Increasing Stress Levels in Youngsters: Should You be Concerned?
Stress in youngsters is a common problem, but it’s important to know why and how to help them. Stress is a normal part of life. But when stress gets out of control, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and other health problems. There are many reasons for stress in children that can be addressed through good parenting practices.
According to major research conducted on the students of Panjab University, Chandigarh, “Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DAS) disorders begin at an early age and are often recurring.”
Being nervous about school.
Nip it in the bud, school/college can be stressful for kids and teens, no matter if they are in elementary school or high school. Kids tend to be nervous about their performance at school and their grades, so they may feel more stressed when preparing for a test than ever before. If you have a child who is struggling with this issue, there are some things like counselling and moral support to help them cope with their anxiety.
Being worried about making friends.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stresses of school and home, but it’s important to remember that friends are what keep us going. If you’re worried about making friends, try doing some of the following:
- Make sure you’re friendly and open to new people. You don’t have to be a social butterfly, but try not to be afraid of asking someone to hang out or help you with problems.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! It is natural for the mind to go blank when something came up in class or in other situations where you need help with something technical or academic-related; however, it should not bother you as these are the years when you learn and unlearn things.
Poor self-esteem.
If you have children, you likely know that stress is an unavoidable part of life. When your kids are young, they may find it difficult to cope with their emotions and feelings. It’s important for you to help them learn how to deal with stress and other emotions in a healthy way so that they can grow into happy adults who enjoy their lives.
It’s also crucial for parents of younger children (and everyone else) not only to understand why certain behaviours are problematic but also how best to address issues head-on before they become more serious problems down the road.
Feeling like they don’t fit in at school.
If you have a child that feels like he or she doesn’t fit in at school, it can be very stressful. This is because the children will be anxious, depressed, and have low self-esteem. They may also have problems in their relationships with friends, family, and teachers. The more stressed out your child feels about fitting in at school, the more likely he or she will start acting out in other ways:
- They might become rebellious against authority figures
- They might start using drugs or alcohol
- They may even develop an eating disorder.
Bullying and peer pressure from friends, family, or teachers are other causes of stress in youngsters. Bullying is a serious problem in our schools and communities. It can lead to depression, suicide, and drug use. It also has been linked to dropping out of school or criminal activity later in life.
Bullying most often occurs in school, but it can happen at home too if you’re not being treated with respect by your parents or other family members.
Parents who aren’t involved in their child’s life.
Parents need to be involved in their children’s education, extracurricular activities, and social life. Parents should be there for everything that their kids do–from helping them with homework to cheering them on at their dance rehearsals or football matches.
Children need parents who are involved with their children’s lives. If you want to help your child to avoid stress, you should make sure that they have parents who are actively involved in their lives.
Parents should be involved with their children’s school lives. If your child is at school, then it’s important for you to talk with the head teacher about how well he or she is doing and what needs improvement. You may also want to talk with other teachers if there are issues that need resolving.
Parents should be involved in their children’s social lives as well as sporting ones too! This means that you needn’t just fill up your weekends by playing sports but also get out there and meet up with some friends or family members who enjoy spending time together outside of work hours too – providing those opportunities exist.
Take note of Stress at home
Sometimes, in some households siblings can be a cause of stress. If your children are older and have siblings, they may feel like they have to take care of their younger siblings. This can lead to arguments between parents and older siblings, which can cause stress in younger children.
It’s important that parents are actively involved in their children’s lives so they know what is going on with the kids at home. If parents aren’t talking about family problems or having discussions about them, it could lead to more conflict at home because nobody knows what’s happening with anyone else except for each other!
Work Stress
Youngsters are not confined to children and teens, millennials are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, global financial and political friction, recession, and most importantly- layoffs. India is facing a corporate crisis with huge layoffs and the pressure to perform their best is taking a toll on their mental health.
How to combat stress?
Fortunately, there are several simple steps you can take to reduce your stress levels and improve your overall well-being
Exercise regularly.
Exercise is a great stress reliever. It releases endorphins and helps you feel happier. Don’t worry about doing too much exercise, just make sure to do it at least 30 minutes a day and try to do some form of exercise every day. More importantly, make it an agenda to spend some time in fresh air and sun.
Set aside time for relaxation.
When you’re feeling stressed, it is easy to skip out on relaxing–but that’s not a good idea! Relaxation helps you de-stress and gives your body the chance to rest after a long day of work or school. You don’t have to take long naps; just make sure that some time every day is dedicated to unwinding. If possible, try scheduling some time for self-care like taking a walk outside or reading an entertaining book before bedtime–these activities can help ease any tension from everyday life stressors so they don’t build up inside of you as well.
Set a Routine.
Plan your day and stick to your schedule. This can be a tough one, but it’s important to set aside time for yourself. If you plan ahead and schedule this time into your calendar, then it becomes easy to stick with. You will find that once you have taken care of all the things on your list (or even if they aren’t all done yet), there is more energy left over at the end of each day than there was at the beginning. Use a calendar or online task management tool so that everything gets done in order without having to check back constantly throughout each day or week!
Practice meditation and mindfulness to relax.
You can practice meditation and mindfulness anytime you feel stressed. It is easy to do, and it can be done anywhere. The most important thing to remember is that no matter where you are or what you are doing when your mind wanders from its focus on the present moment, bring it back!
You can practice meditation by sitting down in a comfortable position (or lying down if sitting isn’t possible). Close your eyes; take 2-3 deep breaths then begin to focus on your breath moving through your body as it comes in through the nose into your lungs. Take a few deep breaths through the nose, hold it for a while, and breathe out through your mouth.
Create a wellness routine.
- Exercise regularly, eat healthy, and avoid sugar.
- Improve your diet by cutting out processed foods (like packaged snacks) as well as alcohol and caffeine drinks like coffee, tea, or sodas.
Place yourself in positive situations.
To combat stress and deal with it effectively, you need to change your perspective on life and put yourself in positive situations. This means avoiding negative situations as much as possible.
You can reduce your stress levels by making healthy changes to your life
- Stress is a normal part of life, but it can be positive or negative. When you’re feeling stressed out, your body releases hormones that make you more alert and focused. But when stress becomes chronic, it can lead to health problems like insomnia and high blood pressure.
- Managing your stress levels means managing both the good kind (like staying up late to catch up on work) and the bad (like having a nervous breakdown because of job stress).
- Take time out from work every day–even if it’s just walking around the block!
- Eat healthy meals as often as possible–it will help keep your energy levels up throughout the day so that when deadlines roll around at 3 p.mThere’s no need for panic attacks!
Medical Assistance
Stress is no longer a syndrome diagnosed through therapy sessions. It can be ruled out through some medical tests. Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is the key agent behind some of the most lethal health issues. It shoots up glucose levels in the bloodstream and hinders your response sensors, immunity, digestive, and reproductive systems. And if the cortisol levels remain activated for a longer period, it leads to problems like-
- Anxiety
- Depression
- High Blood Pressure
- Stroke
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Sleep issues
- Digestive problems
- Constant Headache
- Memory issues
- Weight Gain
Everything has a solution and even stress has got the right remedies. A little guidance from a medical professional will help you to great lengths to combat it. A great way to keep a check on stress levels is by getting tested for cortisol levels by a NABL-accredited lab like Helix Pathlabs. This way you are in good hands and your tests will be a good indicator of your vitals- physical and mental.
Conclusion
Stress is a normal part of life, but it can cause undue stress if you don’t manage it effectively. Stress can also contribute to health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. At Helix Pathlabs, every condition counts. Anything that results or contributes to your stress levels can be detected or diagnosed well in time. This way we make sure that you are in the pink of your health for life! And what better way to start the new year? Stay positive, and Stay healthy!
Meet Our MD, Dr. Charandeep Singh Sahni
We take pride in the fact that we are led and driven by the innovative and humanitarian approach of our honourable managing director, Dr Charandeep Singh Sahni. Carrying several years of experience in medical services under his belt, Dr Sahni has been actively involved in organizing and conducting national and state-level conferences at TMH. He specializes in lymph node pathology, GI pathology, head and neck pathology, and breast pathology.
Medical Academic Background and Career at a Glance
- MBBS from the prestigious Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Hospital, Mumbai with distinction in Biochemistry and Pharmacology in 2000.
- MD in pathology from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai from 2003-06.
- Worked as Senior Resident in Department of Histopathology at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Research and Papers Presented by Dr Sahni
Dr Sahni also demonstrated his professional achievements by presenting his research works at several eminent conferences. Some of his research work was published and referred by eminent medical journals.
- He presented a poster on “Aorto-Left Atrial Fistula” in APCON 2003 at Bhubaneswar.
- His paper on “Analysis of Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Study of 173 cases” in APCON 2005 at Pune was lauded by the healthcare community.
- In 2006, he demonstrated an important piece of research titled “Distribution, clinicopathological characteristics and immunophenotyping of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: A study of 313 cases using WHO classification (2000)” at APCON 2006 in Bangalore.
Key Published Works:
Dr Sahni has also been involved with many articles published by leading science and medical journals.
- Bothra R, Pai PS, Chaturvedi P, Majeed TA, Singh C, Gujral S, Kane SV. Follicular dendritic cell tumour of tonsil – is it an underdiagnosed entity? Indian J Cancer 2005; 42 (4): 211-4.
- Charandeep S Sahni, Sangeeta B. Desai. Distribution and Clinicopathological characteristics of non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma in India: A study of 935 cases using the WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms (2000). Leukaemia and Lymphoma 2007; 48 (1): 122-133.
- Charandeep Sahni, Sangeeta Desai. Primary testicular precursor B-lymphoblastic lymphoma: A rare entity. Leukaemia and Lymphoma 2007