STRESS ● Stressors lead to stress response or the body’s

● It is a reaction of the body and mind to unkind or reactions to stress which help bring balance.
challenging life incidents such as tense feelings, worry,
and discomfort. ACUTE STRESS
● It is also the imbalance between the demand from the ● The most common form arises from recent, past, and
environment and the person’s ability to cope can trigger foreseen difficulties.
feelings of anxiety. ● It occurs briefly and appears in bits of thrill.
● Some responses like being irritated, frightened, or
anxious can cause headaches or stomach ache. CUMULATIVE STRESS
● Most people consider stress as a negative experience ● Is a series of stress that has built up.
but this is not always the case; it can be also positive. ● Cumulative stress results from an accumulation of
● The enhancing influence on our productivity and various stress factors such as a heavy workload, poor
satisfaction is called eustress, while the harmful communications, the frustration of not being able to
physical consequence of stress is called distress. meet the beneficiaries' needs, having to cope with
situations in which you feel powerless, lack of basic
EUSTRESS comforts, and inability to rest or relax.
● Positive stress is beneficial in attaining the best
performance. CHRONIC STRESS
● Positive stress promotes growth and accomplishments ● Is a form of stress that is recurring. It is prolonged
and stimulates you to go on. stress that is dangerous and can lead to severe health
problems.
DISTRESS
● Negative stress often causes poor performance. There are different sources of stress, which range from
life-threatening events like being late to class. Some of these
The perception of stress as positive or negative varies from includes:
person to person. One event might elicit a positive response to 1. Major Life Changes. The majority of stressors are key
someone while it could be negative to another person. life changes that influence an individual’s family and
social life.
Causes of Stress 2. Everyday Problems. The stress or hassle we
STRESSOR encounter every day or occasional petty incidents is
● Is an event or a situation that causes situations, which part of this group.
are seen as risks to the well-being of a person.
 3. Physical Surroundings. The immediate surroundings ● Drug or alcohol abuse
affect the level of day to day stress. ● Tobacco use
4. Other stressors. Other stressors involving teenagers ● Social withdrawal
include worrying about their future, conflicts, and ● Exercising less often
disagreements with my family members, friends, and
other people, among others.

Examples of Sources of Stress

● The death of a loved one
● Divorce
● Loss of a job
● Increase in financial obligations
● Getting married
● Moving to a new home
● Chronic illness or injury
● Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief,
guilt, low self-esteem)
● Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
● Traumatic events, such as a natural disaster, theft, General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
rape, or violence against you or a loved one. ● How our body responds to stress is based on the
theory of Hans Selye.
Common Effects of Stress on your Body ● It has a three-stage process namely:
● Headache
● Muscle tension or pain 1. Alarm Stage
● Chest pain ● Refers to the initial symptoms that our body
● Fatigue experiences when under stress.
● Stomach upset ● You may be familiar with the “fight-or- flight”
● Sleep problems response, which is a physiological response to
stress.
Common Effects of Stress on your Behavior ● Prepares you to either flee or protect yourself in
● Overeating or undereating dangerous situations.
● Angry outbursts
 2. Resistance Stage Exercise has also been known to help secret feel-good
● Is the process where the stress is being hormones called endorphins, which help the body relax.
resolved after meeting its demands then the
body goes back to normal afterward. 4. Use relaxation in coping with stress.
Numerous types of relaxation methods can be done to counter
3. Exhaustion Stage the adverse effects of stress. Some of these are progressive
● Develops when stress recurs until it becomes relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, and creative
chronic and reaches this final stage. visualization.
● Stress level peaks and plateaus then develop a. Progressive relaxation uses the body's feedback
health risks that cause high blood pressure, mechanism in reducing muscle tension, a common
stomach, and heart problems. indicator of stress. It is essential to learn and practice
exercise that can relax tense muscles.
STRESS MANAGEMENT b. Deep breathing tells the brain to calm down and relax,
1. Manage Stressors. relieving the stress.
An important approach to minimize stress is to lessen c. Meditation is a technique that temporarily "tunes out"
stressors. Stressors cannot be eliminated but they can be the world, disregards outside disturbances, and
avoided. Being burdened with too much work could be provides inner peace. A relaxed physical and mental
prevented by prioritizing and time management. Refrain from state wipes out accumulated stress.
unnecessary matters and focus on the important ones. d. Visualization (creative imagery) uses imagination to
relax and reduce stress (e.g., creating a pleasing
2. Rest and Sleep. image in your mind).
A very helpful way of reducing stress and relieving tension is
having a good amount of rest and sleep. Grown-ups normally COPING WITH STRESS
need seven to nine hours of comfortable sleep every night. It Coping is defined as the "capacity to respond and recover
also helps taking a 15-to 30-minute daytime nap. Stress and from something stressful" (WHO 1999).
exhaustion are best countered by a sound and relaxed body.
Coping is the conscious response to psychological stress to
3. Exercise. balance mental and emotional conditions. Stressors are
Exercising naturally relieves the body from the effects of commonly labeled as negative incidents in life, like loss of a
stress. An aerobic workout stimulates hormones, wears down family member or loved ones, separation, and loss of a job.
tight muscles, and gives a nicely tired but stress-free condition. However, there are also positive life changes like birth,
marriage, and finding a new job. Both positive and negative
incidents need coping skills that will accommodate these ● Using adrenaline-raised energy for simple tasks like
changes in life. These include how to behave, thinking of cleaning the house or the car redirects how the body
ideas, and controlling emotions in order to minimize or tolerate reacts to stress.
stressful events. ● Being at ease lying or sitting down while emptying the
mind with upsetting ideas, listening to gentle music, or
COPING STRATEGIES imagining being a quiet place can relieve stress.
People use various coping styles to counter stress but its ● Having a good laugh with friends and family, watching
effectiveness depends on the situation and the individual. different movies, or going to funny places after a
Coping can be adaptive or maladaptive. Adaptive coping stressful day.
involves direct confrontation and prevention of stress while
maladaptive coping is a counterproductive mechanism that Here are some specific coping strategies that you can
includes the use of alcohol and drugs. adopt:
● Humor. Look at the funny side of a problem. " Positive
Research differentiates coping styles into broad categories reframing " is believed to relieve small flops.
depending on which part of stress response is targeted (i.e,. ● Seek Support. During a stressful event, support from
stressor, emotional response). For instance, problem-solving family members or friends keeps emotional health
or instrumental coping focuses on approaches that tackle the balanced.
problem to reduce stress of a particular situation, whereas ● Problem-solving. It is a helpful mechanism that aims
emotion-focused coping deals with nurturing the emotional to pinpoint the source of the problem and determine
health through the stressful period . Likewise, coping is solutions. This is often helpful in work conditions.
classified as active or avoidant. Active coping strategies ● Relaxation. Unwinding events or calming skills help
comprise the recognition of the stressor to lessen its adverse manage stress and enhance overall coping.
consequences while avoidant coping strategies ignore the ● Physical recreation. Regular exercises like yoga,
issue or deny the problem. Examples of avoidant coping mediation, and muscle relaxation are helpful in
include alcohol intoxication, sleep, and isolation. handling stress.
● Adjusting expectations. Accepting different results of
● Time management requires planning a schedule ahead situations in life may help in adjusting the stress
and sticking with it. This helps in avoiding cramming associated with any given change or outcome.
and things piling up. Success in planning builds ● Venting. An expressing-type of coping technique by
self-respect. voicing out strong sentiments with friends or family.
● Sharing and talking about problems with someone–a Moderate venting can be beneficial but pondering the
friend, teacher, or family member–to relieve stress. negative may end up in edgy relations over time.