Stress

 Todays Topic: Stress Management  Objectives: ◦ Students will be able to identify stressors in their life and create a stress management plan ◦ Students will be able to explain how stress affects the body and overall health of oneself.  Essential Question: ◦ How can stress affect your overall health?

How do you know when you are stressed?

Listening to your body closely is the best way to know if you are stressed.

 One way how to know if you are stressed is to examine how you are sleeping.  Another way how to know if you are stressed is if you are experiencing a variety of physical symptoms that are identified as stress related. ◦ stomach problems ◦ Headaches ◦ chest pains ◦ High blood pressure

 Stress is a term which refers to the consequences of the FAILURE of a human to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats, whether actual or imagined. emotionalphysical

◦ a. Eustressor- provides a welcome challenge. ◦ b. Distressor- perceived as negative; too much pressure to deal with.

 Internal Stressors- things you are doing to cause yourself stress.  a. Stress and Personality Type ◦ i. Type A Personality: characterized by high self - expectations, highly competitive, high achieving. Effects of stress: Type A Personalities bring stress on themselves but deal with stress well due to planning and organizing and working through the stress, thus relieving it. People with extreme Type A Personalities tend to develop heart disease or other significant health problems later in life.

 ii. Type B Personality: Characterized as laid - back, non - competitive. Effects of stress: Type B Personalities tend not to let day-to-day pressure affect them, but bring stress on themselves by not preparing for stressors through planning and organizing. They also tend to hold onto stress longer, leaving them open for stress-related disorders.

 External Stressors – things going on around you that are causing you stress.  a. Examples: siblings, coaches, homework, tests, lack of money, etc.  b. Life Events – things going on in your personal life causing you stress that you are unable to control.  i. Examples: parents’ divorce, death in the family, parent/sibling ill or dying, etc.

 The 2 major body systems involved that work in conjunction are the Nervous and the Endocrine.  The 3 stages of Stress Response are:  1. Alarm- the body and mind are in high alert; increases in Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Body Temperature, and sweating happen.

 2. Resistance- the body tries to repair damage from the stressful event and return to normal; physical resistance reaches its peak. Adrenaline is released.  Example: Fight or Flight Response– An adult lifts a car off of a trapped child to save his/her life.  3. Recovery or Exhaustion - if stress is dealt with or goes away, the body refuels and repairs; if stress is around too long, exhaustion occurs.

 1. Destructive Coping Mechanisms  a. result mostly in negative outcomes, damage relationships, create (not solve) problems; immediate/impulsive need fulfillment – short-term gain for long-term pain.  b. examples: smoking, drinking, drug use, hitting/breaking, verbal abuse, etc.  Stress Stress

 2. Constructive Coping Mechanisms 2. Constructive Coping Mechanisms  a. mostly positive outcomes, build relationships, solve problems productively; involve delayed gratification – short-term pain for long-term gain. a. mostly positive outcomes, build relationships, solve problems productively; involve delayed gratification – short-term pain for long-term gain.  b. 2 types: b. 2 types:  i. Proactive Coping – preventative coping; acting before stress to keep it from developing. i. Proactive Coping – preventative coping; acting before stress to keep it from developing.  ii. Reactive Coping – reacting as/after stress occurs. ii. Reactive Coping – reacting as/after stress occurs.  Examples: listening to music, cleaning, Examples: listening to music, cleaning, exercising,

 Managing stress is part of mental and physical health. Stress management is the ability to handle stress in healthy ways.

 Stress can be managed by regular exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques, structured time-outs, and learning new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives

 The first step to managing stress is recognizing that you are stressed

 Don’t ignore signs of stress! Stress will not just go away. Stress can lead to illness, depression, or unhealthy behavior.  Sometimes just talking about the stress makes the stressor seem less stressful.

 Plan Ahead – If you plan for stressors that may be coming you will be ready for them.  Plan For School – Look at your schedule to make sure you have time for everything. Then prioritize your tasks. To prioritize is to arrange items in order of importance  Plan For Anything – If your plan doesn’t seem to be working, ask someone for help. Find a person you trust and talk to them.

1. Get plenty of sleep 2. Exercise Regularly 3. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables 4. Set realistic Goals 5. Believe that every problem has a solution 6. Find something to Laugh about everyday 7. Treat other people with Respect

Identifying Stressors Directions:  Write intrinsic stressors in your life in the dotted, white bubbles at the top.  Write extrinsic stressors in your life in the gray bubbles at the bottom.  Put an “X” through any stressors that you cannot control.  Draw an arrow pointing to any stressor that you are not dealing with very well.

Identifying Stressors Intrinsic Stressors Extrinsic Stressors

Personal Stress Management Plan  Stressor:  Positive Effects:  Negative Effects:  How have you been dealing with it? Is it successful (Y/N)?

 New Stress Management Plan:  Stressor:  Positive Effects:  Negative Effects:  How have you been dealing with it? Is it successful (Y/N)?

 Using your “Identifying Stressors” activity, list the top 5 stressors in your life right now that you know you are not dealing with constructively.  Rank them in order of from most stressful to least stressful.  Write both positive and negative effects (if your stressor has both) that each has on your life.  Write how you have been dealing with each stressor & if you think this was successful.

 Meditation video Meditation video

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