photo: laurenmarek/ BY-NC-SA

By Courtney Tran

Everyone experiences stress. My own life is full of it—pressure from my family and teachers to do well academically; social pressure regarding what to wear, how to act, and how to fit in among peers; heavy homework loads from school; and my constant shortage of time to squeeze in track practices, karate drills, and extracurricular activities.

According to health website lifespan.org, stress is a mental and physical reaction to change in one’s life; since the teen years are fraught with physical, social, academic, and other life changes, teenagers are especially susceptible to stress. Stressors can be found in nearly all aspects of teen life—like family, social pressure, and school—and negative effects of stress include exhaustion, poor health, lower school performance, emotional outbursts, inability to focus, and depression. We’re here right now to get a look into the point of view of teen stress from teens themselves.