Relax

I have one thing to say that to those that believe angst is a requirement to the coming-of-age process and to those who claim teens feel more anxious than adults. Relax!

First of all, anxiety didn’t go away, not even partly. Those that claim it did because of all the new technologies and social media are wrong. Sure, with Facebook, it’s easier to ask a girl out because she doesn’t see your face while you’re doing it; she doesn’t see how red you are or how much your hands are shaking. However, even with the new technology, there are plenty of questions that could make one feel anxious. Does she like your profile picture? Were you capable of formulating your proposal in an eloquent way? Did you exaggerate on the emoticons usage? She has seen my message; why isn’t she answering? 

Before the invention of the smartphone, a girl on a date had no choice but to endure the guy. Now, she can always take out her phone and dive away into her social media web. The anxiety of being getting a second date is now replaced by the anxiety of being swapped for a phone on the very first one. This happens so often that it is now considered a sign of success to go through a first date without knowing what kind of phone she has.

However, we all know the occasional stress-free person. We cannot help but envy their over-confidence. But are they really stress-free? Can someone be that careless? The answer is no. Everyone has some kind of stress. The picture below shows different types of stress. 

As this picture shows, stress actually useful. If you aren’t a little bit anxious before a date, chances are you don’t care and you should go home.

So what’s the big deal? Why does everybody fuss about teen angst? If you Google ''teen anxiety'' you’ll get plenty of tips on how to get rid of it. Shouldn’t we embrace it instead? 

As an adult, the teen will be facing even more stressful situations than he is confronted with now. Deciding what to wear, what to do in life or even inviting someone on a date is nothing compared to the stress one will face in his adult life. For instance, some tormented souls will become lawyers. Most of our parents will make us anxious around the age of thirty if we still aren’t married and don’t have kids. Marriage and kids are also far more stressful than the dates, or the absence of them that an adolescent is confronted with.

So here is my advice to all of those who put such an emphasis on angst being part of the coming-of-age process: relax. There is nothing you can do, let the person be; stress is part of life.

Additional sources:

http://teens.webmd.com/anxiety-and-teens