EXCEL ONLINE SCHOOL

21/22 Health and Fitness EHS

STUDENTS NAME: PAVLOS TSITSIPAS

Written Essay Assignment #1

TITLE: 1. Write an essay about stress. Address what causes stress, how it affects your

body and the steps to take to reduce stress.

What is Stress? “People are disturbed not by a thing, but by their perception of a thing.” —

Epictetus

Throughout our modern society with the frenzy rhythm of our everyday life, stress has been

acting as a deterrent negative factor linked to numerous adverse situations that lead to health,

mental and physical problems. it is very important to know how to manage stress and adopt

mental management techniques as to overcome stress. Lately, as an athlete playing tennis

professionally, I have been bombarded with a great amount of stress as I had to keep my

ranking standards intact with ATP standards. Since my last games as an athlete in big

tournaments I feel as though I had taken on full control of how to manage my stress during in

and out of games. Indeed, I have managed to adopt a new technique of breathing skills as a way

to keep myself in balance in terms of my health posture and mind mentally as to avoid thinking

about the negative aspects of bad scoring, points, failures during the game that might cause me

anxiety and depression in the aftermath. I chose this topic because stress is an inescapable

part of most people and everyone is entitled to know some practical strategies and techniques to

avoid all these situations. However, we need to combat stress directly and create a fighting

mechanism through 0ur mind that will provide us the inner strength to manage and vanish it

rather than stay defenseless.

Some of the most important causes according to latest demographic data has shown that stress
According to ISMA organization stress in sports is caused by different reasons such as:
triggers in the following cases:
 When parents and coached have too many expectations from athletes

 When there is a lot of pressure during training

 When coaches have no clear goals and expectations

 When there is a lack of team spirit and cooperation among team members or coach-

 When meeting deadlines

 When there is zero tolerance between athletes and coaches that destroys their relation.
 When self-efficacy reflects negative confidence.

In regards the ways to reduce stress in I have come up with the following ideas that

helped me to establish small steps of improvement as stress relief. Those are:

 Practice regularly on daily basis

 Message therapy- to relieve tension.

 Keep a positive attitude at all circumstances

 Keep a journal of all times I have achieved progress as a timeline.

 Keep exercising my breathing techniques and recall and practice at all times needed.

Finally, adjusting school and playing sports on a professional level at the same time
Stress has been the major trigger for serious disorders such as PTSD causing depression,
period can be both a rewarding but stressful aspect, that needs to control and balance in
anxiety
the most and causeway.
effective alternative
Lately, further use of
I have read anxiety
that disorders,Association
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in substance abuse.

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physiological" argueda great
provides that” variety
these disorders may be considered
of cope mechanism to avoidin relationship
stress such as: to a

 commonyour
Identify stress-induced
stressors neurological deficit" (p. 34).

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(2005 ) suggests that “the stress itself is a source of external and

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body reaction and the direct distortions in information
uncontrollable nature of body reaction and the direct distortions in information
 processing,
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recall all positiverelationships"
thinking (Lewine, 2005, p. 291).
processing, affect, and interpersonal relationships" (Lewine, 2005, p. 291).
 Ask Finally,
for advice
adjusting school and playing sports on a professional level at the same time

 period
Talk can
to your immediate
be both acquaintances
a rewarding and aspect,
but stressful specialists
that needs to control and balance in

the most effective way.

To sum up , up until now I managed to successfully overcome many times stress by

listening to my coach advices and think positive, let alone my psychologist that trained

me to exercise deep breathing techniques to reset my mind to positive ideas. I will

continue to challenge myself and train ad to always find ways the best ways to release

stress, stay confident positive and secure to control stress insecurity in my life.
REFERENCES

Bremner JD. Does Stress Damage the Brain? Under-standing Trauma-related Disorders from a

Mind-Body Perspective. W.W. Norton; New York: 2005.

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/work-stress

Levine S. Developmental determinants of sensitivity and resistance to stress.

https://isma.org.uk/about-stress/how-to-identify-stress
Psychoneuoendocrinology. 2005;30:290–296.