People often forget the stress of being a teen and with hormones kicking about everywhere they always think of Harry Enfield's stereotypical character, Kevin Patterson - slamming doors, being rude to his despairing parents, and insisting that everything is "so unfair!" But as well as hormones, being a teenager is a stressful time not only for their parents but more so, themselves. Young people have a lot of pressure, emotions and responsibilities to juggle.
Relationships
Adolescence is often when people encounter their first boyfriends or girlfriends and is their first experiences of forming solid relationships as well as experimenting. It can seem like the most important thing in the world, fun, anger, paranoia, trust, heartbreak whilst finding the time to manage their social life and schoolwork.
There may also be young people who are battling with their sexual identity and facing pressures or prejudice from other people their age. On top of that young people increasingly face the pressures of what is perceived as the perfect body image on television and in magazines and this can affect their relationship with food.
Talking really helps, but touchy subjects can often make for embarrassing conversation between teens and parents, so think of other options, such as therapy or even the school's guidance counsellor .
Parents
Parents need to strike a balance between discipline and giving their children their newfound freedom. There is also the worry that excessive socialising and outside activities can have a detrimental effect on their school or college work, but again, it is about striking a balance and activities beyond their school work in moderation can be a source of relaxation and help alleviate stress.
When children are becoming young adults it is often a time when parents choose to go their separate ways, with separations and divorces, after avoiding doing so when their children are young. It can often be hard for young people to deal with a family splitting up and some even feel like blaming themselves for it. It is important for young people to express their feelings about new living arrangements, and just generally about how they are feeling about the situation. Reassurance and stability is what young people are seeking in their family environment.
Exams and work pressure
Exams taken at this age are often the ones which are most important and will carry a heavy workload with them. In addition to this, they may also be taking driving lessons or working a part-time job. It is important for their work to be given priority and young people are encouraged to keep a school planner , to clearly set aside hours in their week dedicated to their work and revision.
When written down, it is a good way to see if you are spending too much or not enough time on something. Being too busy is a cause of stress so allow more time to do things and spread activities out. Exercise is a good stress buster and sleeping and eating well go without saying.
