Is Your Teen Stressed?

 

Facts and Trends section of Summer 2014
Teens across the United States are feeling high levels of stress that negatively affect every aspect of their lives, according to the latest national stress survey by the American Psychological Association.
More than a quarter (27 percent) say they experience extreme stress during the school year, versus 13 percent in the summer. And 34 percent expect stress to increase in the coming year.
Teens say stressors can include school, family, friends, and work. As a result of stress, 40 percent of teens report feeling irritable or angry; 36 percent say stress makes them nervous or anxious. About a third say stress makes them feel overwhelmed (31 percent). Three in 10 say stress can leave them depressed or sad (30 percent).
When asked how they deal with stress, 28 percent play sports, 36 percent watch TV or movies, 37 percent choose exercise, 43 percent spend time online, and 46 percent say they play video games.
Notice that reading their Bibles, praying, or talking with parents did not make the list. Students may need help choosing healthy ways to deal with stress, and student ministries can play a key role in helping manage stress.
Ben Trueblood, Lifeway’s director of Student Ministry, says not to make student ministry or the Christian life another thing to accomplish. “For students, both of these things can quickly devolve into a list of things they need to accomplish or they see themselves as a failure,” he says.
Students feel they need to be perfect for college as well as at home and with other relationships. “Students don’t need to feel that in student ministry. Instead, they need to feel the rest and forgiveness that Jesus offers. He earned perfection for them.”
Trueblood says student ministers should “teach students how the gospel infiltrates all of life. How it defines who they are and the freedom that comes with that identity.”
“Show how life is lived in the power of Jesus, according to His glorious might, instead of in their own human strength. Teach them how God has a plan for them and explore what it means to trust in Him,” he says.
“The default message of our culture is trust in yourself and build your identity with accomplishments. That leads to stress. The gospel teaches that God has a plan and to trust in Him with all of our lives.”