December 1, 2022
Explores the myriad factors that lead to teen stress and offers solid strategies for coping with it. Two opening chapters describe in physiological, mental, and emotional terms what stress is, its causes, and some coping mechanisms that can combat it. Charts and tables break down levels of stress, coping skills, and physiological symptoms. Subsequent chapters go even further in identifying different kinds of stress and their causes as well as providing solutions, which psychologist Tompkins calls Stress Hacks and that are included as boxed sidebars. These subcategories of stress include ones related to school and work, performance and tests, family and friends, dating and relationships, media and technology, and health and hormones. Quandaries and quotes from teens are peppered throughout. Each chapter ends with concise takeaways summarizing the most significant points. While Tompkins' treatment is certainly comprehensive, it can also feel repetitive and verbose. The narrative tone ricochets from formal to colloquial, favoring the former. The author often uses a lengthy paragraph to explain what could be expressed in a single sentence. Still, though the book ultimately feels more like a reference book than a self-help guide, teens can find what they need in the numerous sidebars, charts, and bullet points. The backmatter begins with a very helpful chart identifying exercises targeted to alleviating specific stresses by page number. A dense but all-inclusive treatment of stress, with reader-friendly tips, tables, and checklists. (resources, index) (Nonfiction. 13-18)
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January 1, 2023
Grades 8-12 As adolescence remains synonymous with stress, this conversational guide offers teens a wide array of helpful skills and tips for managing stress. It opens with stress basics, such as typical body signals and the differences between inside stress (your thoughts and feelings) and outside stress (external environmental factors). Individual chapters focused on school, performance and tests, family and friends, dating and relationships, media, hormones, and other common pressure sources in teen lives are loaded with guided exercises similar to cognitive-behavior therapy. These exercises emphasize such skills as identifying thinking traps, time management, recovering from mistakes, positive self-talk, setting technology limits, and mindfulness. Author and psychologist Tompkins even points out across chapters when these strategies can work for multiple stressors. Interspersed teen perspectives also make the topic more relatable. A pleasing layout pulls all of these elements together, chunking text into short sections and breaking strategies into manageable steps or charts. The guide's usefulness gets an added boost from extensive back matter, which includes a stress skill locator, bibliography, online resource list, and suggested mobile apps.
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March 1, 2023
Gr 9 Up-Tompkins thoroughly explains stress and ways in which to cope with stress. He starts with an overview of what stress is, the different kinds of stress, and the impacts of stress. Chapters 3 to 8 look closer at what stress can look like in different settings. Chapter 9 is all about thriving and includes some great ways for teens to keep themselves continuously calm and motivated. While the book may seem overwhelming, especially for someone who is stressed, there is a chart at the end, the Stress Skill Quick Locator, that can guide readers to different stress hacks, which are located throughout. Each chapter includes an explanation, exercises that can help relieve stress, stress hack tips, and quotes from teens. The chapters are also summarized at the end. The book includes resources for teens and parents as well as helpful apps that can be downloaded and an index. Tompkins has provided a tool for teens who might be overwhelmed. The chapters are easy to understand and the stress hacks include examples. The activities are easy to do and there are examples throughout to show what the end result might look like. Teens who are stressed will more than likely find an exercise that will help them, from creating schedules to setting healthy boundaries with social media. VERDICT A must-have for school libraries and any libraries with a teen population.-Michelle Lettus
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