Dear Kris,

Adults often underestimate how much stress teens are under in school, let alone in life. A good place to start is to think of ways to reduce the high level of stress that you are experiencing.

In terms of homework, a great strategy is to set up little rewards for yourself after you have completed some of your assignments. Maybe after an hour or two of schoolwork, you reward yourself with that TV show or phone conversation with a friend. The mistake we often make is to do the fun stuff first, which makes it easier to put off the work that we really should be doing.

In terms of tests, there are lots of ways to reduce anxiety and increase your success. The best way is to first be prepared for the exam by studying adequately. In addition to that, you can take a couple of deep breaths, imagine yourself in a peaceful place for a couple of minutes, or do some exercise before the exam to help you relax.

You may also want to sit down with your parents and discuss the stress that you are experiencing and try to renegotiate the consequences of your grades on your other activities. If this seems too difficult to do on your own, talk to a trusted adult or a counselor, who may be able to help with the negotiation.