Stress

Stress Stress – is your body’s response to changes around you. Types of Stress : Positive stress- stress that helps you to accomplish and reach your goals.(when you feel excited or challenged, makes you more alert and focused.) Distress or Negative Stress – is stress that keeps from doing what you need to do or causes discomfort.( stress that holds you back) Stressors – are the triggers of stress.(stressors can take the form of events, people, places, and objects)

Causes of stress in young people Relationships with other people can result in stressful emotions. Major causes of stress: Death of a loved one (parent, sibling, grandparent, or other close relative) Separation or Divorce When a parent start to date again or get remarried Parent loses a job Illness in the family Birth of a sibling, or gaining step brother or sister Other causes of stress: Test Projects Speeches Performances Dating/relationships Social activities (sports, clubs, etc..)

Effects of Stress Lowers the body’s resistance to illness Headaches Indigestion Sleeping problems Ulcers Heart Disease High Blood Pressure Fatigue Depression

The Fight or Flight Response When your body responds to a stressor, certain physical reactions occur. More blood to brain and muscles Your heart beats faster Your muscles tighten up and are ready for action Your senses sharpen. You become more alert. Your air passages widen so that you can take in more air. The level of sugar in your blood increases, which gives you extra energy.

Adrenaline Adrenaline increases the level of sugar in your blood which gives your body extra energy. At times of extreme stress, adrenaline helps the body perform amazing acts, such as lifting automobiles to rescue people who are trapped under them. Normally, such acts are not possible. But the body’s response to stress sometimes supplies it with amazing power.

Defense Mechanisms The fight –or –Flight response is your body’s reaction to stress. Your mind also react to stress. These reactions are called defense mechanisms. Defense Mechanisms – are short term ways of dealing with stress. Defense mechanisms allow you to set aside a certain amount of stress until you are better able to face the problem and deal with it. Denial- is a refusal to accept reality Rationalization – is justifying behavior, ideas, or feelings to avoid guilt or to obtain approval or acceptance. Repression – is blocking out unpleasant thoughts. Displacement – is having bad feelings toward someone not really related to the cause of the problem. Projection – is blaming someone else for your problem.

Ways to Manage Stress Stress can affect your physical, mental, emotional, and social health. That is why it is important to develop effective coping skills, or ways of dealing with and overcoming problems. Here are some coping strategies that can help you manage stress. Eat nutritious food Get enough sleep Relax Maintain a positive outlook Be physically active Manage your time (plan, Schedule, prioritize, and seek help) Talk Do something you enjoy Laugh

Depression A mental illness that affects a person’s moods is called a mood disorder. Depression is a mood disorder in which a person is extremely sad and hopeless for a long time. The following behaviors can be signs of depression : Not being able to enjoy daily activities Sleeping either more or less than normal Overeating or not having an appetite Feeling tired or lacking energy Moving slowly or being unable to sit still Having difficulty concentrating or making decisions Using alcohol or other drugs Feeling guilty, irritable, or hopeless without cause Thinking about death or hurting oneself If you think someone you know is depressed, you should find help immediately!!! The most dangerous part of depression is the possibility of suicide. Suicide – is the act of killing oneself