Dealing with Stress

Christie Cognevich is an educator and writer based in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds a PhD in English literature and taught literature, composition, and creative writing at the high school and university levels for over a decade. She is the author of Depression: Insights and Tips for Teenagers.

This helpful entry in the Empowering You series discusses all aspects of stress and provides resources and suggestions for how teens and college-age students can cope with it. Cognevich explains how stress impacts adolescents differently than adults and provides examples of chronic stress, social anxiety, and fear. She discusses fight-or-flight responses and the difference between aggression and anger, and offers self-care tips, including cultivating gratitude and giving it to others. Mental-health hotlines and resources are provided throughout the text. Cognevich, who has moderate hearing loss, admits to finding teaching online during the pandemic stressful, which lends authenticity to her coping advice. The most-effective aspects of the book are the anecdotes from other young people, who speak to how they’re handling the stress in their lives—during the pandemic, but also during recent natural disasters like Hurricane Ida. A useful, reassuring, and affirming resource, interspersed with occasional graphic illustrations and charts, that will help young people identify, confront, and handle stress.

• Author NoteIntroduction: Stress and the Problem with TimeSection One: What is Stress?Chapter One: Exploring StressChapter Two: Experiencing Long-Term Stress in a Chaotic WorldChapter Three: Exploring AnxietyChapter Four: First Steps to Finding SupportSection Two: Coping with StressChapter Five: On Anger and Coping with the Fight ResponseChapter Six: On Discomfort and Coping with the Flight ResponseChapter Seven: Effective Coping Through CommunityChapter Eight: Effective Coping Through GratitudeSection Three: AnecdotesChapter Nine: Pandemic ExperiencesChapter Ten: Disaster ExperiencesSection Four: Additional Strategies and ResourcesChapter Eleven: Coping Strategies: ThoughtsChapter Twelve: Coping Strategies: EmotionsChapter Thirteen: Coping Strategies: BodyChapter Fourteen: Quick Guide to ResourcesBibliographyAbout the Author