MODULE 5:

Coping with Stress

in Middle and Late
Adolescence
•Stress is the body’s response to anything
that makes us feel threatened or
pressured. It is caused by any kind of
demand, to which we must adapt, adjust,
or respond. It is the body’s automatic way
of reacting to changes, challenges, and
demands placed on us.
Change STRESS Loss
Causes and Effects of Stress
• Anxiety
• Pressure
• Misery
• Strain
• Desperation
• Tension
• Anger
• Panic
• Rejection
•Everyday frustrations cause stress build-up

•Problems in our personal life can be

devastating

•A common cause of stress is dealing with

life’s transitions
 STRESS RESPONSE
• 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.
• This helped our ancestors, who faced numerous physical threats, to stay
safe.
• However, now our threats tend to be less physical and more associated
with our way of life—a challenge to our status, a demand for performance,
etc. In addition to giving us a set of changes that may not match our needs
as well (it might be more effective for us to have a burst of mental clarity or
wisdom than a burst of physical strength, for example), the stress response
can actually cause harm if it leads to a state of chronic stress—that is, if our
stress response is triggered, and then our body doesn’t go back to its
normal state via the relaxation response.
 BELLY BREATHING

•Deep breathing is a stress reduction strategy

that can be used in the present moment as
well as an excellent skill to master to more
effectively cope with future stressors.
 BELLY BREATHING

1. Stand straight with feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Relax your arms and hands.
3. Relax your body.
4. Close your eyes.
5. Focus on lower abdomen (belly) and imagine a
small balloon in that space.
6. Breath in slowly and deeply through nostrils,
imagining the balloon inflating (getting
bigger/larger/growing) slowly, hold a few seconds
 BELLY BREATHING

7. Slowly exhale through the mouth, imagining

the balloon gently deflating (getting smaller,
shrinking); blow out of the mouth as if blowing
out a candle
8. Tip: Place a hand over the lower abdomen to
feel it go up and down, and make sure you’re
not breathing with the chest
9. Repeat at least 10 times.
 KEEP STRESS UNDER CONTROL

•Understand the Causes of Stress

•Analyze your Stress Factors and Write Them
Down
•Deal with the Stressors
•Learn to Work under Pressure or Unusual
Conditions
 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.