and stress-free than that of an adult. While teenagers' lives are but it is not without ups and downs, they are not burdened with the same stress-inducing commitments as adults, but today's teenagers face a variety of stress, including social, mental, and societal pressures. There is a huge variaty of major stressors in teenage life, and within this essay we will take a closer look on the current topic.

As children age from childhood to adulthood, they are faced with increased responsibilities and decisions, which may be both empowering and stressful. Some teenagers may be better suited to deal with these stresses than others, depending on their circumstances. That is why, at this age, both positive peer support and adult role models are necessary.

Teenagers face new external and internal problems as they mature, which can be emotionally draining. According to youth.gov, one out of every five teens has a severe mental health issue. In the previous year, 11% of teenagers reported having at least one significant depressive episode (including suicide attempts), and nearly one in five 16- to 17-year-old girls are suffering from depression. “I think that people forget that they do have the ability to make that change and they don't have to feel so alone in the world'.

Everyone wants to fit in and be liked by others, but adolescents are particularly sensitive to this pressure. Peer pressure to use alcohol and drugs, engage in sexual actions, or engage in risky behaviours is an example of negative peer pressure. Even fewer extreme examples, such as peer pressure to dress a specific way, can cause significant shifts in a teen's attitudes and behaviours, leading to low self-esteem or melancholy. Teenagers require positive message that educates them that their self-worth is not determined by how others perceive them. Comprehensive school-based instructional programmes will help teens fully comprehend the dangers of drugs and sex.

Another sphere of major stressors for teens is academic life and anxiety due to it. This can be difficult for young people to cope with. Teens may be concerned that poor academic performance may result in them being criticized by their classmates, reprimanded by their parents, or rejected by institutions. Even the best students are stressed out by competition or the pressure to get into the best colleges. When teens aren't taught how to deal with failure successfully, they can become demotivated and fall short of their potential. “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm'. Winston Churchill

Even when parents mean well, the pressure they put on their children to achieve well in all aspects of their lives can be harmful to a teenager. Parents who can't tell the difference between healthy encouragement and toxic criticism may unintentionally cause their children to have self-esteem issues for the rest of their lives.

Due to the rapid advancement of technology in recent decades, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have had a significant impact on people's lives—and not necessarily for the better. Despite its connected nature, social media has been shown to increase feelings of loneliness and despair, particularly among teenagers. When you see 'popularity' measured in likes and shares, it might make you feel jealous, insecure, and FOMO (fear of missing out). Cyberbullying is a major issue. With technology comes the potential for exposure to inappropriate content, such as violent nude photos or hate speech. Furthermore, when teenagers spend so much time online and so little time engaging face-to-face, they run the risk of missing out on the true relationships that are necessary for social development. “With social media especially, you have to look a certain way, or be a type of person or something, and I feel like a lot of girls are really unhappy with themselves'.

Considering adolescence is the gateway to adulthood, it's critical to recognize and address the distinct sources of teen stress that exist today. Parents, teachers, therapists, doctors, and anybody else who interacts with teenagers have a responsibility to make sure that they are set up for success. Mental health illness, peer pressure, academic stress, parental pressure, and technology are all major sources of teen stress and pressure today. A life of a teenager can be marvelous and exiting, nevertheless where are ups there are downs too.