1. STRESS Health 7

2. WHAT IS STRESS?  Stress is physical, mental, or emotional strain in your life.  Certain situations or experiences cause people stress (but what is stressful to one person may not be stressful to another).  Happy events, such as going to summer camp, can be stressful.  Unhappy events, such as moving to a new place, can also be stressful.

3. SOURCES OF STRESS  Situations and feelings that cause you to feel stress are called stressors.  Stressors come from many different sources in our lives.  Physical stressors  Adolescent stressors  Imaginary stressors  Mental stressors  Boredom  Crisis  Changes

4. PHYSICAL STRESSORS  Being deprived of food, shelter, and warmth  Injury or illness  Pollution  Noise  Crowded conditions

5. ADOLESCENT STRESSORS  The process of growing and changing  Dealing with new teachers  Having family problems  Managing school work  Issues with friends  Need for independence

6. IMAGINARY STRESSORS  Thinking about a situation or even that has not happened, like an upcoming class presentation, or fear of an illness.  Butterflies in the stomach  Skin rashes  Stomach aches  Symptoms usually disappear soon after the even has occurred, or once the illness is proven not to exist

7. MENTAL STRESSORS  Holding yourself to high standards  Attempting to meet parents’ expectations  Concern about performance in school  Trying to please other people  Feeling misunderstood by others

8. BOREDOM  Not feeling challenged causes boredom  Can lead to depression

9. CRISIS  When something terrible occurs without warning  Death in family  Parents’ divorce  A fire  An accident  Serious illness

10. CHANGES  Going to a new school  Moving to a new home or city  Parents getting remarried  Birth of a sibling  Going on a first date

11. HEALTHY STRESS  The right amount of stress can be healthy and beneficial if it is managed properly.  Stress can inspire you to do better on a test, for example.  If you are worried about doing poorly, the stress will cause you to study more and work harder.  You will get a better grade as a result.  Another example is when stress helps you reach a goal.  If you have an upcoming hockey game against a strong team, you may feel stressed about it.  This will motivate you to practice harder, or play harder, which can help your team win.

12. UNHEALTHY STRESS  If stress remains for a long period of time, and is not managed properly, it can be unhealthy and harmful.  Your body starts to experience the effects of stress:  Headaches  Muscle pains  Sleeplessness  Minor illnesses such as cold, flu, or indigestion  Serious illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or stomach ulcers  Poor eating habits  Poor health habits, such as smoking, drinking, and using drugs

13. DEALING WITH STRESS  You can never completely avoid stress in your life. The secret is to learn to control it.  Once you accept the things you cannot change, and work hard at the things you can change, you are better able to cope with stress.  To prevent the unhealthy effects of stress, you must figure out how to relieve or reduce stress levels.  There are strategies that can help you cope with stress better.

14. PHYSICAL STRATEGIES  Maintain your health (exercise, eat well, get enough sleep)  Learn to relax (get a hobby, have a warm bath, try relaxation techniques)

15. MENTAL STRATEGIES  Think positive thoughts (focus on your strengths, think about what you’ve done well)  Organize your time (sort your tasks from most important to least important, do one step at a time, give yourself enough time to get things done)  Value yourself (don’t blame yourself when things do not go well, learn from your mistakes, do not try to be perfect)  Plan and think ahead (make plans to deal with stressful situations, have a plan B, compromise)  Express your feelings (laugh, cry)

16. SOCIAL STRATEGIES  Communicate with people (compliment someone, discuss your problems with a trustworthy person, help someone)  Seek new activities (pursue new hobbies and interests, plan something fun to do, spend time with different people)

17.  Case study – page 114-115  Read and discuss questions 1 and 2  In-class assignment