Students across all grade levels face circumstances that can lead to high levels of stress and/or anxiety in their young lives. While some stress is normal and even healthy for developing coping skills, some students may need a little extra support to help them through challenging times.
Anxiety Tips for Teens
By Patricia A. Lowe, PhD, Susan M. Unruh, EdS, & Stacy M. Greenwood - University of Kansas
Anxiety is one of the most common problems facing teenagers in schools today. Worry and anxiety are normal reactions to concerns about what might happen in the future. Most teenagers worry at times about school performance, classmates and friends, family, appearance, health, and personal harm.
A certain amount of anxiety is healthy, especially when it results in productive action, such as when we worry about getting a bad grade on a test and, consequently, we study extra hard. We all know what it means to have butterflies in our stomach and to feel restless and tense from time to time. For some of us, though, anxieties and worries begin to control our lives. We may turn to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to reduce our anxieties or we may avoid participating in regular activities. These actions limit our enjoyment of life.