TEEN CORNER

Chillin’ on a Friday night…?

One Friday night, Javier decides to call his best friend Claudia to talk about their plans for the evening.

"Hey Claudia, what's up?" Javier said.

"Javier, I was wondering when you would call! Did you decide what movie you wanted to see? Claudia asked. "I already called Janet and she's on her way to my house. She says she wants to see an action film."

"Sorry, Claudia I won't be able to go to the movies, I have to start on a research paper tonight." Javier responded.

"It’s a Friday night and you’re going to work on a research paper. What’s up with that?" Claudia said.

"Well I really don’t have a choice. My Tio Carlos is visiting the family this weekend and we’re going to have a surprise birthday party. You know how long it takes to prepare for those fiestas and my mom wants me to help clean the house. I would have started working on the paper earlier but I haven’t had a chance because of soccer practice. The Regional championships are next week and the coach told us if we miss practice, we can’t play. There’s too much pressure."

"Well I can understand," Claudia answered. "My dad and mom have been working overtime and I’m the one who ends up taking care of my little brother and sister. After I come home from volleyball practice, I have to cook them dinner, clean up and help them with their homework. Then I have to start on my own schoolwork. What’s worse is that I work part time on the weekends and you know I don’t get any free time to myself. I’m too young for all this responsibility. How am I going to stay on the honor roll if I have so many things to do? Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m getting a headache just thinking about it."

Being a teenager is not easy. Studying for exams, dating, school competitions, arguing with friends or parents all can become overwhelming at time. But understanding the causes of stress and finding ways to cope with stress are important to help put your life in balance.

The causes of stress, called stressors, can come from a wide range of sources.  Stressors all depend on your life at home, school, work, and your activities, relationships with others and your personality. There are some stressful situations that you can avoid or modify but there are others that you have no control over. But don’t worry!! Everyone suffers from stress at one point or another. The good news is that you can take control of your life and make it less stressful. 

Read on to learn more about stress and how you can cope with it.