Teenage years are a bridge between childhood and adulthood, therefore should be a time of learning about oneself and experiencing life before being thrown into the world of adulting.
This can feel like a fantasy, as teens are often pushed to their limits with balancing the hardest classes they can take, a job, clubs, sports and a social life. Instead of being the best time to learn and grow as a person, being a teenager is filled with stress.
Teens have pressure to do as much as they can to stand out on college applications, so they pick up as many impressive things as they can and stretch themselves thin.
Volunteering is also a great way to not only stand out, but help the community. But when will they have time for it?
These pressures can have some serious negative effects, especially when it comes to one’s health. Both mental and physical health can be affected when under a constant stream of stress.
According to The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, constant stress can lead to disorders such as anxiety and depression and can even raise rates of sleep problems and substance abuse.
These are problems that have long-term effects and won’t just last through the teenage years; they can manifest into adulthood and beyond.
Stress and sleep deprivation can also lead to bad physical health. According to the Parkridge Health System, stress can manifest through digestive problems, headaches and high blood pressure and can lower someone’s immune system.
These problems can cause a teenager to feel miserable through sickness after sickness and other physical pains.
These physical and mental ailments can also cause work or effort to be subpar due to not feeling like yourself. That begs the question, is it worth looking “impressive” if the quality is sacrificed?
The point is, teens should give themselves grace, time to be themselves without having to worry about studying for some upcoming exams, daily practices and weekends of work.
The few years that are given to being a teenager are meant to be magical and fun. Spend this time experiencing the world positively before that time runs out.