In today’s extreme world teens sometimes may feel like they are just going through the motions of life rather than truly living. 1 in 5 teens gets diagnosed with a mental health disorder in their high school career, that would mean around 56 of the 293 girls from this sacred heart school alone are struggling with mental health. While stress is often seen as a normal part of a teenager’s life, it can sometimes develop into something more serious: burnout. Burnout isn’t technically categorized as a mental health disorder; it can be a major cause for mental, physical, and emotional exhaustionexautionion. Although the two are often confused, understanding the difference between stress and burnout is extremely important.
Stress can be a good thing and is completely normal and a natural response to challenges. It can come from everyday pressures like homework, extracurricular activities or even friendships. In small amounts, stress can actually be helpful. It can motivate students to meet deadlines, stay focused and perform well. But, stress is usually temporary and tends to go away.
Burnout, on the other hand, is way more severe. It develops when stress becomes constant and there is little time to rest or recover. Instead of feeling motivated, teens experiencing burnout often feel exhausted and emotionallyandemotionally drained. Stress often feels like “too much to handle,” but they still care about their work while burnout feels like “nothing matters anymore” and may stop caring altogether.
Being constantly exposed to crazy unrealistic standards of appearance and lifestyle. Leads to comparing themselves to others online and it lowers self-esteem and increases pressure to keep up. Being constantly connected also makes it harder for teens to fully relax.
It is really important for parents and teachers to recognize the signs of changes in mood and energy. Another thing teachers might not look for is a drop in academic performance, because it may be a warning sign that something more serious is happening with life outside of school. There are ways to manage both stress and burnout. For stress, staying organized, taking breaks and getting enough sleep can help. Burnout often requires deeper changes. Including reducing responsibilities, setting boundaries and talking to a trusted adult or counselor. Stress may be a normal part of life, but burnout isn’t and it’s a sign that something needs to change.
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