WHAT YOU CAN DO

Encourage your daughter to talk about her stress. At first, she may be reluctant to talk. But be patient and follow the Bible’s advice to “be quick to listen, slow to speak.”​—James 1:19.

Take your daughter’s stresses seriously. Remember, she does not have your experience in life, and therefore she has little with which to compare her stresses​—much less develop the skills to address them.​—Bible principle: Romans 15:1.

Do not burden your daughter with too many extracurricular activities. According to the book Teach Your Children Well, youths whose schedules are overly crammed “often show signs of stress, particularly physical signs like headaches and stomachaches.”​—Bible principle: Philippians 1:9, 10.

Make sure your daughter gets enough rest. Sleep is often the first thing teenagers neglect. Without it, however, your daughter’s thinking skills will be weakened and so will her ability to ward off stress.​—Bible principle: Ecclesiastes 4:6.

Help your daughter find healthy outlets for stress. For some girls, exercise reduces anxiety. “Physical training is beneficial,” acknowledges the Bible. (1 Timothy 4:8) Other girls find that keeping a journal helps them put their stress in perspective. “When I was younger,” recalls 22-year-old Brittany, “I would write about problems that I just couldn’t work out. That helped me to understand how I really felt about a problem, and then it would be easier either to resolve it or just let it go.”

Set the example. How do you cope with stress? Do you take on more than you can handle and then panic when getting things done? Do you burn yourself out working too hard, not taking time for the more important things of life? “Let your reasonableness become known,” says Philippians 4:5. Remember, your teenager is watching your example and learning from it​—for better or for worse.