Stress and Anxiety

anxiety stress Jun 06, 2018

Anxiety has become a frequently reported symptom, especially for adolescents. Teens are more likely these days to label themselves as someone with anxiety, rather than someone, like any of us, who experience “anxious moments” It is important to recognize the difference between “anxious moments” and anxiety as a true mental condition. 

Let’s look at two things that may be contributing to the anxiety epidemic, for both adults and adolescents:

Social Media - There is no doubt that social media is contributing to the anxiety epidemic. Go on to Instagram, and you will get an eyeful of edited, filtered and painfully posed pictures, which make people look perfect, and create unrealistic beauty ideals. Log onto Facebook, and you will be slammed with all of the great things going on in the lives of your friends: engagements, marriages, new houses, new jobs, time at the gym, and trips all over the world. Looking at these posts can often make you think, “What am I doing wrong?” 

Social media can be an absolute nightmare for adolescents. Bullying is rampant. Posting a photo, opinion or question leaves a teen open for critical comments. Threats are made via Facebook Messenger. Advice in the form of, “Go kill yourself” is disgustingly frequent. 

Caffeine - Then, we have the coffee connection. Expensive coffees have become a trend, not only for adults, but adolescents as well. Pictures on Instagram and Snapchat often include the coffee cup prop with the Starbucks hashtag. The high school that I work in has a coffee bar! Look at the most common side effects of caffeine, and they look strikingly like the symptoms of a panic attack:

• Jitters, Restlessness, and Nervousness

• Nausea

• Anxiety

• Heart palpitations (cardiac arrhythmia)

• Insomnia

• Sweating

• Dizziness

If you would describe yourself as someone who is prone to feelings of anxiety, ask yourself if social media and caffeine are part of your everyday routine. I then challenge you to cut back on, or eliminate, these two things over the next two weeks. See if you feel a difference!