Handle Teen Stress (for Girls)

Are you a teenage girl who feels up to your neck in stress? Whether it's trying to get all your homework done or dealing with drama at school, there are simple ways to fight stress and return your life to a calm path.

Fighting Stress

 * 1) Identify the source of your stress. Maybe you are frustrated because you think your parents are too overprotective. Maybe you had an ugly fight with your best friend and your whole life feels off-balance. Or, maybe you don't know how to talk to the cute new boy that keeps catching your eye in geometry class. Think long and hard about what is causing your stress so that you can develop a strategy to overcome it.Sources of teen stress may include:[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 1 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 2) school work or demands
 * 3) parents who are going through a separation or divorce
 * 4) medical conditions
 * 5) dealing with physical and emotional maturation
 * 6) death of a family member or friend
 * 7) learning disorders
 * 8) moving to or transitioning to a new school
 * 9) first experiences with dating and romantic relationships
 * 10) friendships and making new friends
 * 11) parents with high expectations
 * 12) financial problems in the family
 * 13) difficulty with body image
 * 14) dealing with bullying
 * 15) Talk to someone about it. Share what's stressing you out with someone who cares about you. This can be your parents, a sibling, your best friend, or a school counselor. Sometimes, just talking things over can make you feel better about a stressful situation. This trusted person may be able to offer you good advice or a new perspective for looking at the stressful circumstance. [[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 2 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 16) *If what's stressing you out is your home life, you may feel more comfortable discussing the matter with your friends or the school counselor. On the other hand, if the issue relates to school, it may be a good idea to talk things over with your parents, an older sibling, or the school counselor.
 * 17) Journal. If you feel hesitant to share your feelings with someone else, write it down in a journal or diary. Choose a notebook that you love and unload your thoughts and feelings on those pages. This diary/journal can serve as your confidant and a wonderful "listener" about topics you are not quite ready to share with others.[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 3 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 18) *Set aside a few minutes at the end of each day to write down what you're thinking or feeling. Journaling can deliver many mental health benefits in addition to stress reduction, such as easing the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
 * 19) Try deep breathing. The Stress in America survey revealed that many teens experience stress levels that rival those experienced by adults. If you are a teen who's dealing with stress, you need a few techniques on hand that calm you down.[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 4 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 20) *To practice deep breathing, lie on a couch or bed or sit with your back straight in a chair. Close your eyes. Begin breathing in deeply through your nose, slowly and fully as your stomach rises. Focus on each breath and how it feels. Then, exhale slowly from your mouth allowing your stomach to fall. Repeat this exercise as needed.
 * 21) Conduct progressive muscle relaxation. When people are stressed, they often develop tension in certain muscle groups. You may not even notice the tension is there at first, but, over time, the tension may progress into muscle aches or pains.[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 5 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 22) *To practice muscle relaxation, sit comfortably in a chair and allow yourself to breathe slowly and deeply. Starting at one end of your body, tense all the muscles in a muscle group. For example, contract your toes until they are clinched. Hold the contraction and notice how it feels. Then, suddenly release them and notice how it feels when you let go of the tension. Continue deep breathing, and move up to the next group of muscles.
 * 23) Do what makes you happy. If one area in your life - or maybe many of them - seems to be overwhelming or frustrating, take a step back and do something you enjoy. We all need breaks to recenter us. Remove yourself from the stressful situation for awhile and take out time to have fun or just chill.[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 6 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 24) *Listening to music, swimming at the local pool, reading a thrilling novel, seeing a movie with a group of friends, and lying around on the couch with your dog can all lift your spirits. Turn to these activities when life feels overbearing.

Preventing Stress Before it Happens

 * 1) Eat regularly to keep yourself properly fueled. Teenagers often have diets loaded with junk foods that feature empty calories as well as unhealthy fats, sugar, and salt. These kinds of foods can often trigger stress or cause existing stress to worsen. Moderate your consumption of junk foods and you may notice a decrease in stress.[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 7 Version 2.jpg|center]]
 * 2) *Eat a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and protein, whole grains, yogurt and other low-fat dairy. Eat between 3 and 5 meals per day and drink 8 or more (8 oz.) glasses of water for optimal health and wellness.
 * 3) Exercise for better mental health. Take good care of your body by regularly participating in sports, swimming, walking your dog or running around the neighborhood. Physical activity can improve your self-confidence and flood your system with feel-good endorphins. Staying active may also distract you from daily stressors, or make them seem less daunting. [[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 8.jpg|center]]
 * 4) Get adequate sleep. You consistently need between 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night as a teen. Your body requires adequate sleep so that it can grow and develop. Research shows that, when you do not get enough sleep, you feel even more stressed. [[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 9.jpg|center]]
 * 5) *Practice deep breathing and muscle relaxation, start winding down your day with calming activities like reading, and minimize electronics use an hour before bed. Following this regimen will allow you to get a healthy amount of sleep to fend off stress before it happens.
 * 6) Change the way you work. Conduct a close examination of the tasks you must do at school and home. Do you often save chores or homework until the very last minute then get overwhelmed when the adults in your life hassle you about them? If so, your work habits may be actually the root of your stress.[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 10.jpg|center]]
 * 7) * Stop procrastinating. Why put off for tomorrow that which can be done today? Write down a daily list of tasks by priority that you must get done. Put all your effort into getting them done before you go to sleep. Reward yourself in a small way for completing the tasks as doing so will reinforce getting tasks done on time.
 * 8) *Break large tasks down into smaller pieces. Sometimes, tasks can seem overwhelming if you look at how much effort it takes to complete from start to finish. Map out a plan to do small portions of larger tasks. Doing so will help you to move towards the finish line more easily and with less stress on you.

Recognizing Common Teen Stressors

 * 1) Know how to handle bullying. If you or a close friend are facing a bully, it can cause significant stress in your life. While many of the above steps can help you ease the stress of bullying, you must follow the proper protocol for making sure that your school is aware of bullying and puts a stop to it. Visit StopBullying.gov to find out how to handle bullying in your school. [[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 11.jpg|center]]
 * 2) * Defend yourself against bullies by involving an adult such as a parent, teacher, or school guidance counselor. This person will contact the school administrators on your behalf. In the meantime, avoid having contact with the bully, if at all possible. Hold your head high; speak and walk confidently. Bullies often prey on teens who they view as having low confidence.
 * 3) Cope with family problems. Family stress can include a death in the family, a separation or divorce, money troubles, or something as serious as abuse or neglect. Talking with your school psychologist/counselor can be very helpful in giving you advice on how to relieve stress caused by your family.[[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 12.jpg|center]]
 * 4) *If you feel like your voice is not being heard or acknowledged in your household, you can practice being assertive while still respecting your parents or older siblings.
 * 5) *If you feel unsafe in your home for any reason, please alert the school psychologist so that measures can be taken to maintain your safety.
 * 6) Develop a healthy body image. Teen girls are often heavily influenced by the media, their cultures, and their friends' opinions of what looks good. These influences may cause you to feel that you do not look good enough because you do not resemble the women portrayed on TV and in magazines. Having an unhealthy body image may cause you stress and can even lead to an eating disorder or other serious mental illness such as depression. [[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 13.jpg|center]]
 * 7) *Pay attention to your thoughts and what you are saying about your body. Try to reframe negative comments like "I look ugly" with more positive comments like "I like my hair today, and my smile is gorgeous."
 * 8) *Make a list of positive attributes about yourself and post it on your mirror. Read over the list whenever you feel down about yourself.
 * 9) Reach out for help navigating the waters of dating. If you are a teenage girl who's old enough to have a love interest, you may feel stressed not knowing how to handle a romantic relationship. Seek out the advice of friends and an older female such as a sister or cousin who can answer all your questions about dating. Plus, it may be nice to have a heart-to-heart chat with your mother or another adult female about sex and ways to keep yourself safe and healthy. [[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 14.jpg|center]]
 * 10) Seek outside help when you need it. Some types of stress can be dealt with on your own by following the methods listed in this article. However, if your stress gets out of control and causes you to stop eating, lose weight, stop sleeping, or lose interest in things you normally enjoy, you should see a psychologist for help. Sometimes, stress can grow into anxiety or depression, and these illnesses require professional treatment to overcome. [[Image:Handle Teen Stress (for Girls) Step 15.jpg|center]]

Warnings

 * Avoid coping with stress by doing things like cutting yourself, taking drugs, or engaging in risky sexual activities. If you have already done these things to deal with stress, you should consult with a mental health counselor who can help you build better stress-reduction skills.

Related wikiHows

 * Help Your Teenage Daughter Manage Stress
 * Handle Teenage Life Pressure

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