The holiday season is upon us and it can be a very stressful time for many teens and their families. Some families may have financial problems and the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping can heighten teens stress to an uncomfortable level. Or they may have divorced parents and have split holiday plans. Worrying about where they will spend the holidays can actually put quite a strain on teens.
It’s important to understand the amount of stress that teens are under during the holidays. The majority of their usual stress centers around social issues like peer pressure, bullying and homework, and then there’s the money issues that arise when parents and caregivers don’t have enough to get through the holidays. A recent survey done by the American Psychological Association showed that as many as 45% of teens reported that thy were under a lot of stress during the holidays. Unfortunately, less than 1/3 of the parents did not even notice that their teens felt stressed. Sadly, their stress does affect the quality of their lives as it was noted that 42% of teens complained of headaches, 49% mentioned difficulty sleeping, and 39% expressed that they have issues with eating properly. Continue reading Reality Scoop: Holiday Stress Relief