High school puts a lot of stress on kids. Regardless of how many extracurricular activities you are in, you still have a lot of work to do from school. Between just waking up in the morning and going to a place that drains your energy to doing all the work your teachers assign you, don’t have a lot of down time to relax. Most kids’ days are built around going to school and coming home to do homework. Kids experience stress a lot, and parents aren’t seeing it.  “Parents perceive children as having lower levels of stress than children perceive themselves as having” (Humphrey, Helping Children Manage Stress, 1998, p.8). Could this be a huge issue? Do parents need to learn the signs of a stressed kid? Studies are showing that the top stressors for kids and students are:

• Failing an exam
• Physical appearance
• Judgment or evaluation by others
• Unrealistic classroom demands
• The future
• Problems with peers
• Problems with a boyfriend or girlfriend
• Any situation that threatens self-esteem
• Disagreements with teachers, parents, or other adults (Feinstein, Secrets of the Teenage Brain, 2004, p.94)

How many of these stress you out? Would it help if your parents and friends could see the signs of what’s bugging you? Stress can really make you drained. Studies show that sleeping better, exercising,  and eating right can really improve the way you manage your stress. Trying those three simple things and telling your parents and friends can really help you as well . Let the people around you know and they can help.