National Stress Awareness Month - Helping Our Teens Cope

It’s April! Spring has officially sprung and National Stress Awareness Month is in full swing.

So let’s talk about stress. As we all know, a little stress can be helpful in certain situations.  For example, when you’re competing in a contest, it’s okay to push yourself to do your best.  In this way, stress can motivate you to rise to the challenge. However, too much stress can negatively impact you mentally and physically.  That’s why it’s helpful to know how to deal with stressful situations.

Communicating and managing stress can be difficult for teens. Teens feel academic, social, and work stress. A 2015 article published in Psychology Today and written by Sara Villanueva, Ph.D. and associate professor of psychology at St. Edwards University in Austin, TX, cites numerous factors that can contribute to teen stress. Among them are academic pressures, familial expectations, and keeping up with the fast-paced world of social media. Add in the aspects of self-discovery and the seeking of autonomy, and today’s teens are likely having a more difficult time with stress than we all first thought.

The good news is that Too Good has you covered.  This May, we are launching the revised edition of Too Good for Violence – Social Perspectives for High School.  Program objectives include preparing teens with stress management strategies to deal with change, conflict, and difficult situations and identifying the physical, emotional, and health related signs and symptoms of stress.

With a series of lessons and activities promoting empathy, self-discipline, honesty, respect, and perseverance, TGFV equips teens with the coping strategies they need to increase emotional self-awareness and live their best lives.

The more you practice managing stress, the more resilient you will be and the more confident you will be to try new things.