Stress is a human body reaction that occurs when the body produces physical and mental responses to outside challenges, also known as stressors.1 When your teen is stressed, they might notice a change in their heart rate, breathing, vision and more.1 The body’s nervous system adjusts how it operates when it’s dealing with stress.1 Stress is a subjective condition, and your teen is the only one that can determine if they’re stressed and to what extent they feel stressed.1 There are two types of stress your teen could be experiencing:2 Acute stress. Acute stress is a short-term stress that goes away quickly. This type of stress helps your teenager manage dangerous situations. Your teen might experience acute stress when they’re trying something new or exciting as well. Chronic stress. Chronic stress is a more long-term stress. This type of stress usually lasts weeks or months. If your teen is experiencing chronic stress for too long, they might not realize that it’s a problem anymore. Chronic stress can also lead to your teen having health problems.