Yoga for Reducing Stress in Teens

Stress can happen to anyone anytime – it is not a condition limited to adults.  Teens in particular can become stressed, which can lead to a myriad of problems.

If you think that teens cannot become stressed, you might want to think again.  They have pressure from school, friends, family, and maybe even a job.  The teenage years are years of change – both physically, with hormonal changes, and mentally, with teenagers starting to think of themselves less as children and more as adults.  Teenagers are on the edge of making decisions that affect the rest of their lives, from what type of classes to pursue to the social interactions the participate in to the use of drugs and alcohol or even having sex.

The sources of stress in teens are many.  School demands and frustrations become more prominent as classes get harder.  Negative thoughts and feelings about themselves can be a pressure, especially if they feel that they do not measure up to their friends and classmates.  Changes in their bodies can leave them confused, unhappy, and unsure.  Problems with friends, particularly of the opposite sex, can cause stress.  As teens get older, they can be more aware of the pressures of their living conditions, whether that is living in poverty, a neighborhood that is unsafe, or under the pressures of drug.  Problems between the parents, especially those that end in separation or divorce, can be stressful as some teens then try to step up to the roll of the missing parent.  Other problems in the family, including chronic illnesses, can take the toll.  The loss of a loved one may hit a teen especially hard.  Moving to a new place or switching schools may raise stress levels, as can trying to balance too many activities at once.

Teens respond to stress in different ways, and many can become overloaded or feel overwhelmed by it.  Stress that is not properly managed can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, or even physical illness.  Some teens will develop poor coping skills and turn to self destructive behavior like drugs or alcohol in an attempt to deal with their problems.

When teens become stressed, they enter the fight or flight response and their bodies are on high alert.  This hormonal and biochemical response causes their heart rate to rise, their breathing to become shallow, their muscles to tense, and may even affect the digestive and immune systems by shutting them down.  While this works great in an actual emergency, prolonged exposure can lead to the symptoms above.

Yoga is a great way for teens to learn to relax.  As you go through the different yoga poses, your body enters a deep state of rest and relaxation.  This allows the teen’s body to relax and reset itself back to normal.  Their heart rates slow down, their breathing becomes more relaxed and even, muscles relax, and blood pressure normalizes.  Yoga may also help the teen recover from aches and pains, gain more energy, or clear their mind for improved brain functions.