Regrettably, everyone, of all age groups, is subject to stress. It has probably always been like that, but most people would agree that life has become more stressful for everyone since the Seventies, including for teenagers and even children. It is something that we should all keep in mind when dealing with irregular behaviour from teenagers and children.

Stress outs itself in different ways, but the same way in adults and teenagers and children, although most adults are better able to deal with stress. It is essential to be able to recognize the manifestations of stress in teenagers and children and how to deal with it.

Teenagers are in a particularly susceptible group. They are mid-way between being dependent children and independent adults and the transition can be difficult, which means stressful.

In the West, about 20% of the population are teenagers. Do not forget that teenagers are going through immense psychological, physical, emotional and hormonal changes. Some deal with these fluctuations better than others, but hardly any teenager understands why they are thought of as stroppy.

There is so much going on in their lives that is new. In other words, they are under stress. That is not an excuse, we have all been through it and stress is not a carte blanche to behave like an idiot.

Sexual consciousness is a big stress factor that many teenagers do not how to deal with because they have never been through it before. This makes teenage girls very vulnerable to older boys who may target them for sexual favours.

Teenage girls are often proud of their growing breasts as a sign of their admission into womanhood, but it does not mean that they know how to deal with the stares of older men and the advances of older boys.

The compensating element here is that more girls will ask advice than boys. Boys tend not to ask advice, afraid that they will show themselves up. Dealing with family members can be helpful, although they may be cause of the stress in the first place.

As in all cases of stress for all age groups, it is important to work out what the origin of the stress is, because this can determine how you will cope with it. Sometimes, parents expect too much of their kids, which will stress their teenagers out a lot. Therefore, the best way to help teenagers to get over their stress is to get them to talk about it.

Teenage stress management is a very important issue and many teenagers cannot deal with large amounts of stress on their own. As a parent, you could make sure that they are not eating too much junk food and encourage them to be active in sport.

You can also be as sympathetic as possible when your teenager seems to go off the rails for no apparent reason without asking too many snooping questions, yet listening to what they tell you. Listening is the best way of helping someone display their feelings, prying puts people off.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on several of topics, but is currently involved with work on high blood pressure charts. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at High Blood Pressure Recipes.