Growing up is hard, increased responsibilities are stressful, and emotions are difficult to manage. One would be hard-pressed to find an adult who manages their responsibilities, emotions, and relationships in a healthy way 100 percent of the time.
The pressures of responsibilities, emotions, and relationships can be particularly intense among teens and young adults, as they have not learned how to manage many difficult aspects of life at their young age. Also, their brains are still developing, and it is very common for teens to act unreasonably or engage in risky behavior.
Dopamine levels in adolescent brains can drop sudden and fast which can cause this unreasonably risky behavior. High achieving youth are especially susceptible to this. It’s up to us as parents and teachers to provide our children with the tools to handle these sudden drops.
