Relieving Stress As A Teenager

Life is stressful but producing healthy ways to relieve that stress is an important skill to learn at an early age. What teenagers are doing now to help with stress are the building blocks to what they will do as adults. So, are teenagers relieving stress in a healthy way?  

According to Healthline the best ways to relieve stress are exercise, light a candle or use aromatherapy, write it down, reduce caffeine intake, chew gun, spend time with friends and family, laugh, learn to avoid procrastination, listen to soothing music and take deep breaths. Are teenagers on the right track?  

Elana Elder, a junior, and Holden Fershee a sophomore, both mentioned exercise as a way they relieve stress. “I go on walks” said Fershee.  

Common ways to relieve stress was to be in the company of people they enjoy. Either just messing around or talking about what is causing them stress. This included friends, family, and peoples significant others.  

Another common activity was some form of goal they could accomplish. Lucy Mason, a junior, said that making lists when she is overwhelmed has been beneficial. Setting super specific goals in order to feel as though they are accomplishing something was also a popular way to deal with school related stress. Elder said that she sometimes will procrastinate curtain tasks by doing another activity that could be justified as productive.  

Activities that involved peoples hobbies were also a popular way to relieve stress. Liam Maher, a junior, spoke about playing video games in order to separate himself from what was causing him stress. Baking, watching movies, art and listening to music were all very popular.  

Flora Griffith, a junior shared that, “one of my favorite methods of stress relief is listening to music and trying to make art from the music I hear. It’s not only relaxing because I can indulge in music, but also allows me to creatively engage my mind and distract myself from other stressors in my life.”  

From this small sample of teenagers four out of the ten healthy ways to relieve stress according to Healthline were mentioned. Exercise, spending time with friends and family, laughing, and listening to music were the ones mentioned. What Healthline failed to mention was the benefits to peoples mental health when they spend time doing a hobby. Everyone deals with stress differently but from this small sample it seems teenagers are relieving stress in a healthy way.