From Overwhelm to Focus: Empowering Teens to Manage Stress Through Prioritization

From Overwhelm to Focus: Empowering Teens to Manage Stress Through Prioritization By Charles Barnard, Founder of Success Institutes Seventeen-year-old Maya sat at her desk, surrounded by textbooks, half-empty coffee cups, and sticky notes filled with reminders she had long since ignored. Her phone buzzed repeatedly—another group chat erupting with questions about tomorrow's history exam. Her stomach tightened as she flipped through her planner, only to remember the unfinished math assignment and the college essay due on Friday. The ticking clock seemed louder than ever, amplifying her anxiety and guilt. Maya's experience is common among today's teenagers—a life filled with high expectations, numerous commitments, and mounting pressure to excel in all areas. The underlying cause? Often, a lack of clear priorities. The Significance of Prioritization in a Busy World Teenagers today are managing busier schedules than ever before. Studies indicate that nearly 27% of teens report experiencing extreme stress during the school year. Much of this stress stems not from a single overwhelming task but from the overload of responsibilities and the absence of an effective system to manage t...