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Stress: How Teens Feel About Real World Issues

 

Teens - What Stresses You Out?Teen Stress:  Students Answer the Question, "What Stresses You Out?"

Below is a collection of the StageofLife.com essays from high school and college students as they answered the October 2010 monthly writing contest question...

"What stresses you out, and how do you cope with that stress"

Over 2,730 students visited the writing contest page during the month of October, and scores of high school and college students talked about what stresses them out each and every day via their 500 word essay.  We've written a summary of our findings that share general obversations and themes from the student stress submissions.  You'll find that summary further down this page.

Immediately below, however, we've featured the winning essay, our finalists and some of the other stress essays featuring real, honest and in many cases raw personal experiences from teens and college students as they speak about the stress in their lives. 

Please take a few moments to read an essay or two.  If you have the time, make a comment on the essays you enjoyed the most.  We know the student writers will love hearing your positive input (they'll get an email notifying them if you comment on their contest entry).

Student Writing Contest Winner


Winner:  What Stresses Me Out:  the future

 

High School Finalists:

College Finalists:

Other Essays (in no particular order):

What Stresses Teens Out:  School (this includes grades, homework and school transitions).

What Stresses Teens Out:  College or Preparation for College

What Stresses Teens Out:  Relationships and Love

What Stresses Teens Out: Friends

What Stresses Teens Out: People

What Stresses Teens Out:  Drama

What Stresses Teens Out: Everything

What Stresses Teens Out:  Family

What Stresses Teens Out:  Society, Expectations and Social Situations

What Stresses Teens Out: Personal Stuff

What Stresses Teens Out:  Sports

What Stresses Teens Out: The Future and Change

Video about Teen StressStress Video:  As with each of our writing contests, we featured an additional resource for the students to explore before (or after) they submitted the contest essay.  Please watch this video about teen stress from our friends at LearntoBeHealthy.org.  It walks through a stress activity and gets you thinking about what stress does to the body and coping options.  If you're interested in reading and talking more about stress, we encourage you to visit www.LearntobeHealthy.org.  They have resources and activies relating to teen stress and mental health.

Find Health Education Resources, Lesson Plans and MoreNOTE:  If you are a parent or educator, you get a 15% off discount through Stage of Life (use promo code STAGE) in the LearntobeHealthy.org store, including their annual memberships.

Last Words:  We could not list all of the essays submitted, but we thank every student that participated in the conversation about teen stress and the pressures students face.  To enter the current Stage of Life monthly writing contest for high school students and college students:

Stage of Life - Student Stress Press Release

Teens Talk Stress

YORK, Pa., Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today's teens feel stressed out.  From school to relationships to college and beyond, high school students deal with pressure from a variety of sources.  StageofLife.com, a teen blogging and writing resource, welcomed 2,733 students to its monthly blogging contest for teens to answer the prompt, "What stresses you out?"

Teens shared personal experiences ranging from a sibling's drug addiction to the day-to-day stress of dealing with homework.  From the collection of these student essays, six major themes emerged on teen stress:

1.  School:  Students talked candidly about the pressures from homework, grades and school transitions.  Teen blogger, laura310, stated, "School is the thing that most high school students dread...There's so much homework, projects, and tests due in a short amount of time and sometimes it feels like it's the end of the world."

2.  College:  Many students worry about college.  One teen writer, coffeeinthebin, talked about making the right choices for getting into college,  "Every choice I make has to be thought through...I need to think about the consequences. Getting high, or drunk some night like half the population of my school do, won't help me. I'll be tired and will fail a test the next day."

3.  Romantic Relationships: Teen relationships can be a perfect recipe for stress.  Youthful expectations.  Untested emotional boundaries.  Hormones.  One student shared that this stress doesn't come from a crush on Justin Bieber, but the emotional commitment given to "people, places, activities, and ideas...which is why it stresses me out constantly!"

4.  Friends and Family: Like romance, this category heavily involves interpersonal relationships, a natural cause of stress. One high school blogger pointedly observed, "Friendship stresses me out to the point that I want to rip out my hair and scream on the top of Mt. Everest. Because reality is, friendship isn't just hard. It's downright difficult."

On the family side, an essay finalist in the teen writing contest talked about her stress of losing a loved one, in this case her father, "In order to deal with the pain of his passing I turn to God and pray to him to relieve me suffering. Sometimes it works yet other times the pain remains. (The) stress of losing a loved one is like feeling the weight of the world crushing down on your shoulders and no matter what you do the weight never goes away."

5.  Social Expectations/Society:  People of any age, especially teens, can often become overwhelmed by what is often "expected" of them.  Several writers described frustrations with "what you should look like, how you act, how much money you should make to be successful."

6.  The Future:  As if school, college, love, family, friends, and society weren't enough, there was a consensus amongst many of the teens that "the future" stresses them out. One of Stage of Life's high school editors, Amanda, a junior at the Keystone National High School, summed up what many of the teens expressed, "Facing the unknown is a scary thing, and many teens don't have much experience outside of high school, their peer-to-peer social life, and bucket-loads of extracurriculars. When the future is suddenly thrown at us, we're lifted completely out of our environment, and therefore out of our mental comfort zone."

In fact, it was an essay about this stress category that propelled writing contest winner, Lily Nguyen, to stand out from the group of eleven finalists. Her essay, "What Stresses Me Out: the Future", addressed her worries about the future and living up to parental expectations,

"(My mother) and my father had escaped Vietnam during the war, hoping for a better life.  So I can see why they have a 'the sky is the limit' attitude on everything I do. I'm also not saying that it's a bad thing. But on a journey to find a profession that both fills my personal needs and my parent's expectations is where I find most of my stress."

So what can students do about stress?  How can they find positive coping mechanisms for it?

Humera Proctor, eLearning Instructional Designer for LearntobeHealthy.org, the online extension of the Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center in York, PA, commented, "Writing/blogging is a great way to reduce stress for teens. It gives them a chance to describe what is overwhelming.  And by reading it, they can reflect on how they are feeling and think of ways to solve their problem."

Because chronic stress can lead to long-term health issues, which are the leading cause of death in the U.S., Proctor went on to encourage teens to identify what is causing them stress so they can avoid it (if possible), prioritize their work, get enough sleep, find time to relax, be optimistic while setting realistic goals, and engage in positive coping mechanisms, like writing.

Rebecca Thiegs, M. Ed., Education Consultant for StageofLife.com and current high school Language Arts teacher at Red Lion Area Senior High School in Red Lion, PA, expanded on Proctor's comments,

"We see examples of negative coping mechanisms everyday in the stories we examine in the classroom.  For instance, look at Holden Caulfield or Hamlet.  Both of these literary characters deal with stress in very destructive manners.  At StageofLife.com, we're working to give students a positive outlet, each and every day, to release stress through that process of writing and blogging."

StageofLife.com consolidated many of the "What Stresses You Out?" teen essays on a summary page for review at http://www.stageoflife.com/Student_Stress.aspx along with a link to an informational video about teen stress from LearntobeHealthy.org.

The current writing contest for high school students asks the question, "What are you thankful for?"  National sponsor, KodakGallery.com, is providing the monthly prize and StageofLife.com is offering up SWAG and Featured Blogger status on the site to the next student essay winner.

About Stage of Life™:  StageofLife.com is a free, non-partisan grassroots project hosting blogs, information and resources for teens, Millennials/Gen Y, Gen X, and Baby Boomer generations.  Its specialized content includes lesson plan ideas and writing prompts for Language Arts teachers, monthly writing contests for high school students  and college students, blogging resources, a platform for writers and bloggers to promote their work and much more, including My Life Rewards, an area dedicated to providing relevant coupons and discounts exclusively geared towards each stage of life.

About LearntobeHealthy.org:  LearntobeHealthy.org is an online health education center that has been designed to help educators, teachers, parents, families and the community communicate physical and mental health science education concepts to students K-12 through health educational resources such as games, activities, and lesson plans. LearntobeHealthy.org's web-based kits meet many National and State Health, Science and Technology Education Standards and make health education fun.  It is a part of the Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to keeping people WELL!

If you'd like more information about StageofLife.com or an interview with CEO/Founder, Eric Thiegs, please us the Contact Us form on the website or call 717-650-0699.

SOURCE StageofLife.com

RELATED LINKS
http://www.stageoflife.com/
http://www.learntobehealthy.org/

Past Student Writing Contests

 National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month Current Teen Writing Contest: "What do you attribute to the decline of teen pregnancies?"

Details:  According to the latest teen pregnancy statistics from the CDC, U.S. teen birth rates are at an all time low.  But the last report still showed a total of 367,752 babies were born to teen girls aged 15–19.  In honor of May being National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, we want to hear from teens and college students about why they think teen pregnancies are dropping.

What's the reason?  What's happening at your school or with your friends or in your community?
 
 High School Writing Contest  

What movie has made the biggest difference in your life?

Details:  In honor of the hottest student movie ticket in town right now, "The Hunger Games" (based off the YA fiction novel of the same title by Suzanne Collins), we wanted to find out what films speak to teens and college students.

Which movies inspire you? 

VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: Movies

Teen Trends: Prom
 
 Poetry Writing Contest

Dedicate a Poem to Someone Who Matters

Details: In preparation for April’s National Poetry Writing Month, we are asking teens and college students to write a poem in dedication to someone who matters in their life.  Whether it is a family member, friend, teacher, celebrity or kind stranger, write an original poem about what that person means to you. 

VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  Teen Poems

Teen Trends: Prom
 
Love Writing Contest 

CURRENT TEEN WRITING CONTEST:  What's Your Definition of Love?

    Writing Contest Details:  Teens and college students find themselves in an on-going dance as they court, woo, avoid, or try to win the romantic affections or attention of someone they like, admire...love.

    Consider these famous quotes about love...

    • "If you have it [love], you don't need to have anything else. If you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have" --James M Barrie
    • "All we need is love."  --John Lennon
    • "Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning, unquenchable."  --Henry Ward Beecher
    • "Love is like pi -- natural, irrational, and very important." --Lisa Hoffman
    • "For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.   I can live without money, but I cannot live without love."  --Judy Garland
    • "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."  --Albert Einstein
    • "If you can't be with one you love, love the one you're with."  --Stephen Stills

    It goes without saying that love can be either the happiest emotion or most tragic.  Just look at your parents.  Your grandparents.  Romeo and Juliet.  Or Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries.  From happy to tragic to absurd, love runs the gamut.  But these platitudes are all relative, because love will always be different for everyone.  How can we pin down a definition of love?

    VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens think of love...

    Teen Trends: Prom
     
    Person to Watch Writing Contest 

    CURRENT TEEN WRITING CONTEST:  Person to Watch in 2012?

      Writing Contest Details:  Last month, TIME magazine named "The Protestor" their Person of the Year for 2011.  That got us thinking...okay, but who is the person to watch in 2012? 

      So, in looking back at the last 12 months and considering the future, who would you nominate as the Person to Watch for 2012, and why? 

      Whether it's a celebrity, an innovator, a politician, a cultural icon, an up-and-coming artist, a rising star or someone more personal in your life, we want to hear, in 500 words or less, who your Person to Watch for 2012 would be.

      VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See who teens chose as the Person to Watch in 2012

      Teen Trends: Prom
       
       High School Writing Contest

      AWARENESS MONTH NOMINATION: What issue or cause should receive its own "awareness" month?

      • "There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” -Winston Churchill
      • “The time is always right to do what is right.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
      • “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Mohatma Ghandi

        Details:  We saw NFL players wearing pink throughout October in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  We will pay tribute to the role of African-Americans throughout February during Black History month.  Now think about the topics on which you're passionate, and share your thoughts on a single issue or cause that should receive its own awareness month. 

        In your essay, please creatively tell us...

        • Is this a local, regional, national, international or planetary issue?
        • Why is this issue important?
        • Who does the issue impact?
        • How could the message be spread?
        • Are there any organizations, companies or blogs currently trying to make a difference to increase awareness on this issue?

        VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens wrote about awareness

        Teen Trends: Prom
         
         High School Writing Contest

        TRUST & SAFETY:  Do you trust our institutions to keep us safe?

          Details: As we look ahead to Halloween, there are scarier things than ghosts and goblins in the lives of today's teenagers and college students. 

          For instance, from a historical perspective, Baby Boomers grew up living under the threat of nuclear Armageddon, complete with classroom drills to hide under their desks in the case of nuclear attack.  However, today's teenagers and college students have been growing up in their own unique time: 

          • The threat of internet predators, cyber-bullying, and other online dangers.
          • The threat of school shootings and lock-downs.
          • The threat of terrorism.

          How do you, as a student, feel about these threats, and do you have trust in your parents, school or government (the major institutions around you) to keep you safe?

          VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens wrote about trust and safety

          Teen Trends: Prom
           
           High School Writing Contest

          Teacher Appreciation

            Details:  It's the big back in school month.  You're either loving it, hating it, or experiencing a mixture of both.   In fact, some of you may already be waiting for final bell to ring (even if it's only 9:45am).  However, no matter how this year is starting out (good or bad), we know that there have been certain teachers and classes in the past that stand out in your mind...

            This month, think back to a favorite class or educator (teacher/coach/director/principal).  Whether it was their attitude, the way they taught, or a life lesson you learned from their class/sport/activity, how did this person make a positive impact in your life?

            VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens wrote about their teachers.

            Teen Trends: Prom
             
             

            SELF-REFLECTION:  Letter to Me

              Details:  We want you to write a letter to yourself.  Yes, you heard us...a letter to yourself.  Take 15 minutes, alone, and spend some time thinking about the upcoming school year.  Think about the things you want to accomplish.  The things you fear.  Think about where you've been and where you're going.  Think about how your summer has been going.   What are you looking forward to?  What are you dreading about the return to school?  Think about your goals.  Think about if you're looking to make a big change this year...or simply survive? 

              After all of that thinking, now write a "Letter to Me."  This is a letter addressed to yourself.  Tackle some of the topics we've outlined above...or get creative and come up with your own original angle for the letter.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens had to write to themselves in our "Letter Me" writing prompt

              Teen Trends: Prom
               
               

              BULLYING:  Have you ever been bullied, teased, or picked on? If so, about what?

              Teen Trends: Whatever you want to call it, bullying is a problem in many schools and continues to be a hot topic in the national press.  We've know many students experienced some form of bullying during high school.

              Our writing contest question this month asks teens and college students to share their stories about being bullied or about being the bully. The student is then asked to write a short essay about that experience.

              Were you once a bully who regrets it now?  Share your experiences with us and help prevent students from bullying others.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens shared about being bullied.

              Teen Trends: Prom
               
               Teen Trends - Parent Interview Writing Contest

              PARENTS:  What is one thing you don't know about your Mother or Father?

              Teen Trends:  How well do teens really know their parents?

              Our writing contest question this month asks teens and college students to interview their parents and ask them to share ONE thing about themselves their son/daughter doesn't already know.  The student is then asked to write a short essay about that experience.

              Did you learn something that shaped the way you think about your parent?  We call this contest the "Parent Paradigm Shift."
               

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens learned about their parents...

              Teen Trends: Prom
               

              OVERCOMING OBSTACLES:  What was the most difficult thing you overcame this school year?

              Teen Trends:  What major obstacles stood in the way this school year?

              From friends to family to graduation to grades to self esteem, teens go through a lot in a school year.  Tell us about one area or experience that caused you the most trouble, but that you were eventually able to overcome.

              Help inspire another high school student to gain some courage to tackle or navigate their problem by sharing your experience.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what challenges teenagers face today...  

              Teen Trends: Prom
               
               Teen Writing Contest about Prom

              PROM:  Is prom a positive or negative teen tradition?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens feel about prom?

              Going to prom is a high school milestone, and prom traditions have been around for decades.  Dresses.  Dinner. DJ's.  Dancing.  For most teenagers, it's about celebrating life with friends and/or a significant other.  However, we've all heard the "negative" aspects often associated with prom too.  Drinking.  Drugs.  DUI's.  Damaged self-esteem.  Date rape.  So we want to know - is prom a positive or negative milestone.  

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See how teens feel about prom...

              Teen Trends: Prom
               
              Teen Trends and the Media

              MEDIA:  What form of media impacts your life the most, and why?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens feel about the media?

              The "media" is an undeniably powerful entity in our daily lives, and even more invasive for teens and college students, a generation growing up with more forms of media choices than any other generation before them.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See how teens feel about the media...

              Teen Trends: Media
               
              Writing Contest for Teens about Marriage

              MARRIAGE:  What is the value of marriage?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens feel about marriage?

              This contest came out in February 2011.  The month of love.  Valentine's Day sits right in the middle of this month and helps (or in some cases forces) all of us to pay homage to the idea of romance...love. We got little controversial this month and asked teens to share their point of view on marriage.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See how teens feel about marriage...
               
              Writing Contest for Teens about Making the World a Better Place

              MAKE A DIFFERENCE:  What organization, company, non-profit or 'cause' will help make the world a better place?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens want to better the world?

              Our mission on StageofLife.com is to help change the world, one story at a time.  What a better way to do that than to ask teens and college students about worthwhile causes we should all know about.  This was an opportunity for teens to shed light and share with us their favorite non-profit, company, organization or 'cause' that could help make the world a better place.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See how teens feel about making the world a better place...
               
              Writing Contest for High School Students about Money

              MONEY:  What is your relationship with money?  How do you spend (or save)...and why?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens feel about money?

              Money....Cash.  Coin.  Greenbacks.  Pesos.  Gravy.  Deniro.  KaChing.  Moola.  So we're curious...how do teens and college students feel about money?  Whether the student knew a homeless teen or has a friend living in the penthouse, we wanted to know about their relationship with the almighty dollar.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See how teens feel about money...

              Teen Trends: Money
               
              Writing Contest for Teenagers

              GIVING THANKS:  What are you most thankful for?

              Teen Trends:  What are teens grateful for?

              This writing contest rolled out in November 2010.  We all get busy during the day-to-day routine of our lives, but it's important to stop once in while and reflect on what matters most, and to give thanks for that.  Keeping that in mind, we wanted to hear from teens about who or what, in their lives right now, should receive public acknowledgment of their thanks.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See for who and what teens are thankful...

              Teen Trends: Thanksgiving
               
              Writing Contest about Stress and Teens

              TEEN STRESS:  What stresses you out, and how do you cope with that stress?

              Teen Trends:  How do students deal with stress?

              From classes to homework to jobs to extra curricular activities to social outings, teens and college students are maintaining hectic schedules.  Add on top of that any current relationship hardships, social issues, e.g. bullying, illnesses or other personal problems and it's not surprising that many young people feel...stressed.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See how teens deal with stress...

              Teens and Stress

              .
               
              Who Is Your Hero?

              HEROES:  Who is your hero?

              Teen Trends:  Who would a teenager name as their hero?

              We wanted to talk about heroes, both big and small, with high school and college students.  We asked teens to name their hero, it could be a family member, someone famous, or an everyday person in their lives who is quietly making a difference, and then write a 500 word essay about that hero.  You'll love these responses.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See who teens nominated as their heroes...

              Teen Heroes
               
              How Would Teens Improve Education?

              EDUCATION:  What suggestion(s) do you have to make a positive change at your school or with the educational system as a whole?

              Teen Trends:  How would teens improve education?

              We wanted to know how students were perceiving their educations, educational environments at their high schools, colleges and universities and the overall trends in education.  We asked the teens for ideas on how to improve the educational environment.

              VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See how teens would improve the educational system...

              Teens and Education
               
               Writing Contest for Teens about Food

              FOOD:  Do we have an obligation to take better care of ourselves by making changes in the way we eat and/or buy and consume food?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens feel about food, obesity and nutrition?

              TV shows like NBC's Biggest Loser are big hits and books like Michael Pollan's Food Rules are flying off the shelves.  Even film documentaries like Food, Inc. and Super Size Me have pushed into the mainstream consciousness.  It goes without saying a tipping point is occurring in our society's awareness in regards to people's relationship with food.  Obesity in America is reaching an epidemic...but are people ready or really willing to change?  Is our addiction to unhealthy food too hard to break?

              See how teens feel about food, obesity and nutrition...[this summary report is being pulled from the essay archive for posting here soon]
               
               Writing Contest for High School Students about College

              COLLEGE:  What is the most difficult thing (for you) about college?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens feel about college?

              We want to know what's making the college process or college itself difficult and why.  Financial aid?  Application process?  Juggling classes and work? What is making college difficult?  This contest was held in partnership with "Take America to College" initiative.

              See how teens feel about college...[this summary report is being pulled from the essay archive for posting here soon]
               
               Writing Contest for Teens about the Environment

              ENVIRONMENT:  What is one behavior you can either change or incorporate into your daily life that will reduce our negative impact on the environment?

              Teen Trends:  How do teens feel about the environment?

              The negative environmental impact and tragedy of lives lost from the BP off-shore oil rig disaster was obvious.  What we wanted from our high school and college students entering this month's writing contest was not their outrage about how this could have happened, but rather, share one solution (big or small) that can help combat man's ever-reaching environmental impact.

              See how teens feel about helping the environment...[this summary report is being pulled from the essay archive for posting here soon]

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              StageofLife.com is a grassroots, non-partisan, free blog with a mission to make the world a better place, one story at a time. By hosting blogs, information and resources for teens, college students, Millennials, Gen Y, Gen X, and Baby Boomers, its hope is that multi-generational story telling will weave a network of wisdom from which all can benefit, with an end goal to become the world's largest collection of stories.  Blog features allow users to share and archive their life stories via their Stage of Life online journal and specialized content includes free lesson plans and writing prompts for Language Arts teachers, monthly writing contests, free ways to promote a blog, and My Life Rewards®, a free discount program for all Stage of Life users, readers and writers, dedicated to providing the best printable coupons and coupon codes tailored towards each stage of life.  Share a Story.  Save Money.

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