Unpopular Opinion: Teenagers Are….Actually Stressed?

  For some reason, parents seem to think that for students in high school, stress isn’t a thing. Not all parents think like this, but I’m positive a good amount of students can attest to their mom or their dad or legal guardian saying something along those lines.

   Several statistics released in recent years show that teenage stress is higher than ever before. Anxiety levels are higher than ever before. Anxiety has even overtaken depression as the most common reason colleges students seek counseling services. Because parents are so quick to judge, I feel that there are so many kids who keep their emotions bottled up because they feel as if there’s no outlet in which they can vent.

   We (high school students) go to school for seven hours. Most of us have jobs. A majority play one or more sport. To speak from personal experience, I’m a full-time high school student. I work two jobs. I have copious amounts of homework. I have chores I have to do at home on a daily basis. My stress levels are always maxed out. I’m always tired and sometimes, I feel like crying because I do not know another way to deal with the weight that I carry on my shoulders. Sometimes, I would just like to have a normal conversation without being antagonized about how I have nothing to be stressed about, when I have more than enough to be stressed about, and I’m sure that I’m not alone in feeling this way.

   A teenager’s stress shouldn’t be invalidated because we’re supposed to be young and full of energy – as if there aren’t a million things in life that drains us of said energy and does nothing to improve our mental health. In conclusion, I would just like to encourage all teenagers out there to take care of yourselves, be responsible and safe, and live your best life as stress-free as you possibly can.