If it feels like academic stress has become a full-time job for your teen, you’re not imagining it. Between the rising pressure to take AP classes, maintain perfect GPAs, get into competitive colleges, and “do it all,” many teens feel like there’s no room to breathe.

College application season has a way of sneaking up on families. Just as your teen is beginning to enjoy a sense of independence, they’re suddenly faced with one of the biggest decisions of their life, while juggling AP classes, extracurriculars, social pressure, and hormonal changes.

For many teens, school isn’t just about learning, it’s about proving yourself. Between grades, college expectations, extracurriculars, and the constant comparisons on social media, it’s easy to feel like you're never doing enough.

Contrary to what movies and TV shows might suggest, high school isn’t all school dances and football games. Especially by junior year, a major source of stress for many teens is the pressure to get into a “good college.”

You walk into your teen’s room and see it: the blank stare at a pile of books… the phone scrolling… the late-night promises of “I’ll do it soon.” Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Procrastination in teens is one of the most common sources of academic stress and parent-teen conflict I see in therapy.