Page 5 - Defuse Your Stress Bomb

5. Problems with brothers/sisters
6. Poor grades and trouble with schoolwork
7. Concern about what to do after graduation
8. Marital problems between parents
9. Loss of close friend
10. Parent losing a job or other financial downturn
11. Change to a new school
12. Problems with teachers
13. Breakup with girlfriend/boyfriend
14. Personal illness or injury
15. Serious illness in family
16. Death in the family
17. Brother or sister leaving home
18. Moving to a new home
19. Pressure on the job
20. Serious illness or death of a close friend
“I have a 5-year-old sister who is constantly getting into my things,” wrote one young person who took our survey. “She also tags along behind me everywhere I go. My parents don’t seem to care, and I feel like I need more privacy.”
Stress comes from different sources for different people. Several respondents to our survey added their own comments – showing that age makes a big difference in what causes stress.
The major cause of stress for our older participants was what they were going to do with their lives after graduation. And problems within their families caused increasing stress as they reached later teen years.
Younger participants mentioned problems with poor grades and classmates as major problems. “Another stress is trying hard as you can and getting a C-,” wrote one. “It’s hard, when you give 100 percent and get a C, to give 100 percent the next time.”
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