However, many people failed to realize that teenagers are at a stage in life which they are transiting to become adults, taking on responsibilities while struggling with their identity in this complex world. These responsibilities could range from being actively involved in their school sports team to win the next inter-national sports competition, or helping their parents to take care of their younger siblings. Amidst all these responsibilities, it also involves juggling mind-boggling examinations which could potentially determine their future schools/career paths.
In the following few sections, we would examine how teenagers interpret stress and how they can cope effectively with stress.
What is teenage stress? Feeling like there are too many pressures and demands on you?
Learn what stress is and how to identify symptoms of stress. Also, learn how to keep stress under control: 1) Take a stand against overscheduling - Have adequate breaks in between your daily activities/tasks. If you feel too overwhelmed by the number of tasks that you have to complete in a day, consider to cut down one/two tasks per day. 2) Be realistic - Don't put unnecessary pressure or unrealistic expectations on yourself. Chances are you would feel more overwhelmed and add unnecessary stress to yourself if you do so. 3) Get a good night's sleep - Sleep early and ensure that you have at 8 hours of sleep per night. Not having enough sleep would impact your mental and physical health negatively, leaving you less equipped to handle stressful situations. 4) Learn to relax - Do simple breathing exercises (such as the video below) and some light stretching when you are feeling too stressed. 5) Make time for fun - Allocate some time for your daily hobbies. It could be something simple such as a 30-minutes video gaming session, or a 30-minutes book-reading session. 6) Treat your body well - Make sure you get regular exercise and eat proper meals to help your body function at its best. 7) Find the upside - Look at the positive side of life when things start to get too stressful and overwhelming. Try looking at stressful situations from a different perspective. 😎 Build positive relationships - Build a strong support network with your friends and family members. Turn to them for help or advice if you feel that there is something that you are not able to solve on your own, or you need to vent your emotions to someone. – ashxhui
Losing sleep worrying about tests and schoolwork?
Eating on the run because your schedule is just too busy? You're not alone. Everyone feels stressed out at times — adults, teens, and even kids. But you can avoid getting too stressed out by handling everyday pressures and problems, staying calm, asking for help when you need it, and making time to relax. Recognizing and Managing Teen Stress. Singapore students suffer from high levels of anxiety: Study, Education News. Singapore students may be topping the charts in mathematics, science and reading, but it is exacting a heavy emotional price on them.
An international study suggests that Singapore students, known worldwide for academic excellence, also experience high levels of anxiety and have been exposed to bullying. The findings emerged in a study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which conducts the triennial tests called the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa). The study polled 540,000 students from 72 countries and economies to look at the connection between well-being and achievement in the Pisa tests. One question that the 5,825 Singapore students who were polled did not have to answer was on how satisfied they were with life, but their responses to the other questions revealed that most were anxious about tests and grades.
It emerged that their anxiety levels were significantly higher than the OECD average for all five questions. This is why more Singapore children are stressed. Last year, a Primary 5 pupil fell 17 floors from his bedroom window on the day he was supposed to take his exam papers home.
He had never fared poorly in his examinations from Primary 1 to 4, and scored an average of 70 marks His mother would cane him on his palm “lightly” for every mark he fell short of her stipulated standard of 70 per cent. But he failed his Higher Chinese and mathematics in his latest mid-year exam. Out of 100 marks, he scored 50 for English, 53.8 for Chinese and 57.5 for science. More teens in Singapore seeking help for school stress at IMH. More teenagers from top schools are seeking help for school-related stress at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
IMH said that stress-related, anxiety and depressive disorders are common conditions seen at its Child Guidance Clinics, which treat children aged from six to 18. The clinics saw an average of about 2,400 new cases every year from 2012 to 2017. Since IMH does not track the causes of the disorders, it does not have statistics on cases related to school stress. However, Dr Lim Choon Guan, senior consultant and deputy chief of IMH's department of developmental psychiatry, said: "Over the past few years, I have seen more teenagers in our clinic who are from top schools and report experiencing school-related stress.
" A hyper-competitive culture is breeding severe test anxiety among many students. SINGAPORE: Xiao Jia*, 12, came to us as she could no longer cope with an intense fear of the upcoming Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).
She had set out to score more than an aggregate of 250 and didn’t want to disappoint her parents. A plan of getting into her choice school, excelling later at the O and A-Levels, getting into her choice university course, and eventually securing a good job all hinged on doing well in this first national exam. Her fears are not uncommon among her peers, albeit of varying degrees. Children and adolescents in Singapore face pressures at school and at home. Other than relationship and family problems, a commonly cited issue that afflicts many of the students we see at the Institute of Mental Health is academic-based stress. Study-linked stress a growing concern. Ask Kieran Lee, 11, what he would like his day to be like and he says he wishes that homework time can be capped at just an hour.
This article complements the previous four articles on the leading cause of stress in Singapore teenagers, academic stress. Many Singapore teenagers were taught since young by their parents, family members and school that academic excellence is necessary for them to enter good schools with a pleasant learning environment. Failure to do so would result in them having the possibility of not being able to secure a good job in the future. In an Asian society such as Singapore, poor results are usually frowned upon and regarded by parents and family members to be a "disgrace to the family." In this article, we examine the adverse consequences in the pursuit of academic excellence - a spike in the number of children seeking professional help to cope with stress. This article also aims to examine ways to reduce the level of stress on teenagers in Singapore. – ashxhui
But no, school need not be cancelled.
He said: "I know studying is good for us. It is supposed to help train our brains. If we don't study, we will become mindless zombies walking around. "I just want an hour of homework. Academic Stress and Adjustment Among High School Students. Third of Chinese primary school children suffer stress, study finds. China's one child policy means many children grow up with their parents and two sets of grandparents focusing exclusively on them, driving them to succeed in a nation of 1.3bn people where gaining entry to universities, government jobs and graduate careers is highly competitive.
Even among young children, mountains of homework and long hours of extra-curricular activities are not uncommon as China's new middle classes strive to give their only children an edge over their playground rivals. "The aspirations of many parents, who had limited educational opportunities themselves are now invested in their only children," the study said. Reporting their discoveries in the British Medical Association's Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, the authors called for urgent action to reduce the stress on Chinese children. Youth suicide: Asian teens crack under growing family pressure. SINGAPORE -- Every year, clinical psychologist Carol Balhetchet sees numerous patients in their teens or early 20s come through her Singapore office.
This article highlights the immense pressure which teenagers around the world (such as in this case, Japan) faces due to school and other factors. It also highlights the increasing suicide rate among youths in Japan. That goes to show that we should not take the issue of immense stress among teenagers around the world lightly. Should we take this issue lightly, not only in Japan, but it might also contribute to higher suicide rates among teenagers in Singapore. – ashxhui
Many suffer from depression, anorexia and other conditions; some have attempted suicide before consulting her.
Balhetchet's more than 20 years of experience have taught her that most cases stem from stress, and she thinks this factor is even more acute for today's young generations than it was in the past. School stresses me out. Performance anxiety: Singapore schoolkids struggle with stress.
This video highlights the similarity between teens in Singapore and teens in other developed countries such as Japan. Many countries, including Singapore, emphasizes heavily on education for its younger generation. However, the video had also highlighted the recent changes which the Ministry of Education (MOE) had implemented. The MOE had implemented these changes to steer students and parents away from the mindset that only grades matters in school. While it is likely that it would take a relatively long time for us to witness the impact of the implemented changes, it is a good start from the Ministry of Education in Singapore - to reduce the level of stress which teens in Singapore face. – ashxhui
Teens Talk About Stress. Teen stress from a teen perspective.
In this video, this teenager shares about the different contributing factors of stress which teenagers faces (for instance: not getting enough sleep and busy schedules due to school and struggling with their own identity). Teenagers are not as what adults had described them to be - carefree and free from stress before becoming adults. The stress levels which some of these teenagers faces - might be on par or even higher than what adults typically face daily. – ashxhui
4-7-8 Breathing Exercise to alleviate Anxiety and Stress for Teens and Adults.
This video shows examples of some simple breathing exercises which teenagers can do when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. – ashxhui
Coping with teenage stress. Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend.
This TED talk gives a whole new perspective on what stress is, and how the way that we think and act can transform our experience of stress. In this video, Kelly McGonigal highlights the importance of looking at stress from another perspective. Instead of having the mindset that stress is entirely bad, we should instead look at stress in a positive light. In the video, Kelly McGonigal had also mentioned about the importance of social support when one is feeling stressed. – ashxhui
Stress Test - How Stressed Are You? Quiz: How Emotionally Healthy Are You? Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111.
This short quiz allows teenagers to find out how emotionally healthy are they and give appropriate suggestions based on their responses to the questions. – ashxhui
In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999 Select your location for up-to-date news and information in your local area My Area Quiz: How Emotionally Healthy Are You?
Take our quiz to see if you're a wellbeing expert. Page 1 of 2 take our test 1. Continue Finish. Teen Stress Test - Find out how stressed are you!
Similar to the previous two self-assessment tests, this test lists out a few major life events and gauge how stressed teenagers are. It also gives appropriate advice based on their score for the test. – ashxhui