“Mom, I am feeling stressed about school…I really don’t like it.  The tests are too hard,” said Erin.

“Stressed?” laughed her mom.  “Try being an adult!  When I was your age I loved school…did you know that I walked 10 miles uphill, both ways in the snow just to get there?”

When people grow up, they often forget what it was like to be a kid.  They talk about their glory days, how you should always want to stay 15, how much they loved high school, what it meant to earn an honest dollar and their first puppy love.  GET SERIOUS!  Adolescence is not all that it’s cracked up to be when there are so many expectations to live up to. Did they forget about the stress from friends, parents, schoolwork, sports, jobs, grades and extracurriculars!

Well, it is hard to forget about these things when you are going through it.  From your first date to your first important exam to your first pimple, you are facing it all, right now!  To top it off, you’ve got everyone on your back about it.  They are still trying to make you into the perfect young man or woman that they know you can be.  You would feel stressed, but you are so busy that you don’t even have the time for feelings! 

How can anyone expect you to have the perfect grades AND the perfect outfit AND the perfect skin AND the perfect shot or swing or kick?!?!  Well, most likely, because they want the best for you, or they want you to do the things that they never could do.  Whatever the reason is…the pressures and expectations can be overwhelming.

If running off to join the circus or becoming a monk is not doable, then you have to be more creative.  Have you told anyone that you feel overwhelmed?  Don’t be shy about it…LET THEM KNOW!!! If you have told someone and you feel like nobody understands, try to organize your thoughts and think about exactly what you are trying to get across. Don’t get discouraged…if one person doesn’t understand try someone new. It could be a friend’s parent, an older sibling, a teacher or any adult that you trust. Nobody is perfect, and you can’t be expected to be. Trying your best at everything you do is all anyone can ask of you.