Teenage Happiness and
Stress
What is happiness?
Happiness is a state of emotional and mental well-being
well characterized by feelings of joy, contentment,
satisfaction and pleasure.
Sources of happiness among teenagers
Spending time with friends and family
According to a survey taken by myself, spending time with friends
and family generally boosts your mood because you feel a sense
of security and belonging. It also feels nice to know what is going
on in your loved ones’ lives, to feel up-to-date with their daily
situations.
Having and accomplishing set goals
When you set a goal, of course you put some thought into it, so
you are clearly sure that it is right. Therefore, you are sure that
you are accomplishing that goal without any regrets or hesitation.
Learning new things/Experiencing new things
When you learn something new or exposed to a new experience,
your eyes are opened to a new look on things, a new perspective.
It is just like having the same flavour all the time, until you take it
all the time to a point that it sickens you. So you try out a new
one, you feel much more relieved and happy.
Engaging in physical activity
According to a certain teenager, physical activity helps lower their
feelings of anxiety and depression, which are nowadays common
mental health disorders among teens. Moreover, exercise gives
them a real sense of accomplishment and pride.
Those few examples, among many others like
thinking of achievement, refusing to succumb to n
are the things that most teens find happiness in.
Here is some advice on being happy (from a
teacher)
Find happiness in the simple and minimal things around you.
Learn to forgive and let go of grudges instead of holding onto
anger.
Be grateful for the things in life you are able to have.
Work for the life/ things you want.
Now that we have looked at the jolly side of this report, we could
now switch sides and look at the darkish side.
What is stress?
This is a feeling of being worried, overwhelmed, or anxious about
something.
Causes of stress among teenagers
Not having a routine/plan
When you do not have a plan in mind, it is as if you are just
waiting for the world to bring all its problems to you. Well that is
exactly what happens. Since you have no idea on what to do next,
tasks will be piled up, meaning you have so much to do, leading
to overwhelming stress!
Social media
On this broad platform of various apps, there are endless trends
that most teens are eager to keep up with. This is too
overwhelming physically (recording) and financially (the internet
connectivity you have to pay for) In addition; this also lowers their
self-esteem and confidence since they are exposed to people who
use filters to make themselves ‘prettier’. This leaves them
thinking “Oh I have to do this and that to make me pretty, Oh I
wish I could look like him/her” which is self-depriving.
Schoolwork
The stress of exams, keeping up with teachers’ expectations of
you, assignments (just like this one I am typing right now) are
hard to cope with. Teens find all this just too much to deal with 5
days a week! Maybe that is probably why, according to a survey,
over 67% of teens in the US do not like going to school. Sad,
right?
Countless other factors also contribute to teenage
stress.
Here is some advice on coping with stress (from
the same teacher)
Be true to yourself, accept who you are and know you cannot
change that.
Try staying away from the toxic side of social media.
Begin with the end in mind, have a plan or daily routine.
Engage in interests or hobbies as much as possible.
Make friends that build you
Talk about your stress to a trusted one, they could help.
If things get too out of hand, try getting professional help from a
therapist or counsellor.
THANK YOU
SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE
SURVEY/QUESTIONNARE PARTAKEN BY MYSELF
