STRESS

It is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental

equilibrium. In other words, it's an omnipresent part of life. A stressful event
can trigger the "fight-or-flight" response, causing hormones such as
adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body (SlideShare).

Aside from being a reaction (or response), stress is also a stimulus as

well as a relational condition between persons and the situations they are in
(Feist and Rosenberg 2012). Stress as a response is the way the body reacts
to challenging situations. This involves the interactions between the
hormones, glands, and nervous system, where the adrenal gland drives the
production of cortisol, better known as the "Stress hormone" (SlideShare).

Stress a Stimulus, Response, and Relational

Psychologists believe that small and sporadic amounts of stress can be

helpful and beneficial to individuals; however, excessive amounts of stress
sustained over a lengthy period of time can be destructive to both.

As STIMULUS, stress is caused by situations that may be life-threatening or

life-changing. This includes separating from loved ones, moving into a new
place, or having a new career. These situations or events are often called
stressors.

As a RESPONSE, the way the body reacts to challenging situations. This

involves the interactions between the hormones, glands, and nervous system
where the adrenal gland drives the production of cortisol or better known
as "stress hormone," Norepinephrine triggers the body's reaction, such as
increasing the heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, to prepare the body
for action (SlideShare).

As RELATIONAL. When a person experiencing stress takes a step back to

look at the situation causing the stress and assesses it.

Assessment is when the person allows reasoning to prevail and weighs the
relevance or irrelevance of the situation(Positive and Negative Relevance).

Healthy stress is stress that can motivate, energize, and spur an individual
into fruitful action. For example, speaking in front of an audience, stage
performers, competing in sports. Bad stress can be transformed into good
stress depending on how an Individual assesses the situation.

Two Sources of Stress

1. The first is External Stressors; this come from the

outside, like situations, people, and experiences.
2. The next one is Internal Stressors. These come from
within you, such as thoughts that cause you to feel afraid,
uncertainties about the future, lack of control over
 situations, and even your personal beliefs, which include
your own expectations.

Possible Stressors a High School Student Faces

2. School Demands and Expectations

3. Selecting a school, college course, or career
4. Separation anxiety
5. College Life
6. Romantic relationships, or lack of it
7. Family demands and expectations
8. Health Concerns
9. Demands of social life

Health Problems in Adolescents

1. Here are some samples of health problems among

adolescents:
2. Irregular menstrual cycle.
3. Undernutrition
4. Unprotected sex & unwanted pregnancy/unplanned
pregnancy
5. Risk of pregnancy in adolescents
6. Acquiring STD's

Everyday frustrations cause stress build-up.

From the time you wake up until you go to sleep, you may be
confronted with a succession of stressful situations. Managing to 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. Driving to school or work can
be harrowing – especially if you're running late. You may experience
frustration in 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. If part of your job is selling, you may
experience feelings of rejection when most of your customers say "no."

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 stressful day and another night without rest, you may have even less
emotional strength and stability. Therefore, stress build-up, if not resolved,
continues day after day.

9 Reasons why you fail in school

Young people don't plan to fail in college. Yet, for some reason, many
parents and students ask the same question.
 1. Wrong Priorities.
2. You go to school for the wrong reasons and/or select the wrong
major/degree.
3. Your skills do not match your chosen major/degree.
4. You cannot assume responsibility.
5. Family problems
6. Procrastination. You always delay something, ending up not doing
anything at all.
7. Poor attendance.
8. Poor time Management such as tardiness
9. Unwillingness to pursue a field of study.

How does stress affect the body?

1. Body – Headaches, Frequent infections, Taut muscles,

muscular twitches, fatigue, skin irritations,
breathlessness.
2. Mind – Worrying, muddled thinking, impaired judgment,
nightmares, indecisions, negativity, hasty decisions.
3. Emotions – Loss of confidence, fussier, irritability,
depression, apathy, alienation, apprehension.
4. Behavior – Accident Prone, loss of appetite, loss of sex
drive, drinking more alcohol, insomnia, restlessness,
smoking more cigarettes

Problems in our personal lives can be devastating.

Surviving the normal and everyday stress described above can be

difficult. But far more serious and painful circumstances can create long-term
stress. More serious stressful circumstances may include separation from
loved ones, personal illness, or illness of a loved one, death of someone you
care about, or conflict with a spouse or close friend. Other major causes of
stress are problems with drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, care of
children and elderly relatives, chronic mental illness, injury, physical
handicaps, and even moving to a new home if you've lived in the same place
for more than ten years. The list goes on and on.

Managing your personal finances can be another stressful experience.

This can be a problem no matter what your income level, but it is especially
difficult if you must support a family and do not earn enough to live
comfortably. Unpaid bills, unwise use of credit, and budget limitations can
make life difficult.

A common cause of stress is dealing with life's transitions.

This is especially true when a person must cope with too many transitions all
at once. For example, Ellen has just completed a program in fashion
merchandising. She is eager to get started on her new job. Her mother is ill
and requires care. Her father died a few months ago. Ellen's new job requires
that she relocate to a town 100 miles from home. They move, a new career,
and a change in family relationships may cause excessive stress for her. Too
many changes have arrived at the same time.

STRESS RESPONSE

Your stress response is the collection of physiological changes that

happen when you face a perceived threat. This is when you face situations
where you feel the demands outweigh your resources to successfully cope
with them. These situations are known as stressors.

When your stress response is triggered, a series of changes occur

within your body. They include:

2. Redirection of blood away from extremities and instead to major

organs
3. The release of cortisol and other hormones which brings other
short- and long-term changes.
4. The stress response is intended to give you a burst of energy so
you're able to fight off attackers or run away from them
effectively.
5. This helped our ancestors, who faced numerous physical
threats, to stay safe (Scott, 2020).

However, now, our threats tend to be less physical and more

associated with our way of life—a challenge to our status, a demand for
performance, etc. In addition to giving us a set of changes that may not match
our needs as well (it might be more effective for us to have a burst of mental
clarity or wisdom than a burst of physical strength, for example), the stress
response can actually cause harm if it leads to a state of chronic stress—that
is, if our stress response is triggered, and then our body doesn't go back to its
normal state via the relaxation response (Scott, 2020).

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 to survive the emotional
downtimes without 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.
Here are some suggestions that may help.

Understanding why you are stressed is critical. To do so, it requires

deliberate, conscious effort to pause and simply think about 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.
 Develop techniques to deal with the causes of stress. The longer you
avoid dealing with the stress factors, 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.

Coping

A very important mechanism in dealing with stress. It helps in avoiding

the damages that may be brought about by severe or chronic stress to health
and well-being. Coping can be problem-focused when remedies or solutions
are thought of to change the situation to lessen the stress.

According to Feist and Rosenberg (2012), Coping is Emotion-Focused,

when the objective is to lessen the emotional impact caused by a stressful
situation.
Coping / Stress-reduction Methods

1. Conduct creative imagery of the problem

2. Seek group or social support
3. Get into relaxation activities like breathing exercises, meditation, yoga,
reading a good book, listening to music, etc.
4. Relate to a situation where you can feel more relaxed, like a
quiet environment or a comfortable position.
5. Learn to manage your time.
6. Eat properly by selecting nutritious, healthy food

Deal with the Stressors

Develop techniques to deal with the causes of stress. The longer you
avoid dealing with the stress factors, 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.

When you can't reduce the stressors, you need to manage your stress
response. Almost everyone, at least at some point, has 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.

Some tips to relax when under pressure are the following:

6. Stop for a moment (especially when you feel your muscles

tightening up) and take a few deep breaths.
7. Do a relaxing exercise. Stretch and swing your hands at your
sides.
8. Take a power nap. Lie down and relax for a few minutes.
9. Find time to do the things you love and enjoy.
10. Take a walk.
11. Read a magazine or novel during your break time. It is important
to find a quiet place so you may focus.
12. If possible, look at some peaceful images such as forests,
beaches, etc. These images can initiate a relaxation response.