Pitfalls and Challenges of Adolescents

The following are some of the common pitfalls and challenges that adolescent
may experience:
1. using and abusing drugs – this is often due to peer pressure which means that the
more your friend use illegal drugs the greater the possibility that you will become
involved with drugs.
2. being addicted to computer games – teenagers are hooked to these recreational
activities merely because this is not just for fun rather this gives opportunities for the
teenagers to express what they feel, create their own world, and most importantly, find
their identity in the characters of the game. However, because adolescents have
created their own world in the game, they are sometimes unable to distinguish reality
from the virtual one. With amusement that these computer games have offered to them,
this would result to cutting classes and worst stop schooling.
3. running away from home – some of the reasons of running away from are their
parents are hurting them physically, feeling unhappy at home, a means of getting what
they want. According to Kimmel and Weiner (1995), runaways who anticipate to finding
something pleasant at home return home sooner and manifest that they are less
traumatized than those who run away from something unpleasant, such as being
physically hurt or violated at home.
4. being sexually promiscuous – due to hormonal changes, teenagers normally
experience heightened sexual activities during this stage. Thus, becoming teenage
parent is possible. Based on the data of the Department of Health (DOH) on the
transmission of the human immune deficiency virus (HIV)
(2014), the most number of persons who become infected with HIV are teenagers.
5. being depressed - According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, 5th edition (DSM 5 ed.), at least 5 of the 9 symptoms represent a change in
the individual’s functioning (observed during a 2week period):
a. Depressed mood most of the day
b. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities
most of the day
c. Significant weight loss or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite
nearly every day
d. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
e. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
f. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
g. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every
day
h. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every
day
i. Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific
plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
6. committing suicide – is usually associated with depression which is closely related
with a sense of hopelessness, low self-esteem, and high self-blame (O’Donnell et.al.,
2004).
Strategies to Cope with Challenges
The challenges that you will encounter might cause pain and stress on your
part. While you are capable to handle such situations, it may cause pressures that
would affect your well-being. So, here are some of the strategies that may help you
do so (Sevilla, 2000):
1. Learn to accept what you feel – when you feel sad, angry, or envious, you need
to embrace these feelings because they are real emotions. They are only reflective of
who you are- a human being. Accepting your feelings means allowing yourself to feel
and express them.
2. Identify your vulnerabilities – knowing when you feel intense emotions is important
to acknowledge. For instance, you have noticed that before you flare up in anger, you
first feel your face getting hot, your knees trembling, and your heart pounding very fast.
The next time you feel angry and you see these signs, you excuse yourself from the
discussion and walk away.
3. Develop your talents and interests – know your interests or things that you enjoy.
After doing so, then develop those competencies, talents, and skills in you. With these,
you do not allow negative thoughts or feelings conquer your heart.
4. Become more involved with others – as they say no one is an island so, we need
others to support us. Do not just focus on yourself but rather live your life with other
people that can give you happiness and influence you to become a good person.
5. Seek help when needed – most of the adolescents would feel shy and are hesitant
to ask for help because they might feel that they add burden to the person they are
asking help for. But you must remember that teenager still must learn a lot of ways of
being effective and psychologically healthy. Thus, you still seek for help to your support
system.

Stress – an emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension (Webster dictionary).
It is the feeling one gets from prolonged, pent-up emotions.

Stressor/s - pertain to the causes of stress. It is a stimulus that is perceived to be a

threat or that which causes stress.
Coping with Stress
Stress is part of growing up. You may feel pressure in everything you do, both at home
and in school. Broken cellphone, a failed exam, miscommunication with parents and
teachers, late in coming to school, a conflict with a classmate – all these are your
stressors or causes of stress. You experience stress when you respond to your
stressors that you perceive to surpass your capabilities. You can check your ways of
coping, because they can be either PROBLEM FOCUSED or EMOTION-FOCUSED.
1. PROBLEM-FOCUSED METHODS - deal with the stressors directly in practical ways
which include:
A. Seeking social support – talking and discussing the problems.
B. Anticipatory Coping – anticipate the symptoms and feelings of stress and we can do
something to avoid them.
2. EMOTION-FOCUSED METHODS - used when a person has no capacity to deal with
the source of the problem which include:
A. Defense Mechanism – pretending it’s not happening.
B. Reappraisal – take another look of the situation and change the way they feel.
C. Arousal Reduction – the person is less aroused, feels less stressed, like in
meditation.

There are other techniques on how to manage stress:

1. Track your stressors 7. Develop healthy responses

2. Establish boundaries 8. Eat healthy and nutritious foods
3. Smile and Laugh 9. Exercise
4. Take time to recharge 10. Sleep 9 – 11 hours
5. Learn how to relax 11. Talk to your parents, teachers, elders,
6. Pray to God pastors/priests

Personal Ways of Coping with Stress

When you are stressed out, you may probably feel overwhelmed. These are
the following ways to cope with stress:
1. Take a deep breath, get more oxygen for you to think logically and clearly.
2. Having a massage, taking a warm shower or even taking a nap can calm
 your muscles.
3. Engaging in physical activities such as brisk walking and playing
favorite games, will divert your attention.
4. When you deal stress, learn to comfort yourself.
5. Comfort yourself for some limitations and forgiving those who hurt you.
6. Choose of being a good person and improving yourself.
7. Soothe yourself with aromatherapy like before exam you can wear your
favorite perfume.
8. Crying in your private room.
9. Talking about what you feel and what you think about your situation.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM

1. Eating or sleeping excessively or very little
2. Pulling away from people
3. Having low or no energy
4. Feeling insensitive or like nothing matters.
5. Seeming down, feeling things are hopeless, or lacking motivation.
6. Feeling strangely confused, absentminded, angry, upset, worried or scared.
7. Yelling or fighting with family or friends
8. Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
9. Having persistent thoughts and memories that cannot get out of head.
10. Thinking of harming oneself or others
11. Helplessness to perform daily tasks at home or in school
12. Dropping school performance, or unexpectedly refusing to study.

MAINTAINING MENTAL HEALTH

1. Think bright. Think well. Be positive. Keep your optimism high, look on the bright
side of life and count your blessings every day.
2. Do what is right. Take good action. Take care of yourself. Avoid risky behaviors. If
uncertain or confused, seek guidance or ask for help. consult your parents, teachers,
counsellors, and other people you trust.
3. Be on the move. Exercise it lifts your mood, keep you fit and energizes you.
4. Be strong. Manage your stress. Know what gives you stress and deal with them. Find
ways to slow down and relax look away from gadgets, enjoy the beauty of nature,
breathe some fresh air. Be strong and resilient.
5. Lift yourself up. Build your confidence. Avoid negative people, value and develop
your abilities, know your weaknesses and find your strengths, love the gifts from God in
you and surround yourself with people and things that will inspire and make you happy.
6. Find peace inside and out. Accept yourself and your circumstances. it is the best
point to bring about changes. Take quiet time to be at peace, bring peace round you
and it goes back to you.
7. Develop life skills. Learn to manage time, how to budget, learn how to cook, repair or
fix things, learn how to apply first aid, learn to ask help, learn to survive, learn our laws,
learn basic self defense and etc.
8. Establish a support network. It is good to have a group whom you can turn to when
you need for some help.
9. Help someone. Be useful, volunteer, apply what you learn, be a gift to others.
10. Enhancing self-esteem. Means self worth. You are confident, feel good about
yourself, find ways to improve, work cooperatively.
11. Enhancing resilience. The capacity to recover from an unpleasant experience.
Resilient individuals can return to their original condition after a life changing experience
such illness or an accident. Establish connections to people, accept reality that nothing
is permanent, love and take care of self, and knows how to solve problems.
12. Developing self- regulation. The capacity to control and monitor your own behavior.
It is setting goals and standard and delaying gratification of needs. Examples: you do
not play cellphone because you must focus on deadlines at school, do not use any
social media during midterm and final tests, skip attending parties to focus on your
studies.
13.Enhancing social skills. The abilities to relate more effectively with others. May help
you meet outstanding people and build strong connections with them when you are
about to build your career. Set your limitations or boundaries, show empathy to others,
learn to negotiate, promote good feelings, be thankful and appreciative, practice
forgiveness, learn to help others and accept help from others.