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Anxiety in teens is rising: what’s going on?

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By Tommy Flaherty from Activate Fitness

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nearly 1 in 3 of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will experience an anxiety disorder.

These numbers have been rising steadily; since 2012, anxiety disorders in children and teens went up 20%.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness. They are characterised by intense and prolonged feelings of fear, distress, excessive worry, preoccupation, obsessive thoughts, and apprehension. In addition to mental symptoms, those who experience anxiety disorders also exhibit physical symptoms, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, rapid breathing and heartbeat, and myocardial ischemia. Anxiety disorders can be classified into sub-groups such as general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

Be aware of the signs of anxiety. Sometimes children may say that they are anxious, but other times it is less clear - especially as they may not even realise it themselves.

Signs can include:

• recurring fears and worries about routine parts of every day life
• changes in behaviour, such as irritability
• avoiding activities, school, or social interactions
• dropping grades or school avoidance
• trouble sleeping or concentrating
• chronic physical complaints, such as fatigue, headaches, or stomach aches.

Inactivity and increased sitting time are associated with numerous diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Individuals who are affected by an anxiety disorder tend to have large amounts of sedentary time and fail to meet exercise guidelines, which puts them at an increased risk of chronic diseases associated with low physical activity.

Resistance training

Resistance training has been scientifically proven to help and improve many, if not all, the signs of anxiety listed above. Resistance training is an exercise modality that has a positive influence on muscular strength, endurance, bone density, and body composition as well as cognitive behaviour, quality of sleep and energy levels. Individuals who are coping with an anxiety disorder that partake in resistance exercise training have responded well with a decrease in anxiety, improved mood, decreased worry, decreased depression, increased cognition, and reductions in cardiovascular responses to mental stress. Research has found that when state anxiety levels are elevated before exercise, there is a resulting decrease in state anxiety independent of intensity.

Our youth programme is designed to help teens to excel and express their physical capabilities through strength and conditioning which is also proven to help and improve our teens mental and psychosocial well-being in today's world.

To sign up, just click on the link below or email me at youth@activate.ie.

Https://activate.Wodify.Com/onlinesalesportal/reviewplanpurchase.Aspx?Onlinemembershipid=152339&onlinemembershippaymentoptionid=856841&ismobile=true

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School Dayz St Brendan’s students donate to Kerry Hospice

Students from St Brendan’s College have given €600 to Kerry Hospice. The money was raised from their book, ‘Futures from the Past’ which was published in April 2024. Teacher Mary […]

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Students from St Brendan’s College have given €600 to Kerry Hospice.

The money was raised from their book, ‘Futures from the Past’ which was published in April 2024.
Teacher Mary Denise Lyons and students Divo Lucic Kovacevii, Michéal McElligott, and Jaroslav Stetsenko handed over the funds to Cathal Walshe of Kerry Hospice.
‘Futures from the Past’ is a book written by current and retired writers, as well as students from St Brendan’s College.
This donation is the second from the book, with €800 donated last year and €600 this year.
The book was created to allow students to use their imaginations to explore the past and think about the future. It involved students from Poetry Ireland’s Writers-In-Schools Programme and adult learners from Kerry Education & Training Board’s Community Education Creative Writing group.
The book was launched at St Brendan’s College in April last year and was made possible with support from Poetry Ireland and the Arts Office of Kerry County Council.
‘Futures from the Past’ is available for sale at St Brendan’s College for €9.

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Community College TY students become qualified baristas

School Dayz Transition Year students at Killarney Community College spent last Tuesday learning the skills to become baristas. They completed a full-day training course and are now qualified to make […]

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School Dayz

Transition Year students at Killarney Community College spent last Tuesday learning the skills to become baristas.

They completed a full-day training course and are now qualified to make coffee, which could make them very employable in local cafes and restaurants this summer.
Their teachers, who are described as the school’s “resident coffee experts,” were impressed with the students’ hard work and enjoyed the lattes, cappuccinos, and Americanos the students made throughout the day.
In addition to their barista training, the TY students also took a trip to Mallow. There, they learned about the rules of the road, practiced the driver theory test, and many got behind the wheel of a car for the first time. They also learned about the dangers of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

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