MODULE 5: COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE

ADOLESCENCE
I. STRESS
- emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension
- feeling one gets from prolonged, pent-up emotions
II. EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH STRESS
▪ Anxiety
▪ Pressure
▪ Misery
▪ Strain
▪ Desperation
▪ Tension
▪ Anger
▪ Panic
▪ Dejection
III. CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS
1. Everyday frustrations cause stress build-up
2. Problems in our personal life can be devastating
3. A common cause of stress is dealing with life’s transitions
IV. STRESS RESPONSE
- the collection of physiological changes that occur when you face a perceived threat—when you
face situations where you feel the demands outweigh your resources to successfully cope. These
situations are known as stressors.
- When your stress response is triggered, a series of changes occur within your body. They
include:
▪ Redirection of blood away from extremities and instead to major organs
▪ The release of cortisol and other hormones, which bring other short- and long-term
changes.
▪ The stress response is intended to give you a burst of energy so you’re able to fight off
attackers or run away from them effectively.
V. KEEP STRESS UNDER CONTROL
1. Understand the Causes of Stress
Understanding why you are under stress is important. This may seem obvious, but it requires
deliberate, conscious effort to pause and simply ponder your situation. By now, you are familiar
with the stress response, the emotional or physical symptoms of uncontrolled stress. Now you
need to try to discover the stressors, the factors of which create the stress in your life.
2. Analyze your Stress Factors and Write Them Down
Write down your response to stress. For example, you may write down, “I feel tired most of the
time. My lower back seems to ache all through the day and night. I miss deadlines and run
behind schedule.” Analyze stress responses and consequences, and consider each item, and ask
why. “Why am I feeling tired? Why does my back ache? Why do I run behind schedule?
Carefully consider each answer, because the answers will reveal stressors, such as deadlines,
anxieties, trying to do so much, managing time or money poorly, or poor health habits.
3. Deal with the Stressors
Develop techniques to deal with the causes of stress. The longer you avoid dealing with the
stress factors, the more the stress will build up. If tension comes because you have put off an
unfinished task, restructure your priorities so you can get the task that you have been avoiding
out of the way and off your mind.
4. Learn to Work under Pressure or Unusual Conditions
When you can’t reduce the stressors, you need to manage your stress response. Almost everyone,
at least at some point, has to meet deadlines, keep several jobs going at once, resolve problems
that come up, and do extra work when necessary. However, when the pressure mounts, you can
relieve it. Relaxation is key—but most people must train themselves to relax when the pressure is
on. Some tips to relax when under pressure are the following:
▪ Stop for a moment (especially when you feel your muscles tightening up) and take a few
deep breaths.
▪ Do a relaxing exercise. Swing your hands at your sides and stretch.
▪ Take a “power nap.” Lie down and totally relax for a few minutes.
▪ Find time to do the things you enjoy.
▪ Leave your study area for a while to take a brisk walk.
▪ Find a quiet place to read a magazine or novel during break or at lunch.
▪ If possible, look at some peaceful images such as forests, beaches, etc.
▪ These images can initiate a relaxation response.
▪ Look up.
▪ Keep something humorous on hand, such as a book of jokes.