Quarter 2 – Lesson 1

Coping with Stress in

Middle and Late
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Adolescence
 OBJECTIVES

describe demonstrate
identify causes some open-
and effects of activities
C mindedness in
stress in one’s that can dealing with
life; manage people who
stress; experience stress
 LET’S BEGIN

Stress is the body’s response to anything that makes us feel

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threatened or pressured. It is caused by any 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.
 Keep Stress Under
Control
There are many effective ways to handle stress. Of course, you can’t avoid stress—in fact, you
wouldn’t want to avoid all stress, because you’d never grow

However, you can manage your life so that you survive the emotional downtimes without
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allowing stress to engulf you. Also, you can work to eliminate controllable stress factors, such
as running late or not getting enough sleep

But when stress is constant or too great, your

wisest option is to find ways to reduce or control
it. You need not, and should not, live your life in
emotional stress and discomfort. Stress can be
successfully managed
 Ways to Eliminate Stress:

1. Understand the Causes of Stress

Understanding why you are under C 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 that create the stress in your life.
 2. Analyze your Stress Factors and Write Them
Down

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 behindC
schedule.” Analyze stress
responses and consequences, 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,C 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
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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
 Tips to relax under pressure:

1. Stop for a moment (especially when you feel your muscles tightening up)
and take a few deep breaths.
2. Do a relaxing exercise. Swing your hands at your sides and stretch.
3. Take a “power nap.” Lie down
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and relax for a few minutes.
4. Find time to do the things you enjoy.
5. Leave your study area for a while to take a brisk walk.
6. Find a quiet place to read a magazine or novel during break or at lunch.
7. If possible, look at some peaceful images such as forests, beaches, etc.
These images can initiate a relaxation response.
8. Look up.
9. Keep something humorous on hand, such as a book of jokes
 Stress Management
Stress and change are part of our lives. We all talk about stress, but we are
not always clear about what it is. This is because stress comes from both the
good and bad things that happen to us. If we did not feel any stress, we would
not be motivated to do anything.
Too much stress, however, can negatively impact our mental wellness. It also
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may put students at greater risk of becoming involved in risk-taking behaviors.
In senior high, students are becoming increasingly more responsible for their
use of time.
Often, they are beginning to learn how to manage multiple tasks and
expectations e.g., academic work, extra-curricular activities, family, friends,
and work. Learning how to prioritize tasks and breaking them down into
manageable steps are important skills to learn for managing stress.
 Causes and Effects of Stress
1. Anxiety
2. Pressure
3. Misery
4. Strain C

5. Desperation
6. Tension
7. Anger
8. Panic
9. Dejection
Effects of Prolonged Stress
1. Devastating
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2. Burnout
3. Breakdown
4. Depression
 Everyday frustrations cause stress buildup
1. From the time you wake up until you go to sleep, you may be
confronted with a succession of stressful situations. Managing to
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get yourself (and possibly a spouse and children) out of bed and
ready to face the day can be a challenge to your patience and
ingenuity.
 2. Driving to school or work can be harrowing –
especially if you are running late. You may
experience frustration inC arranging to get the car
repaired. You may face conflicts in school or at work,
such as coping with unrealistic deadlines, equipment
failures, or unexpected bad weather.
 3. A series of stressful and frustrating experiences
throughout the day can cause you to lie awake at
night in emotional turmoil – unable to get needed
rest. You face the next day with less emotional and
physical stamina. After another
C stressful day and
another night without rest, you may have even less
emotional strength and stability. Therefore, stress
buildup, if not resolved, continues day after day.
 Stress Response
Your stress response is the collection of physiological changes
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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 the following:
1. Redirection of blood away from extremities and instead to major
organs.
2. The release of cortisol and other hormones, bring other short and
long-termCchanges.
3. The stress response is intended to give you a burst of energy so you
can fight off attackers or run away from them effectively.
4. This helped our ancestors, who faced numerous physical threats, to
stay safe.
Direction: We all have certain things, situations,
or people that cause us to lose our composure
from time to time. Determine what causes stress
for you by completing this activity. When you
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begin to identify your stressors, you can
become skilled at preventing negative
consequences. Place an X next to each factor
that causes you stress. There are blank spaces
provided so you can add your own. Write your
answer in your journal.
 What causes stress for you?
 Friends, peer pressure, teasing, bullying
 Relationships with parents
 Expectations
 Dating
 Responsibilities
 Appearance/self-esteem
 Tests, homework
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 Divorce/separation
 Time pressure
 Employment
 Lack of money
 Language barriers
 Transportation
 Abuse/violence
 Sexual orientation
 Other:
What are your emotional symptoms?
 Feeling mentally drained
 Increased indecision
 Feeling tense
 Lack of ability to feel enjoyment
 Increased irritability
 Crying
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 Fear of failure
 Feeling angry
 Pessimistic
 Feeling helpless
 Feeling anxious/worried
 Other:
 Feeling sad and depressed
What are your behavioral symptoms?
 Increase smoking, alcohol, and drug use
 Withdrawal from people
 Backache
 Accident proneness
 Absent-mindedness
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 Uncalled for aggression
 Inability to relax
 Insomnia
 Impatient
 Boredom
 Reduced humor
 Other:
 Stress Survival Kit

People deal with stress differently. Survival kits are essential to

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prepare before a crisis. Sometimes, we also need to prepare
survival kits for stressful situations, before they happen. In this
performance task, you will be making your survival kits that will
help cope with stress in your everyday lives.
1. Choose 3 objects or symbols that make you feel
relaxed to include in your kit.
 You can makeC symbols.
You can use words or pictures.
 You can use an object from your home .