Stress is something that every modern day student experiences, so if you’re feeling stressed, you are not alone. There have been millions of studies and it’s obvious that Gen Z has the largest percentage of stress. There are many different factors in your life that can cause stress, most of which come from the issues in our nation today. I personally see most stress caused by schoolwork and social situations. Luckily, you can find ways to calm yourself and manage your stress before it harms your health. 

The most common definition of stress says, “Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses” (Stress). There’s also the scientific outlook on it. “Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the "fight or flight" response, a complex reaction of neurologic and endocrinologic systems” (Shiel Jr.). Either way you look at it, it’s important to realize that stress is something everyone will struggle with. 33% of our world’s population is currently living with extreme stress, and 48% say it has increased over the past five years (Stress Research). 77% regularly experience physical symptoms of stress, and 73% experience psychological symptoms (Stress Research). Even children are affected by their parent's stress. While 69% of parents said their stress has no impact on their children, many children said otherwise (Stress Research).

Many studies have shown that people in Gen Z, ages fifteen to twenty-one, have the worst mental health of any generation (Ducharme), and there are many things to blame. 75% of Gen Z blames the possibilities of school shootings (Ducharme). Shootings have been occurring more frequently and there is almost always a news story covering gun control. Gen Z also blames rising suicide rates, sexual harassment, and immigrant family separation (Ducharme). These are worldwide issues that have become more prominent over time. In particular, immigrant family separation has recently become a much larger issue because of President Trump. School is another common cause of stress. 83% of Gen Z blame school and 69% say that deciding what to do after high school and college is a huge factor of their stress (Ducharme). They face a lot of pressure once they hit sophomore year when family members and school counselors start asking what their plans are. 

There are many different types of stress, but the most common is acute stress, whether it’s good or bad. Acute stress is the “kind of stress that sets your body in a fight-or-flight mode for a short time” (Hyde and Forsyth 11). For instance, one girl, Maia, ended up using her stress to gather the strength to save her drowning uncle (Hyde and Forsyth 17). The messages sent to her brain triggered complex reactions in her body (Hyde and Forsyth 17). On the other hand, there are also many negative effects of stress. Stress will often build up so much that it will affect people’s health. Children can even be affected by their mother’s stress before they are born, this is known as psychological short stature (PSS) (Hyde and Forsyth 34). The worst possible outcome is death. In Vermont, one woman ended up dying of heart failure from sudden stress when she found her husband lying on the ground, after having died from a heart attack (Hyde and Forsyth 15). People need to learn how to manage their stress before it harms their health. 

Personally, I see stress all around me every day. I see it at school when our homework from each class piles up. I see it when teachers mention another project or test. I see it at sports practice when we all know how much work we have to do when we get home. Most of the time, I blame procrastination for my stress. However, even if I didn’t procrastinate, every time a summative is mentioned I would still immediately feel the stress appear. Another common source of stress is social media. Practically everyone can say they’ve seen a photo of somebody on Instagram and thought, “Wow. They must have a perfect life”, I know I have. Yet, what you don’t know is, behind that camera is the same load of stress you have. It’s something everyone struggles with and people are yet to realize how to manage it. 

You are able to manage your stress by doing the simplest things. One of the easiest methods is meditation, which will help “lower blood pressure, reduce pain, and lower the production of stress hormones” (Hyde and Forsyth 96). Even though this isn’t a permanent solution, any amount of time that you’re able to be stress free will help your health. Exercise is another method of managing stress (10 Tips). Regularly working out will relax your body and mind, and it will improve your mood (10 Tips). Eating healthy plays a huge role in this because an unbalanced diet will put you in a bad mood, thus creating stress (10 Tips). Lastly, you need to find time for your hobbies, or just do something that makes you happy (10 Tips). Don’t spend every single minute of your day working, take a break and pick up a knitting needle or a book, something that will take your mind off whatever is stressing you out.

Stress is an issue that everyone struggles with, some more than others. Gen Z has the worst mental health because it’s a time in our society when many news stories are about major events that could endanger our lives. From shootings to immigrant family separation, there is always something that will worry our generation. We need to learn how to manage our stress, otherwise, it could begin to harm our health. Try meditating or regularly exercising in order to calm your mind, you could even find a hobby to pick up. I see and experience stress every day. For me, it’s mostly caused by the amount of homework I have, but for some people I know, it’s also caused by social media. What about you? What causes your stress and how do you plan on managing it?

Works Cited

Clay, R. A. "Stressed in America." American Psychological Association, Jan. 2011, www.apa.org/monitor/2011/01/stressed-america. Accessed 20 Sept. 2019.

Ducharme, Jamie. "More than 90% of Generation Z Is Stressed Out. and Gun Violence Is Partly to Blame." Time, 30 Oct. 2018, time.com/5437646/gen-z-stress-report/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2019.

Hyde, Margaret O., and Elizabeth H. Forsyth. Stress 101. Minneapolis, Twenty-First Century Books, 2008.

Shiel, William C., Jr. "Medical Definition of Stress." Medicine Net, 11 Dec. 2018, www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20104. Accessed 26 Sept. 2019.

Smith, Kathleen. "6 Common Triggers of Teen Stress." PSYCOM, Remedy Health Media, 25 Nov. 2018, www.psycom.net/common-triggers-teen-stress/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2019.

"Stress." Cleveland Clinic, 2019, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress. Accessed 26 Sept. 2019.

"Stress Research." The American Institute of Stress, www.stress.org/stress-research. Accessed 24 Sept. 2019.

"10 Tips to Manage Stress." WebMD, 2019, www.webmd.com/balance/guide/tips-to-control-stress#2. Accessed 15 Oct. 2019.