Well,lately I've been feeling depressed and pissed off.Between school and my comics and stories,I don't actualy rest.
I'm an isomniac,I go to bed at 11 pm and get up at 6 am.I only fall asleep around 1 am and wake up at 4-5 am.
I feel like destroing things,I can't concentrate,I eat even less than I ate before and my sleep disorders are getting worse,because yesterday I fell asleep at 6 pm and only woke up at 10 am.I don't even feel like writing or making comics anymore.Do you think I have teenage stress sindrome?

Is teenage stress syndrome an actual disorder/thing? I've heard of post traumatic stress disorder, but not that.
Stress is really crappy. I've never been good at handling it…so I don't think I could give you any very good advice. In fact, if other people have some good ideas for handling stress I would also benefit from that.

I'm not a teenager anymore, but I have a very similar schedule. I work forty hours a week at a rock quarry, attend college after work, and work on my comic plus clean house, cook dinner, drive my wife to and from work when I can. I don't know how I deal with stress but I do. I think part of it is just getting used to your schedule and taking everything in stride. I try not to let the little things bother me, and when I feel to stressed I just take a breather and watch TV or a movie or listen to music, go on a walk. You know all the cliche shit…I do know when I was a teenager I dealt with a lot of shit by smoking obscene amounts of pot.. this I do not recommend. If I were you I might try to just not worry about the little stuff and all that will get done when it gets done. Try picking up a hobby that uses a little more energy then comics and writing… maybe jogging, lifting weights, walking the dog(if you have a dog) something to filter aggression and energy, this should allow you to eat more as well as go to sleep better. If you are just sitting in class all day then coming home and sitting and drawing and writing then you are not burning up all the energy you accumulate through your food which could explain the decreased appetite and being unable to sleep. I am no expert though its just a few recommendations.

Hippie Van
Is teenage stress syndrome an actual disorder/thing?

I used to call it “being a wuss”

Maybe you just force yourself to spend some time relaxing. I dunno, I'm not a psychologist

I'm probably not very good at dealing with stress, seeing as how I tend to get very angry or depressed when I'm stressed, but I listen to calm music when I get stressed, such as Christian music like Third Day or Casting Crowns.. Tom Petty also works very well if you don't like and/or have any Christian music.

I dunno, but you sure have teenage spelling syndrome!

But seriously folks, I'd rather DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS than have to go through that teenage hell again. Now I have all the issues that Mushroomcomix describes above (I don't work in a rock quarry - that's a real mans job)but I'm not stressed. I don't have time to be stressed and that's good. I'm laughing inside all day. Sometimes I'm laughing outside too and people look at me funny. At least, I think that's why they're looking at me funny…

In a few years, you probably still won't be able to sleep nights, but you'll be glad you finally got some time to yourself. You can use it to draw comics and stress about the other folks who depend on you. So don't worry.

But you will worry; you're a teenager. Trust me - it does get better! I never thought it would, but it does. Just take a dose of cod liver oil and scream into your pillow. B)

Honestly? Sounds near identical to the mess that was my early teenage years, almost verbatim. Btw, I couldn't find anything mentioning an actual teenage stress syndrome.

I think… well, it's normal to be stressed as a teenager. Growing up doesn't have a lot of sunny spots, sometimes. I used to think it would never end. I found one of the more relevant things to moving past that stage is periods of inflection, where you learn to become comfortable in your own skin, even during the bad times. And that's not an immediate process. It demands time.

I don't really know what else to say that hasn't already been said by Chernobog and Mushroomcomix. Being a teenager sucks, but you can't let it eat you away.

There are a millions worries right now, and there will always be a million worries. Just don't let them settle in your head. You can't do everything. No human being is capable of that. Just do what you can do and do it well; don't let the other things get you down.

I used to have insomnia, though not as bad as you do, and it was due to stress. I've done everything in my power to get rid of that and try to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

The absolute most important thing is to be comfortable with yourself and what you are capable of achieving. If things continue to spiral downhill, you should seriously consider seeing a professional about it. They actually can help, surprisingly. :)

Steely Gaze
I don't really know what else to say that hasn't already been said by Chernobog and Mushroomcomix.

It's not the things you say that hurt me Steely; it's the things you don't say!


(sniff).

Maybe if there weren't so many damn emo alternative bands screaming and crying about how terrible the world was, we wouldn't have teenagers stressing out and holding razor blades to their wrists. ;)

Lastcall
Maybe if there weren't so many damn emo alternative bands screaming and crying about how terrible the world was, we wouldn't have teenagers stressing out and holding razor blades to their wrists.

Oh you, you cantankerous pixie you! They said the same thing about Judas Priest - even took 'em to court over it.

Ironscarfs Ghost

Steely Gaze
I don't really know what else to say that hasn't already been said by Chernobog and Mushroomcomix.

It's not the things you say that hurt me Steely; it's the things you don't say!


(sniff).

Hey, don't be like that. You know I love ya man.

..
..
..

Okay, not like that, get offa me! I mean like a brother, okay? Sheesh.

I'll still buy you some ice cream or something. :)

It sounds like you're feeling overwhelmed. The teen years are like that. You're getting adult responsiblities but aren't quite an adult yet and the world reminds you of that constantly while piling up more crap for you to do.

Of course you're stressed. It could be worse there could be people shooting at you or non-commissioned officers could be taking your birthday away.

Try deep breathing and focusing on one thing. Make a list, do one thing at a time, get it done and then cross it off the list and move on to the next. Also look up coping mechanisms online. There are plenty of stress reducers and coping mechanisms that make life a little easier to take.

Not a psychologist or Social Worker, but I've worked with them entirely too much. mentor, counselor, teacher, instructor, yeah I'm the guy who can give advice and help you solve your problems, but I'm fucked up. :) Gotta love this shit. But it helps me get un-fucked up too.

I strongly suggest humor.

I dealt with that stuff myself along with alcoholism and depression from a series of friend's deaths when I was a teenager, and what saved me from myself was a 60 year-old man who taught me that you should never take anything so seriously that it starts to eat you away. There's nothing in life so important that you need to lose all your sleep over it.

Learn to cut loose and just be yourself. Stop working and worrying so much about the future. You'll have time to deal with that when it comes. For now, there's nothing you can do about the future, so just focus on enjoying life now. Blow off comics and writing and extra work and just go out with friends who you can screw around and relax with. As a teen, you've got only two things that should be inside your head: school and friends. And even though school might be stressful, that what the friends are for. They're supposed to help you blow off that steam. Use your friends as a vent to goof off with, and dig into things that get you laughing. It's truly amazing how fast you can forget problems and worries by just spending time being with friends and doing nothing.

Everybody seems to always want to find a diagnosis for everything these days.

Teenagers are generally stressed, and that's to do with their cognitive functioning.
Their brains are still developing. And this doesn't stop until you're about 25. So it lasts for a good while before it passes.

Me? I'm different.

19 and I've got the intellect and cognitive ability of a 30-something year old and the emotional intelligence of an eight year old.
And as far as I can recall I've never had a proper teenage tantrum.
It's a curious thing that most likely has something to do with my ACTUAL CERTIFIED DIAGNOSED CONDITION known as Asperger's Syndrome.

I'll probably be making a separate thread regarding it since I'm curious to see how many other members on here have it, are being tested for it or know someone that is.

Anyway, I went through a lot of issues in high school that resulted in me going to bed between 3am and 5am and waking up at 7am. It's still not left me.
It's 4am right now and I'm supposed to be up early tomorrow to make a trip to Runcorn to stay with family for a week!

We all used to call it Teen Angst I believe.

Don't sweat it, Just sit back turn off the world for thirty minutes and relax for a bit. Convincing yourself you have a complex won't help. If your normal activities are stressing you out then Simply set them aside for a bit.

After having a nervous breakdown and losing my scholarship when I was 19 at a college 800 miles from home friends and family, I had an epiphany.

You are only as stressed as you want to be. Specifically, you get to choose how you spend your day. If any part of it makes you unhappy for any reason You have the latitude to change it to your liking. If the people and circumstances around you don't like it, then that's THEIR problem not yours.

Find your own personal balance of happiness and prosperity, and don't let others set it for you.

diana_m
Well,lately I've been feeling depressed and pissed off.Between school and my comics and stories,I don't actualy rest.
I'm an isomniac,I go to bed at 11 pm and get up at 6 am.I only fall asleep around 1 am and wake up at 4-5 am.
I feel like destroing things,I can't concentrate,I eat even less than I ate before and my sleep disorders are getting worse,because yesterday I fell asleep at 6 pm and only woke up at 10 am.I don't even feel like writing or making comics anymore.Do you think I have teenage stress sindrome?

- get off the fluoridated water (and toothpaste).
- eat less of that MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame crap.
- watch less of the TV.
- lessen cellphone use.
- cut down meat intake.
- Do AT LEAST 20 minutes of exercise a day.
- As much as possible, DO NOT get yourself hooked on drugs. Most likely thats what a “psychiatrist” will prescribe (prozac, ritalin, etc.).

Hope this helps.

Kyupol, how in the world will not eating meat help her? Or do you only mean meat from mammals (ie. “red meat” ), still, that's utterly without logic, as is the non fluoride, non mobile phone thing.
That wont help anyone with anything.

Now the advice on exercise, drugs, and TV is more sensible, but I don't know why you would add those other things.

——————
Aspergers is just as dubious as this Faliat. All these syndromes are made to make you feel special without actually doing anything special to warrant it. But you'll all grow out of them one day :)

ozoneocean
…non mobile phone thing.
That wont help anyone with anything.

I actually disagree about the cellphone limiting not helping. Of course it'll help. Mainly in that it's a stressful addition to your life, and getting rid of it will limit that stress intake.

Of course, there are downsides to not using a cellphone, but I've never had one, and I've survived just fine. If anyone really wants to reach me, they can do it when I'm at home. And if they miss me? Well, shucks, that's too bad.

Only in emergencies do I think a cellphone could be useful. And even then, it depends on your reception. ;)

You find them stressful? I've had no stress with mine. In fact it means less stress because if I've been out drinking with friends in a pub or club somewhere and it's 3am at night I know I can easily phone a taxi to get home :)
And many variations there-off

Being a small girl, having a cell phone on me actually lowers my stress a lot when I'm on my own.

Kyupol, you're so weird sometimes(being weird isn't a bad thing, I'm just saying).
I was wondering, though, if you could explain most of the things you suggested there.

ozoneocean
You find them stressful? I've had no stress with mine. In fact it means less stress because if I've been out drinking with friends in a pub or club somewhere and it's 3am at night I know I can easily phone a taxi to get home :)
And many variations there-off

See, that's a fine reason to have a cellphone. But I find it intensely frustrating to be at anyone's beck and call if you give out your number.

What if my boss calls when it's my day off? Happened more than once, but if I'm not home, eh, he misses me and I get a day to relax. With a cellphone, if he has that number, I'm in for a day of work that I could otherwise spend to myself.

I don't know, I just find phones to be stressful. I'm not in control of the phone unless I call someone. If they call me at a bad time and mess up whatever I may have planned there's not much I can do expect try to untangle myself, ungracefully, from the conversation.

But that's me. Getting away from the clutches of society is something I enjoy doing, being a country lad as it were.

So if your boss didn't have your number, what then? :)

My friends and family would. :P

And honestly, I love ‘em, but there are plenty of times I don’t want to talk to them when they want to talk to me.

Wow. My friends and family only call when it's important, they're never a nuisance. :)

lol! How different can two people be? :)

Steely Gaze
My friends and family would. :P

And honestly, I love ‘em, but there are plenty of times I don’t want to talk to them when they want to talk to me.

I have the exact problem. I thought I would finally have time to myself when I moved out on my own, but it seems to make them visit me often as much as they want. Gah. sometimes they constantly interrupt my time that I was supposed use for comic-making, writing, etc.

goddess knows that I need a fortress of solitude where my family can't get to me. :P

I love my family very much. but at the same time, I can't help but hate them when they don't give me that “alone time” I need too.

imshard
We all used to call it Teen Angst I believe.

I think they call ‘em Emo kids now. ;) I don’t recall having “teen angst” back in the day, but that might be because I didn't really have a social life in high school. I went to school, went home, shut myself in my room, studied, read books, drew, listened to music….didn't do any socializing whatsoever, besides marching band it's not worth worrying about. If you worry, it will only stress you out.

kyupol
- get off the fluoridated water (and toothpaste).
- watch less of the TV.
- As much as possible, DO NOT get yourself hooked on drugs. Most likely thats what a “psychiatrist” will prescribe (prozac, ritalin, etc.).

Well first I'd say ignore these. Everything else he said was good.

dude kyupol, fluoride is actually healthy. It's good for your teeth, and other things. Sort of like how people want salt without iodine thinking that it'll be healthier for them, but in reality the iodine is really important and they seriously benefit from getting it. Also I used to take ritalin. It was very helpful for me.



I never really get stressed. Hell, even when I'm having a heated debate, that's only because I enjoy them. Stress just doesn't accumulate with me, like water hitting a duck's back. I think it has alot to do with my memory, but my personality also contributes alot.

Only real advice I can give is that instead of focusing on problems, you need to focus on solutions. When things go wrong, I frown and furrow my forehead, but in seconds I've already moved past the problem and started coming up with ways to fix it. It saves time and effort because you don't waste either on freaking out.

And make time to relax. In an easy class, bring a book to read. Listen to calming music while you study, and especially when you don't. Aside from that, eat right, sleep well, and don't worry about so many things.

well, im a teenager and i don't have that problem… yet.

guess I should keep an ear to the track for early warning signs… and an eye out for the train so I don't get squished into a zeropointpancake XD.

In regards to the cell phone thing: if you don't want to talk to someone, don't pick up. That's what I do. :)

And like others have said, you're a teenager and you'll get over it. Also, doing some sort of exercise is a great way to relieve stress!