Stress in Teenagers

Stress is a normal part of teenhood. Teenagers might stress over their first love, homework, or what they’ll take up in college. However, chronic stress in teens can have significant consequences—mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Teenage stress can feel debilitating, but there are healthy ways to cope. Learn what triggers stress in teenagers and how to offer support when needed.

Is Stress in Teenagers Normal?

Stress is a regular—and even daily—part of teenagers' lives. It’s a response to challenges and dangers that prepares them for what’s to come. However, there may come a time when stress becomes too much.

If a teenager’s stress evolves into perfectionism or anxiety, it can become a clinical problem. Unmanaged stress can cause physical symptoms like headaches, trouble sleeping, and changes in appetite [*]. Emotionally, a chronically stressed teenager may feel constantly irritable and struggle to regulate difficult emotions.

What are the Common Causes of Stress in Teenagers?

Teenagers face various stressors, from schoolwork to difficulties balancing part-time jobs or relationships. You can help your teenager cope by familiarizing yourself with the everyday stressors in teens.

Academic Stressors

Teenagers often stress about school, and academic pressures are among the most common causes of stress. They might fret over homework, exams, returning to school, or procrastination. Stressing too much can hinder a teenager’s ability to focus, resulting in lower productivity, anxiety, and depression [*].

Social Stressors

As a teenager, social stressors are everywhere—at school, at home, and with friends. Friends often feel like the center of a teenager’s world, as does the desire to please them. Teenagers may spend a lot of time thinking about how to respond to their friends’ needs and what they can do to fit in.

While it’s normal to want to support others, teenagers may struggle to set boundaries with friends and may push their limits to feel like they belong.

Teenagers may also encounter stressful situations as they develop their first romantic relationships. Attraction is typical, but it can also be stressful and confusing, especially as teenagers experience sexual desires for the first time. At this age, teens might question their sexuality and gender identity. 

Physiological Stressors

Puberty is a significant turning point in any teenager’s life. It comes with its ups and downs but can feel debilitating for teenagers who develop body image issues. When a teenager develops slower than their peers, they may feel left behind or insecure.

Social media is another trigger for mental health, especially in terms of self-image and body dysmorphia. Studies have found that the frequency of image-based social media use directly impacts body dysmorphic symptoms [*].

Family Stressors

Teenagers rebel—it’s a part of growing up! However, whether they mean to or not, parents can add stressors for teenagers through academic pressures or strict household rules.

These stressors may become exacerbated in households with frequent family conflict or dysfunction. Teenagers may also experience stress over significant family-related life changes like divorce, illness, or financial distress.

Recognizing the Signs of Teen Stress

As a parent, you may depict sure signs of stress as normal—but when should you worry? Here are a few signs you should look out for if you notice your teenager is more stressed than usual:

• Sleep issues: One of the most apparent and significant signs of too much stress is developing sleep issues [*]. An overly stressed teenager might sleep too little or too much. When this becomes a vicious cycle, it can affect a teenager’s mental well-being and physical health.
• Frequent illness and aches: Research shows that frequently stressed teenagers experience more colds and minor illnesses. Stress can also manifest physically in other ways, such as constant headaches and stomachaches [*].
• Increased irritability: A stressed teenager is more than moody—they may become constantly irritated and frustrated. They might also become angry or annoyed at seemingly minor inconveniences.
• Negative behaviors and self-talk: Stress can make teenagers anxious, which makes them vulnerable to negative thoughts about themselves. You might hear your teen express insecurities more frequently or wrongly assume their friends don’t value them. They might also demonstrate negative changes in behavior, like skipping school, neglecting their homework, and talking back.

How to Help Teenagers Manage Their Stress

Stress on teens can feel draining and make finding healthy ways to cope challenging. As a parent, you must find avenues for open communication. Here are some ways you can support your stressed teenager.

Model healthy coping

Showing teens that you handle stress well profoundly impacts how they learn to cope. As a parent, demonstrating positive behaviors in stressful situations motivates teenagers to follow suit. When you practice healthy coping strategies like mindfulness, journaling, or talking it out, teenagers can observe and internalize these behaviors.

Openly managing your stress also communicates to teens that feeling overwhelmed and needing help is expected. They’ll feel less alone and may be inspired to confide in you.

Combat negative thinking

It’s common for teenagers to talk down about themselves when they feel like they’ve failed. If they flunk a math exam, they might think, “I’m horrible at math, and I can’t get any better.”

Observe instances of negative self-talk and encourage your teenager to combat these beliefs. At the same time, validate how they feel. For example, you might say, “I understand that you think you’re bad at math, but there’s a lot of time to improve your skills for the next exam!”

Make positive affirmations a habit by sharing quotes about stress with your teens. Choose mantras to recite together or to jot down in a journal.

Monitor symptoms

Familiarizing yourself with signs of stress in teenagers can help you intervene when you notice something is wrong. Teenagers won’t always want to share what they’re going through, so developing an eye for their symptoms is helpful.

Watch for behavioral changes, such as withdrawal from friends and family or increased mood swings. Notice emotional signs, such as if your teenager starts speaking negatively about themselves or has trouble concentrating on tasks.

Help balance social media usage

Teenagers don’t respond well to being policed, but there are gentle ways to help monitor social media use. Give them a sense of autonomy by encouraging them to set time limits for social media use. Urge social media breaks and dedicate tech-free family time.

Create safe spaces for discussion to get an idea of how social media affects your teen. Talk openly about cyberbullying, comparison culture, and other concerns you might have. More importantly, reserve judgment about their opinions.

When to Seek Professional Help for Teen Stress

While it’s normal for teens to feel iffy about opening up to their parents, there may come a time when seeking professional help for stress is necessary. For example, if you notice your teenager’s symptoms are escalating constantly, that might be a sign that they need professional intervention.

Another reason you might seek professional help is if you notice extreme emotional and behavioral changes affecting your teenager negatively. These changes might include severe mood swings or uncharacteristic behavior like lying, risk-taking, or engaging in substance use.

Instances in which you should seek help immediately include signs of self-harm. It’s critical to intervene right away if you notice signs like cutting or your teenager saying things like “Things would be better off if I weren’t here anymore.” These rash statements could indicate suicidal ideation or a desire to hurt themselves. 

The Bottom Line

While stress is a natural part of life, experiencing it chronically can significantly impact a teenager’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Parents can equip their teenagers with the right tools to manage and combat stress by staying attentive and being proactive.

Use our stress management worksheets to help your teenager develop healthy coping strategies and balanced habits.

Sources:

1. Schramm SH, Moebus S, Lehmann N, et al. “The association between stress and headache: A longitudinal population-based study.” Cephalalgia, 2014.
2. Deng Y, Cherian J, Nisa U, et al. “Family and Academic Stress and Their Impact on Students’ Depression Level and Academic Performance.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2022.
3. Gupta M, Amita Jassi, Krebs G. “The association between social media use and body dysmorphic symptoms in young people.” Frontiers in Psychology, 2023.
4. Kalmbach DA, Anderson JR, Drake CL. “The impact of stress on sleep: Pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders.” Journal of Sleep Research, 2018.