Rheyana Scott

Cunningham

British Literature/Per 6

6 February 2019

Annotated Bibliographies

Bethune, Sophie. “Teen Stress Rivals That of Adults.” American Psychological Association,

American Psychological Association, Apr. 2014,

www.apa.org/monitor/2014/04/teen-stress​ .

In this article, Bethune compares the amount of stress that American teens face now

compared to the adults of America. A survey provided by the APA, or American Psychological

Association, reveals that teens of America today would rate their stress levels as a 5.8 out of 10

scale. She says that teens’ stress levels during the school year exceed adults and while they’re

lower during summer, they are still higher than is healthy. Bethune goes on to describe how this

stress is affecting the teens’ health; making them feel depressed, overwhelmed and tired, with

some even skipping meals because of it. Bethune says that while their stress levels are higher

than adults during the school year, they mirror adults’ coping habits or lack of them. Many of the

teens surveyed reported they didn’t know how to deal with their stress or felt they weren’t doing

enough (42%) or some said they never dealt with it (13%). These alarming statistics are the fuel

behind my project. The extreme amounts of stress teens, including myself, are facing is taking a

serious toll on their lives, and they don’t know how to properly deal with it. If left untreated, this

stress can seriously damage their health and future. The point of this project is to find a healthy
way to deal with their stress that helps them and the environment. Because plants are so common

and can be found at varying price points, this method is available for anyone, no one is left out.

Calyx, Lily. “8 Plants with Anti-Anxiety Benefits.” Pollen Nation, Pollen Nation, 21 Apr. 2017,

www.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/plants-anti-anxiety-benefits/​ .

In this article, Calyx explains the benefits of houseplants, specifically those with

anti-anxiety benefits. Calyx then lists eight different house plant varieties and explains the

properties of each and how they help with anxiety. This article is meant to inform the reader of

the many benefits of houseplants and influence what kind of plants they will buy by promoting

those with anti-anxiety benefits. This article is extremely helpful to my project as I am trying out

different methods of incorporating nature into teens’ lives for the purpose of reducing anxiety

levels; one of these methods being houseplants. This article will influence my choice of plants

when I buy them.

Kreitzer, Mary Jo. “How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?” Edited by Jean Larson, Taking

Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing, University of Minnesota,

www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeing​ .

In this article published by the University of Minnesota, Kreitzer explains how our

environment can either increase or reduce our stress. She goes on to explain how being in nature,

natural environments, not only “makes you feel better emotionally but also contributes to your

physical well-being” as well. Kreitzer presents researchers’ Stamatakis and Mitchell’s findings

that even a simple plant in a hospital room helps improve the patient’s well-being. Stamatakis
and Mitchell found that focusing on nature health patients deal with pain and recover faster.

Other research found that since nature is associated with a positive outlook, spending time

outside improved moods and can lengthen children’s attention spans. All of these studies point to

the fact that being in and around nature is beneficial to both mind and body. It even ends by

talking about “nature deprivation“ and how it connects to depression. While staying away from

technology might be difficult during this project as I have to document its entirety, because of

this alarming research, I will not only have plants but set aside time to be outside and encourage

others to do the same. My houseplants will bring some nature to me but not enough to

significantly change my life.

“Physical Activity Reduces Stress.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA,

https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/ph

ysical-activity-reduces-st​ .

In this article, the American Psychological Association, explains why exercise is

effective

in lowering stress levels. The APA conducted a survey in 2008, asking American adults about

their stress levels and more recently the ADAA, Anxiety and Depression Association of

America, asked how they manage it. ADAA and healthcare physicians agree that exercise is the

best way to manage stress. The article goes on to explain why exercise is the most recommended

stress coping technique. It starts explaining the negative effects of stress and how exercising

combats those effects by producing endorphins which help you which help your body to fight

pain and go to sleep. While my project doesn’t require much exercise, this research affirms my
decision to plant seeds instead of sticking with just houseplants. Planting seeds may not count as

an exercise, but it requires a bit of physical labor, getting down in the dirt, which this research

suggests will help manage stress better than watering the plant in a pot.

“What Stresses Teens Out?” Edited by Nancy Brown, California Teen Health | Teen Health

Information, Oct. 2013, ​www.pamf.org/teen/life/stress/whatstress.html​ .

The central idea of this resource is to identify where the majority of teen stress originates

from. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation, under the supervision of Becky Beacom, surveyed 124

teens and asked them what causes their stress. The article is simply the presentation of the

survey results. The results reveal that more than half (55%) of teens’ stress originates from

schoolwork. The runner ups are parents/family then social life. This information is helpful to my

project because identifying the source of the problem is the first step to managing it.

Homework/school related stress is also a lot easier to manage than family/social life as it is

harder to change people then it is to change work habits.