Many say that high school is supposed to be the best four years of your life; however, that is not the case for most teens in 2014. The stress levels of teenagers have been increasing since 2007. Not all teens experience stress but not all teens experience fun either. While one student could be out having the time of their life with their friends, another could be at home crying herself to sleep because she feels the stress in her life is taking over. There are many factors involved when it comes to discussing why stress rates are increasing. School work, home life, and social life are all causing an impact on the mental health of teenagers within the United States. Even though all of us experience some type of stress within our lifetime, not many actually know what it is/what it means. By definition, stress is “an applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body.” This is similar to when a person grabs both ends of a rubber band and pulls them in opposite directions. You are applying a stress to the band which causes it to react by stretching, becoming thinner, and eventually breaking once the pressure is too much(Esherick). Depending on the type of stress you have, the way it affects your body will be different. Bad stressors, such as family problems, too much homework, and peer pressure, can have severely negative effects on your body and mind. However, good stressors, such as job interviews, studying for a test, and pre-performance jitters, can stimulate your mind to help you perform better. Having these good stressors in life is important but teens seem to be experiencing higher levels of bad stress than good(Stress). Since 2007, stress has become a major part of every teenagers day to day life. The American Psychological Association (APA) started it’s first Stress in America Survey, in 2007, to measure the attitudes and perceptions of stress within the nation. The results from this survey revealed that the youngest age group, eighteen to thirty-four year olds, experienced larger amounts of stress than the older age groups. On average, 29% reported high stress levels, 57% reported moderate stress levels, and only 14% reported low stress levels. Each year they change and/or add questions to the survey in order to try and find new trends in teen stress. This past year’s study reported that the average teenager, thirteen to seventeen years old,