Is This You?

It’s 11:30 p.m., and you’re supposed to be asleep. Instead, you’re wide awake, and your mind is swirling with worries. Baseball tryouts are next week, and you have to make the travel team. You also heard on the news that there’s a major storm warning for tomorrow. Will your house flood? Will you lose power? And what’s up with your best friend, who didn’t sit with you at lunch? You squeeze your eyes shut. Sleep! Sleep! But then—oh no! You suddenly remember that you have a social studies test in the morning. AAAHHHHH!

Hopefully, this isn’t you. But you can probably relate. Today young people are under pressure to excel in school, keep up with extracurriculars, manage friendships in person and on social media—to succeed, perform, and connect like never before. Not to mention, there’s a lot of scary stuff going on in the world, from gun violence to climate change. The stress of it all can become overwhelming. According to a 2024 survey by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, around 30 percent of kids and teens say they always or often feel anxious and overwhelmed.

What is going on? And is there anything you can do to regain a sense of calm?

It’s 11:30 p.m. You should be asleep, but you’re awake. Your mind is filled with worries. Baseball tryouts are next week. And there’s a major storm warning for tomorrow. Will your house flood? Will you lose power? And why didn’t your best friend sit with you at lunch? You squeeze your eyes shut. Sleep! Sleep! But then—oh no! You remember that you have a social studies test in the morning. AAAHHHHH!

Hopefully, this isn’t you. But you can probably relate. Today young people are under a lot of pressure. You’re supposed to excel in school and keep up with extracurriculars. You have to manage friendships in person and on social media. You need to succeed, perform, and connect like never before. And there’s a lot of scary stuff going on in the world, from gun violence to climate change. It can become overwhelming. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America put out a survey in 2024. It showed that about 30 percent of kids and teens say they always or often feel anxious and overwhelmed.

What is going on? And what can you do to regain a sense of calm?

Stress is the body’s reaction to a challenge or threat. That reaction could come in the form of sweaty palms and a pounding heart before an audition for the school play, a flip-flopping stomach before you step onto the pitcher’s mound, or a sleepless night before a big test or presentation at school. 

We all experience stress from time to time; it’s part of being human. In fact, the body’s stress response is a survival tool left over from the time when our ancestors lived in caves. Back then, humans regularly encountered deadly threats like giant hyenas, saber-toothed cats, and spear-wielding enemies. The ability to respond quickly to such threats—to either fight off that giant hyena or hightail it out of there—was the difference between life and death. So the human brain became wired to trigger a stress response at the first sign of danger. This response is often referred to as “fight or flight.”

Here is how it works: When you sense a threat, your brain sends a signal to your body to get ready. Stress hormones are released, making you more alert and speeding up your breathing and heart rate. Blood pumps to your muscles to get your body prepared to either fight or bolt, and your pupils dilate to sharpen your vision. 

There may not be giant hyenas prowling around today, but our brains are still programmed to react quickly to perceived threats. This can be helpful in emergencies. If there’s a fire, for instance, your body’s stress response can help you spring into action. But this stress response can also be triggered by situations that are not life-threatening. Embarrassing social media posts, arguments with friends, boatloads of homework, and troubling news stories can all flick on your stress switches. When that happens, you may be left feeling distracted, tired, irritable, anxious, or overwhelmed.

And feeling stressed all the time can harm your health. That’s according to Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, a psychologist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Long-term stress, she explains, can lead to trouble sleeping, high blood pressure, and heart disease down the road.

Stress is the body’s reaction to a challenge or threat. That reaction could be sweaty palms before an audition for the school play. It could be a flip-flopping stomach before you step onto the pitcher’s mound. It could be a sleepless night before a big test. 

We all experience stress from time to time. It’s part of being human. The body’s stress response is a survival tool left over from the time when our ancestors lived in caves. Back then, humans often encountered deadly threats. They faced giant hyenas, saber-toothed cats, and spear-wielding enemies. The ability to respond quickly—to either fight off that giant hyena or get away from it—was the difference between life and death. So the human brain became wired to trigger a stress response at the first sign of danger. This response is often called “fight or flight.”

Here is how it works: You sense a threat. Your brain sends a signal to your body to get ready. Stress hormones are released. They make you more alert. They speed up your breathing and heart rate. Blood pumps to your muscles. This gets your body ready to fight or bolt. Your pupils dilate to sharpen your vision. 

Giant hyenas aren’t around today. But our brains still react quickly to perceived threats. This can be helpful in emergencies. If there’s a fire, your body’s stress response can help you spring into action. But this stress response can also be triggered by situations that are not life-threatening, such as embarrassing social media posts. Arguments with friends, boatloads of homework, and troubling news stories can also trigger the stress response. It can make you feel distracted, tired, irritable, anxious, or overwhelmed.

Feeling stressed all the time can harm your health, says Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein. She’s a psychologist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. She explains that long-term stress can lead to trouble sleeping. It can also lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Before you start getting stressed about your stress level, keep this in mind: There are easy ways to de-stress. (And no, you don’t have to quit the baseball team or throw your phone in a lake.) One place to start is to accept that some stress is normal—even a good thing.

“There’s a healthy level of stress that keeps us doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” explains Katzenstein. “What we call ‘facilitating stress’ helps us buckle down and study for a test or get our homework done on time. Sometimes stress can also prevent us from engaging in impulsive or risky behavior.”

There are also strategies you can learn to help you deal with stress before it takes over. One of those strategies is simply to talk about how you’re feeling with a friend or a trusted adult.

“If you’re stressed,” says Katzenstein, “just being able to recognize that and say it to someone can be a relief. Sometimes, if we name it, we can tame it.”

Another great way to cope with feelings of stress is to get moving. Exercise is especially effective because it triggers the release of stress-reducing hormones called endorphins. Even just going for a walk can help you relax.

Katzenstein also recommends regularly making time for activities that bring you happiness. Whether it’s reading, shooting hoops, drawing, or playing your favorite video game, identify what you really enjoy doing and carve out time for it every day. Yoga, meditation, and listening to music can help as well.

So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that you have the power to calm your body’s stress response. Take a deep breath, then try one of these stress-busters and see how much better you feel!

Before you start getting stressed about stress, keep this in mind: There are easy ways to de-stress. (And no, you don’t have to quit the baseball team or throw your phone in a lake.) First, you can accept that some stress is normal—even good.

“There’s a healthy level of stress that keeps us doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” explains Katzenstein. “What we call ‘facilitating stress’ helps us buckle down and study for a test or get our homework done on time. Sometimes stress can also prevent us from engaging in impulsive or risky behavior.”

There are also strategies for dealing with stress. One strategy is to talk about how you’re feeling. Talk with a friend or trusted adult. “If you’re stressed,” says Katzenstein, “just being able to recognize that and say it to someone can be a relief. Sometimes, if we name it, we can tame it.”

Another way to cope with stress is to exercise. It triggers the release of endorphins. Those are stress-reducing hormones. Just going for a walk can help you relax.

Katzenstein has another recommendation. Make time for activities that make you happy. It could be reading, shooting hoops, drawing, or playing your favorite video game. Identify what you enjoy doing. Carve out time for it every day. Yoga, meditation, and listening to music can help as well.

So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that you have the power to calm your body’s stress response. Take a deep breath. Then try one of these stress-busters and see how much better you feel!

THE TRICK: Singer and actor Harry Styles says that meditation helps him worry less about the past and the future. He’s not alone. Research has revealed that teens who meditate have lower levels of anxiety and stress. They also have improved attention and academic performance.

HOW TO USE IT: Meditation can be done anytime, anywhere, explains Dr. Gene Beresin, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School. Beresin recommends practicing this short meditation exercise: First, close your eyes and focus on your breath, following your inhales and exhales. Next, picture a place where you feel happy and relaxed. Maybe that’s the beach or a comfy beanbag chair. Notice every detail around you: the cool spray coming off the waves, or the feeling of the beanbag’s fabric against your arms. Continue until you feel relaxed.

THE TRICK: Singer and actor Harry Styles meditates. He says it helps him worry less about the past and the future. He’s not alone. Research has revealed that teens who meditate have lower levels of anxiety and stress. They also have improved attention and academic performance.

HOW TO USE IT: Meditation can be done anytime, anywhere, explains Dr. Gene Beresin, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School. Beresin recommends practicing this short meditation exercise: First, close your eyes. Focus on your breath. Next, picture a place where you feel happy and relaxed. Maybe that’s the beach or a comfy beanbag chair. Notice every detail: the cool spray coming off the waves or the feeling of the beanbag’s fabric against your arms. Continue until you feel relaxed.

THE TRICK: When singer and actress Selena Gomez feels overwhelmed, she takes a break from things that stress her out, like social media. Cutting back on optional activities can also prevent you from feeling burned out by too many responsibilities.

HOW TO USE IT: The next time you’re frazzled, think about what activities you can pause. For example, if your feed is making you feel anxious or taking up too much of your time each day, maybe you need a break. Or if your busy extracurricular schedule is causing sleepless nights, it might be worth having a conversation with a trusted adult about stepping back from one of your activities.

THE TRICK: When singer and actress Selena Gomez feels overwhelmed, she takes a break from things that stress her out, like social media. Cutting back on optional activities can also prevent you from feeling burned out by too many responsibilities.

HOW TO USE IT: Are you frazzled? Think about what activities you can pause. Is your feed making you feel anxious or taking up too much of your time? Take a break from it. Is your busy extracurricular schedule causing sleepless nights? Maybe have a conversation with a trusted adult about stepping back from one of your activities.

THE TRICK: Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles writes in her journal to deal with stress. And it works: Research shows that people who journal for 15 minutes twice a week have less anxiety. Journaling is a great way to sort through problems and process negative thoughts and emotions.

HOW TO USE IT: Just start writing! If you’re unsure what to write about, try composing a letter to yourself about how your day went. Or you could try a journaling app on your phone.

THE TRICK: Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles writes in her journal to deal with stress. And it works. Research shows that people who journal for 15 minutes twice a week have less anxiety. Journaling helps you sort through problems. It helps you process negative thoughts and emotions.

HOW TO USE IT: Just start writing! Not sure what to write about? Try composing a letter to yourself. Tell how your day went. Or try a journaling app on your phone.

THE TRICK: Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James uses visualization to reduce pre-game jitters. That’s a smart move, because imagining your ideal outcome—whether it’s scoring the winning basket or breezing through a test—actually trains your brain to pull it off. Picturing a positive outcome can also help you feel less stressed and more relaxed and confident, which in turn can help you do your best. 

HOW TO USE IT: The night before a big game or test, close your eyes and imagine a flawless performance. Walk yourself through each step, from tying your shoes or taking your pencil out of your backpack, all the way through to celebrating your victory with your team or turning in your test.

THE TRICK: Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James uses visualization to reduce pre-game jitters. That’s a smart move. Imagining your ideal outcome—whether it’s scoring the winning basket or breezing through a test—trains your brain to pull it off. Picturing a positive outcome can also help you feel less stressed and more relaxed and confident. That can help you do your best.

HOW TO USE IT: The night before a big game or test, close your eyes. Imagine a flawless performance. Walk yourself through each step. Imagine tying your shoes or taking your pencil out of your backpack. Imagine all the way through to celebrating your victory with your team or turning in your test.

THE TRICK: To ensure her epic concerts on the Eras Tour went smoothly, Taylor Swift practiced for months. She says that taking time to get ready helped her relax onstage. That makes sense. According to Beresin, being prepared makes you feel more confident.

HOW TO USE IT: Don’t stay up all night cramming before a big test or audition. Instead, start far in advance so you can do several short sessions of studying or rehearsing. For example, if your exam covers the first five chapters of your textbook, study one chapter a night for five nights.