Life as a Teenager:  How Stressful is it REALLY?

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What we will explore on this Reality Avenue show:

Should we be stressed about stress?

Yes aaaaannnnnd no. Stress is normal, natural and unavoidable. It’s an internal thermometer that gauges the rate of physical and emotional adjustments you are having to make as you respond to the pressures and changes every day life demands. When stress becomes overwhelming and a problem is when the demands that are placed upon us outweigh our ability to meet them.  Then we begin to see the signs and symptoms of too much stress in our relationships, mentally and physically. Some examples are poor performance in home/work, difficulty sleeping, depression, suicidal ideation, self injury, explosive anger as well as numerous other health issues and complaints.

Isn’t childhood happy and care free?

What a myth! It’s so irritating, nay, shall we say “stressful” when people’s expectations of your experiences are way off the mark. Today’s youth are faced with stressors previous generations could not imagine. Not only do today’s teens face the conventional stressors of acne, bullies, peer pressure, test anxiety, and pressures to try sex, drugs and alcohol, they now have the previously unknown pressures of terrorist attacks, school violence, AIDS, metal detectors and an epidemic of broken homes.

What can we do about stress?

The good news is there is MUCH we can do to help with overwhelming stress. Stress is situational and can go away the moment circumstances are resolved. Stress can not be prevented, but it can absolutely be managed. Like so many other issues in life, it is one more skill or muscle that once flexed, will grow.

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Join us on “Stress – REAL Life as a Teenager” and we will learn HOW to do just that. Follow the lives of those affected by extreme as well as every day stress and learn how they cope. We will even get to meet an accomplished speaker, actor and poet, Devin T. RobinsonX, as seen on MTV’s Room Raiders, Seventeen Magazine’s Hot List, and the Apollo Theatre. If you want more information on how to help yourself, your child, or someone you care about, watch the show and/or attend our upcoming workshop.

Available as well are Resources and Helplines related to this show topic.

Available for use are post-program Discussion Prompters and Classroom Exercises and Lessons related to this show topic.