Teen Perspective: Stress and Depression
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To relieve stress:
Stop and think. When you first notice stress symptoms, stop what you’re doing--or thinking--and take a few deep breaths. Then see what
you can do mentally or physically to alter your outlook or your body’s response.
Look at the bright side. Studies have shown that negative emotions put you at higher risk for heart disease. You may be able to undo the damage by fostering a more positive frame of mind. Look for the positive side of each situation, and put things in perspective. Give others—including yourself—the benefit of the doubt. Use humor when appropriate to alleviate stressful situations.
Develop de-stressing habits. Get regular exercise, take time to relax, eat a healthy diet, and get enough sleep. These things aren’t always easy to do, but they are necessary to help strengthen your mind and body to face life’s stressors. Reassess how you’re doing in these categories everyday, and make a plan for how to improve.
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Research shows us that breathing techniques affects us by altering the pH of the blood, or changing blood pressure. You can train your body’s reaction when you are experiencing stress to lower the production of stress hormones. Slow deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic system, this is the system that calms our mind and body. Deep breathing puts the brakes on the stress response.
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We have to start thinking of depression the way we would any so-called "tangible" health problem, like heart disease or cancer. Catch it early, and you've got a good shot at curing it. Let the problem linger, and you'll increase the chances that your brother-in-law is going to be drafting your eulogy pretty darn soon. The myth about depression and other mental conditions is that they're "soft" diseases, that you can will yourself out of them, that all you have to do is suck it up and be happy, dagummit. But depression isn't a "mental" disease - you can't control it, as you can your moods; it's a "chemical" disease, no less of a threat to your health than HIV/AIDS or diabetes.
Specifically, some believe that depression may be related to an abnormality in the functioning of hormones in the brain. That's because people with severe depression tend to have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and the size of their hippocampus actually decreases.
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The real key to stress is learning how to manage it. Here are some of the big picture things you can do to get a grip when you’re feeling overwhelmed:
• sleep well
• eat a balanced, nutritious diet
• exercise daily
• take a few minutes each day to treat yourself to some kind of relaxation activity, be it breathing deeply or taking a walk
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The Steps to Teen Anger Management
- First, kudos to you for asking the question. You’ve just passed through step one - realizing that you need to work on your anger.
- Figure out what triggers your anger. Is it when you’re around certain people or in particular situations? If you can, you’ll want to keep exposure to your triggers at a minimum. Journaling is great tool to keep track of when you get angry, what triggered your anger and how you reacted. This increased self-awareness will help you identify the areas you need to work on.
- Pay attention to how anger makes you feel, physically. Your body will alert you when you’re angry. Your face may get red, you may sweat, muscles tense up, or your teeth may clench. Understanding your physical cues to anger will help you realize what’s happening before you get to the anger stage. If you feel a cold coming on you may get more rest or take more vitamins to fight it off. If you feel anger coming on you can do things to prevent it. For example, you can get out of the anger provoking situation, go for a jog, or start taking deep breathes to de-escalate the situation.
- Learn your anger response. For example, are you a slammer, yeller, hitter, destructor, crier, bottler (you hold it in), etc.? By knowing your anger response you can substitute it with a more appropriate one.
- It’s important to have positive outlets to blow off anger steam. Things such as biking, running, drawing, or shooting hoops are great ways to release anger. Whatever you enjoy doing, just do it. Anger stirs a lot of energy and keeping it pent up isn’t a good thing.
- Now that you’re able to identify your triggers, feel your anger coming on, and are aware of how you respond when you’re angry, you’re ready to change. Change is probably the most difficult step. It requires that you catch yourself getting angry before you actually do and put a different spin on it. Be patient with yourself, and know that it’s going to take a lot of hard work but you can do it. You may not have a whole lot of control over things in life but one thing is certain, you do control your behavior. You are responsible for your decisions and your actions. If you don’t like what anger does to you, then you have the power to change it.
Good luck!
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You don't need drugs to relieve stress -- you just have to know how to quiet your mind. In this video, Dr. Deepak Chopra offers a quick and easy stress-relieving meditation routine.
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Cutting, or self-mutilation, can lead to a brief adrenaline surge and a kind of
mental “numbing.” Some people report feeling dissociated from the pain and relieved of their stress for that moment, but then the pressure builds up, driving the person to try cutting or other self-harm again to get another “fix.” Self-mutilation causes the release of natural painkillers called endorphins that can cause a high, like a runner’s high. The result is very similar to drug addiction.
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Cutting is a form of self-harm that some teens use as a coping mechanism. In this video, Dr. Oz and Dr. Rome explain why talking to someone can be a vital first step in stopping self-cutting.
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But in the heat of the moment, at peak periods of high intensity,
you should be able to pull a quick stress-busting behavior out of your bag of tricks. Our suggestions:
- Scrunch your face tightly for fifteen seconds, then release. Repeat several times. This repetitive contraction and relaxation helps release tension you’re holding above the neck.
- Breathe in, lick your lips, then blow out slowly. The cool air helps you refocus and slow down. If your lips get too chapped, you can just breathe in, hold for 3 seconds, and breathe out slowly over several more seconds. Sit up tall when you do it. You’re actually getting more oxygen to brain cells that way, and giving your body a nice time out.
- Cork it. Hold a wine cork (don’t uncork the bottle yourself, bucko) vertically between your teeth. Gently biting the cork forces your jaws--a major holder of tension--to relax.
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Trust in yourself that you can help, and your willingness to do so is the most important thing you can offer your friend right now. But - and this is a big but - you cannot do this alone. A good place to look for information is at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's website www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You'll find information about warning signs, and a phone number to call for support.
This is a secret that should not be kept. Find a trusted adult, and share what you know. A guidance counselor, favorite teacher, school nurse, your parent, their parent - are just a few examples. If this doesn't work out the first time, find another, and another. Keep it up until someone hears you - really hears you. Ask that your school offer training for students, and staff, in how to help friends who are thinking of suicide. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers "More Than Sad" for just that purpose. More information can be found on their website at www.afsp.org.
Make sure your friend knows how much you care about them, how important they are in the lives of others around them. If they are in treatment (counseling or on medication) support them; encourage them to continue. Plan social activities around their schedule, when possible. Last, but not least, take care of yourself - both physically and emotionally. You are, after all, "friends for life," are you not?
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