When it comes to going back to school and how this relates to mental health and stress, we asked our YAB teens what causes the MOST stress.

Here’s how students ranked a few key things, from 1 to 10 (with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest stress):

• School – 10 out of 10
• Feeling less than/not enough – 8 out of 10
• Social Media – 7-8 out of 10
• Home/Family/Parent Pressure – 6 out of 10
• Friends/drama/pressure – 6 out of 10
• Bullying – 5-6 out of 10

Nothing was ranked below a 5, which gives you an idea of how teens can carry a lot of stress, without giving off that they are stressed. 

When asked on our most recent teen survey, who students would turn to if they needed help with either a mental health, substance use, or bullying problem, there were a significant number of students who reported they “did not know” or would turn to “no one”. These are the students who are MOST at risk of not getting the help they need, in a timely manner, for their mental health concerns, substance misuse, isolation, bullying, or self-harm.

Do you know who YOUR student(s) would turn to? Or, where they would rank their stressors from the list above?

When we asked our YAB teens “Why is it hard to ask for help?”, there were some interesting and surprising responses:

It’s an issue of pride. We may think, "I'm the only one struggling'" and think others are not.

We don’t want to be judged. We may be scared to admit it , that something's wrong– even to ourselves.”

“We just don’t want to be a burden to others – it’s ours to carry.”

We ask ourselves – what’s wrong with me? And we also don’t really think anyone will truly understand.

While back to school can be an exciting time and often carries an air of excitement and happiness, we can see from the teens in our survey and from our own YAB teens that we need to remember that our tweens and teens are feeling and carrying stress in many critical areas of their lives. 

When you consider that they spend most of their time in school and interact throughout their day with other teens who are likely feeling the same way, you can imagine that this shared energy might be hard to escape. That is why it’s so important to be understanding, empathetic, and supportive of your student(s). 

While they won’t always show it, outright tell you, or ask you for help, they need it.

Here are some helpful things to remember….

• They may just need an opportunity to open up and share, OR they may need a bit more support. 

• Finding the right time and place to talk is important. Ask them when they can and want to talk and make it a comfortable two-way conversation – NOT a lecture. 

• Listen first then ask questions or talk/share your point of view and understanding. You may not have the answers and that’s ok. Every student and situation is unique. So, you can let them know you want to listen and help and that you’ll work together towards a solution so they can feel better about things. 

• Most importantly, take care of yourself and your mental health so you can help your student(s)!