What is it?
- Stress from school, peers, and family can lead to emotional issues
- Recognize signs of stress and manage it with strategies
- Include mindfulness, exercise, and a work-life balance
- Seek support from trusted adults and prioritise self-care
Here's more detail
Description
Stress is a common experience for young people and can serve as a significant trigger for emotional problems. The pressures of school, peer relationships, family dynamics and the uncertainties of the future can create a high-stress environment. While stress is a natural response to challenging situations, when it becomes chronic or overwhelming, it can lead to emotional issues such as anxiety, depression and even physical health problems.
Recognising the signs of stress and proactively managing it is important. Developing effective stress management strategies like mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy work-life balance can help reduce the emotional toll of stress. Moreover, talking to a trusted adult or counsellor about what you’re going through can provide valuable support and guidance. Prioritising self-care is also crucial. Ensure you have time for relaxation, engage in hobbies you enjoy and try to maintain a social life.
Watch the ‘Stress Bucket’ video below which tells you a tip for managing stress.
Description
- Learn more
Stress is how we react when we feel under pressure or threatened. It usually happens when we are in a situation that we don’t feel we can manage or control. For example, you may be stressed because of responsibilities at home, school or work, or because of a problem you are facing like financial problems or discrimination.
If stress lasts for a long time or is very intense, it can affect your physical and mental health.
Stress can make you feel irritable, angry, overwhelmed, anxious, afraid, depressed, uninterested in life, tense or lonely, among an even wider range of emotions. It can also lead to physical symptoms like difficulty breathing, panic attacks, blurred eyesight, sleep problems, muscle aches, headaches, weight gain or lost or changes to your menstrual cycle.
Tips for looking after your wellbeing while managing stress:
- Be kind to yourself
- Try to set aside time to relax
- Try to develop your interests and hobbies
- Spend time in nature
- Care for your physical health
- Reach out to your support network
- Identify the things that trigger your stress
- Seek help for causes of stress
We usually feel stressed because of something that’s happening to make us feel worried, angry, under pressure or nervous. Although stress is a natural human response and it’s normal to feel stressed sometimes, too much stress can lead to burnout.
Stat
A survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation found that 39% of young people said they had experienced suicidal feelings because of stress.
stress bucket video
Voice
It is okay to take a break when you need to and open up to someone you trust. It is important to recognise the signs in your body, behaviour or thinking that show you are stressed, for example, changes in your eating or sleeping patterns.
- Naomi Shoretire, Exposure
Some resources that may help:
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