QR CODE II.

UNIT II, LESSON 1

Coping with Stress in Middle and Late Adolescence

ELICIT
What do you know about stress?

ENGAGE
For fun, try taking a stress test using this website and share the results with your classmates during class
discussion. Visit the following websites (both websites accessed on August 17, 2021):
Test your Stress at BeMindfulOnline https://www.bemindfulonline.com/test-your-stress/ or
How Stressed Are You Stress Test at PsychCentral https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/stress-test/

EXPLORE
DEFINING STRESS
Stress is defined as a reaction of the mind and body to a stimulus that disturbs the well-being, state of
calm, or equilibrium of a person. There is a common belief that stress is unhealthy, but discussions among
experts conclude that this is not entirely the case. Psychologists have agreed that small and sporadic amounts
of stress can be helpful and beneficial to individuals, while excessive amounts of stress sustained over a
lengthy period of time can be destructive to both physical and mental health. There are several points of view
about stress.

Stress as Stimulus, Response, and Relational

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).
As a stimulus, stress is caused by situations that may be life-threatening
or life-changing, such as separation, moving into a new home, or having a
new job. These situations or events are often called stressors.
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.” The production of cortisol enables a person’s body to produce the energy
it needs to gear it toward action. Another response of the body similar to the production of cortisol is the
release of a substance called norepinephrine, which triggers the body’s reaction, such as an increased heart
rate, higher blood pressure, and respiration, to prepare the body for action.

LESSON 1 COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE 1

 The adolescent’s physical response to stress is faster than that of an adult simply because the part of the
adolescent’s brain, the prefrontal cortex, that assesses danger and directs action during stress, is not yet fully
developed.
Prolonged or chronic situations that involve both cortisol and norepinephrine will eventually affect the
body to wear down fast. This is why prolonged or chronic stress often causes fatigue, aging, and illness caused
by a low immune system.
Stress as relational is when a person experiencing stress takes a step back to look at the situation that is
causing the stress, and assesses it. Assessment here means that when the person allows reasoning to prevail
and weigh the relevance or irrelevance of the situation. If the relevance is positive, the person will look at the
situation in a more positive light. If the relevance is negative, this will produce negative emotions that may
lead to stress. An example of this is a flight delay. A positive relevance to this will have the person thinking
this is one situation he has no control of, and there may be a purpose or reason it is happening. A negative
relevance will produce agitation and impatience, blaming the airline or whoever is responsible for the delay,
which may result in lost opportunities.

Image adapted from How Stress Hurts | Mental Health America (mhanational.org) accessed on January 25, 2021

2 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
 GAS is the three-stage process that describes the physiological changes the body goes through when
under stress. Hans Selye, a medical doctor and researcher, came up with the theory of GAS.
What is General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)? Written by Valencia Higuera and updated on October
6, 2018. Accessed on August 17, 2021 at https://www.healthline.com/health/general-adaptation-
syndrome

Healthy Stress
There are certain types of stress that can benefit a
person, such as stress that is short and sporadic, which can
propel a person to necessary action. These types of stress can
motivate, energize, and spur an individual into fruitful action.
For example, speaking in front of an audience is a healthy
type of stress as it pushes the speaker to prepare and be an
effective speaker. Stage performers are also under stress
while performing, and this same stress may bring out their
best performances. Other types of healthy stress would be
competing in sports. Healthy stress can propel the competing
individual to perform better.
Bad stress can be transformed into good stress depending on how an individual assesses the situation.
Adolescent students, who are in constant stressful situations particularly related to schoolwork and
relationships, should learn some coping mechanisms to assist them in their development toward a healthy
adult life.

(Refer to Activity 3 of the Exercises.)

Not all stresses are bad.
Watch this video How to Make Stress Your Friend by Kelly McGonigal posted on June, 2013 at TED.
com and accessed on August 18, 2021 at https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_
stress_your_friend

KNOWING YOUR STRESSORS

What are the usual stressors of middle and late adolescents? The Mayo Clinic in the United States
identified two sources of stressors as external and internal source. External stressors are those that come
outside of you, like situations, people, and experiences. Internal stressors are those coming from within you,
like thoughts that you have that caused you to feel fearful, uncertainties about the future, lack of control over
situations, and even your personal beliefs, which include your own expectations. On the next page are some
samples of possible stressors a high school student faces.
LESSON 1 COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE 3
School Demands and Expectations
Quizzes and tests, homework and projects, oral recitation, quarterly
and final exams, and grades most especially, epitomize the kind of stressors
adolescents have when it comes to studying.
Although grades are not the only gauge of what one has learned, it is
what the educational system relies on when trying to measure one’s learning
capacity. Graduating senior high school students feel the stress more than
any other year level. The question that lingers on their minds is whether one
will graduate on time or not. Is it not that senior high school students are
expected to graduate like all the rest? Apparently, academic failure for most
students is never an option. How can one cope with this?

Selecting a School, College Course, or Career

Related to the first stressor mentioned is the
situation of what will happen after graduation. A
high school student who just graduated faces more
demanding challenges, and the first of these are the
college entrance exams and the course that they will
choose. Deciding on what course to take up in college
is another stressor that is similar to taking an entrance
examination. Oftentimes, senior high school graduates
have gone through several aptitude tests conducted by
their guidance offices to help them define what their
interests are, their inclinations, and what probable
college course fits their interests. Schools also
organize career talks given by professionals to provide
the graduating high school student some ideas on the
practical applications of what they learned in college
and how these are relevant to their chosen career. There is a need for more relevant information describing
jobs and the kind of skills they entail to help high school graduates understand how their skills will be matched
with their choice of work.

Separation Anxiety
High school graduation, to some, means a temporary ending or separation from some of their friends.
There is a possible scenario that a best friend might move to another place to study or move to another
school. Technology might ease the pain of separation by simply going online, texting, or calling to get an
instant connection with someone who is sorely missed.

College Life
The prospect of being by themselves in a new school in college and meeting and adjusting to new people
is another cause of stress for graduating senior students. The unfamiliarity of a new environment can bring
stress to adolescents as they set foot in college.

4 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Romantic Relationships or the Lack of It
Adolescents have a tendency to feel awkward when they are not in a special relationship with someone.
Somehow, being in a romantic relationship is perceived as an affirmation of one’s attractiveness. This
perception can bring unwanted pressure and stress to an adolescent who has a need to prove that he or she
is worthy enough to belong to someone.

Family Demands and Expectations

To some adolescents, family ties can be a
stressor. The adolescent is still learning and yearning
for independence and autonomy, but parents may
not be ready to relinquish control over their “baby.”
This is why conflict sets in.
There is also rebellion in the mind of adolescents,
to go against the norm and to set their own norms
that may not be agreeable to the parents.
There are still some parents who think they know better than their children and so they decide for them
on critical issues. An example is what course to take in college. Parents who believe that there is no future in
music or designing careers can discourage a highly creative and sensitive adolescent who may wish to take up
music or designing arts. Encouraging an adolescent to take up another course, like the one that may be similar
to one or both parents, for example, medicine, usually happens.
Parental expectations are difficult to meet, especially if these counter one’s self-identity. What options
does an adolescent have in dealing with this?

Health Concerns
To some adolescents, health may be a problem. Health problems may run a gamut of varieties, such
as unwanted pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted diseases, and
unhealthy lifestyles such as poor eating and sleeping habits that often lead to lifetime diseases, can be sources
of unwanted stress.

Demands of Social Life

There is a common thinking among adolescents that it is embarrassing to be alone. That is why the need
to belong is important for adolescents.
Forming groups or joining one makes an adolescent feel safe and secure, because to belong to a social
group is an affirmation that they are “okay,” and, therefore, acceptable to others. But how does one become
a part of a social group?
In order to become part of a group, the individual has to have common interests with the other members
of the group like being in the honors’ list or having common extracurricular interests, such as acting, singing,
dancing, or sports. In some cases, stressful group pressure sets in when an individual is faced with the challenge
to belong and be part of the group by going through some form of ritual, like experimenting with drugs or
alcohol, or even with sex. An adolescent with a strong self-concept and self-esteem should be able to discern
what is good for them when selecting their social groups.

LESSON 1 COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE 5

Being in Conflict with Someone
Conflict happens whenever there is social interaction—whether it
is at home, in school, in a small group, or in the neighborhood. Being in
a conflict situation can be very draining and cause much stress between
two parties regardless of whether they are in physical proximity with each
other or in cyberspace. There are many possible ways to deal with conflict.
What is important is for the conflict not to escalate but resolved as soon
as possible, because the stress experienced by the parties in conflict can
affect other areas of their lives.

Bullying
Being bullied in school can be very stressful and may cause emotional and psychological trauma to the
individual experiencing it. Many schools are aware of the presence of bullying and have policies dealing with
it. If you are being bullied, either physically or verbally, report this to your teacher, the school principal, and
your parents. Some individuals learn to deal with bullying by fighting back using the right attitude and the
right words. There are bullies around because it is often believed that they have problems either at home or
with themselves, and lacking of psychological and social support from their love ones.

What Kids Who Bully Often Have In Common by Caroline Bologna posted on August 29, 2019 and
updated on August 30, 2019 accessed on August 18, 2021 at HuffPost website https://www.huffpost.
com/entry/bullies-common-characteristics_l_5d668b39e4b063c341f8e4ba
So Your Kid Bullied Someone. Now What? By Catherine Pearson posted on August 23, 2019 and
updated on August 28, 2019 accessed on August 18, 2021 at HuffPost website https://www.huffpost.
com/entry/what-to-do-if-your-kid-bullies-someone_l_5d5f333de4b02cc97c8b3bcb

COPING WITH STRESS

By now you have learned that stress can either be good or bad, depending on how this is affecting you
and how you are allowing it to affect you. What is important is to know what stresses you and identifying your
stress situations or stressors. Once you have identified these, check yourself and see how you are reacting or
relating to the stressor. Is your body tense? Are you sleepless? It is important to acknowledge these reactions
and any feelings or emotions that arise within you. Avoid denying about your situation by saying you are okay
when you really are not.
Coping is a very important mechanism in dealing with stress. It can help in avoiding the damages that
may be brought about by severe or chronic stress to your health and well-being. Coping can be problem-
focused, when remedies or solutions are thought of to change the situation to lessen the stress, or emotion-
focused, when the objective is to lessen the emotional impact caused by the stressful situation (Feist and
Rosenberg 2012).

6 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
 Coping may also be a combination of both problem-focused and emotion-focused remedies. Here are
some examples as illustrated above:
• Conduct creative imagery of the problem – Look at the stressor as a relational situation where you can
assess and change the way you look at the stressful situation. For example, if you worry about passing a
test or an exam, rather than fret or worry about it, you should study well. Then imagine yourself being
able to correctly answer all the questions and challenges during the test or exam.
• Seek group or social support – Talk to people you know and trust, surround yourself with friends who
can offer you sincere understanding and empathy. Talk to an adult and share your thoughts and feelings.
• Get into relaxation activities like breathing exercises, regular physical exercise, meditation, yoga, self-
hypnosis, reading a good book, or listening to relaxing music.
• Create a situation where you can feel more relaxed like a quiet environment or a comfortable position,
and project a passive attitude toward the stressor, like telling your stressor which may be a person or a
situation that you are confident you are more powerful and can calmly overcome it.
• Learn to manage your time – Analyze how much time you are spending for studying, for being online,
for texting or calling, for watching TV, and see where you are spending more time. If you spend one hour
for studying or doing homework but you spend two hours watching TV and four hours visiting social
networking sites, then you can immediately tell that there is definitely an imbalance in your priorities
and time management. Setting your priorities is important when managing time. As a student, your
priority is your studies.
• Eat properly by selecting nutritious, healthy food. Eat regularly and avoid skipping meals.
In addition to the coping mechanisms suggested above, you may also wish to do the following:
• Seek spiritual growth through prayer and meditation. Be mindful of the presence of the Divine in your
life, and interpret the events and people in it as part of a bigger plan not even you can comprehend for
now.
• Have a worthwhile hobby like cross-stitching, singing, dancing, drawing, or collecting items.
• Be entertained. For example, watch a movie with friends.
• Have a nice, quiet walk with a member of your family after dinner.

LESSON 1 COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE 7

• If the stressor is one of your expectations, assess, and see if it is doable and realistic or not. Then
adjust the expectations to what you are capable of doing one step at a time.
• Believe in yourself that you are strong and courageous, that you are capable of overcoming the
challenges that you are facing, and that any stressful situation will bring out the best in you and will
make you stronger.
• We tend to worry about something in the future that has not happened yet. Worrying over such things
can zap your energy and make you feel miserable. Tell yourself not to worry needlessly, because you do
not know what will happen in the future. Start worrying if there is a reason to worry once the situation
arises, not before it does.
Lately, the popularity of these two stressbusters has been growing. Although not quite new, the practice
of mental toughness and resilience is becoming more prevalent, especially during these troubling times where
negative news is magnified because of social media.

Lazarus Stress and Coping Theory posted on Flow Psychology website (6 years ago, no date, no
author) https://flowpsychology.com/lazarus-stress-and-coping-theory/ accessed on August 18, 2021
What is Coping Theory? written and posted by Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, BA on January 9, 2020
at Positive Psychology website https://positivepsychology.com/coping-theory/ accessed on September
29, 2020.

MENTAL TOUGHNESS
Mental toughness is not entirely new. Back in the 1950s, research studies on personality came up with
the concept of “tough-mindedness” and this has slowly become more popular during the last decade or
so. Mental toughness eventually evolved as its new term and was associated with training athletes (sports
psychology) who needed more than just physical strength but also mental strength to deal with and overcome
many obstacles in winning, such as emotional stress, social pressure, and self-doubt. It is also believed that
mental toughness is not just a singular personality attribute, but rather a collection of personal resources that,
when used together, produce better performance results not only during competition but in dealing with daily
challenges and stresses as well (from Mental Toughness in Sports accessed on August 18, 2021, at https://
psychology.iresearchnet.com/sports-psychology/sports-and-personality/mental-toughness-in-sports/ ).
Mental toughness is comprised of four components: confidence, commitment, control, and challenge.
Other studies have identified more components of mental toughness, particularly in relation to sports (from
Mental Toughness in Sports):
• General self-efficacy – the belief in one’s capability in achieving a goal or a desired result
• Optimism – the belief that positive results or outcomes will happen in different situations
• Success mindset – the way of thinking that puts the desire to win as very important
• Sports knowledge – knowledge of the sports being played and the performance required in winning
• Self-regulation – the capacity to manage one’s thoughts and expectations

8 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
• Resilience – the capacity to quickly recover from any challenge or difficulty being faced with
• Buoyancy – the ability to provide the appropriate response and skills when faced with challenges

Dr. Fader defines mental toughness and suggests three ways to develop it.
What Is Mental Toughness by Dr. Jonathan Fader posted on accessed on August 18, 2021 at https://
jonathanfader.com/mental-toughness/
From a Stoic’s point of view, there are no shortcuts to developing mental toughness except to put
yourself “out there” and learn to deal with life’s pressures and stresses as they come.
8 Stoic Secrets to Help You Build Mental Toughness by Alex J. Hughes posted at Daily Stoic, 2021
accessed on August 18, 2021 https://dailystoic.com/stoic-secrets-for-mental-toughness/
Mental toughness (MT) is more than having a high pain threshold, lots of grit, or the ability to grin
and bear it.
Mental Toughness Just Got Easier to Assess by Christopher Bergland posted on August 23, 2019
at Psychology Today website https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201908/
mental-toughness-just-got-easier-assess and accessed on August 18, 2021.

Whether playing in a sports competition or speaking in public, here are some tips to develop mental
toughness.
Get Confident: 10 Minute Mental Toughness by Dr. Jason Selk posted on February 01, 2017
accessed on August 18,2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nslkvLsupJU

RESILIENCE
We are all familiar by now with how Filipinos have been described and praised by the international
community when Typhoon Yolanda (international name, “Haiyan”) destroyed many places, particularly in
Leyte and Samar, and just recently, the eruption of Taal Volcano in January 2020, for being resilient in the
face of calamity. Since then, the word resilience has become a common trait being used to describe Filipinos,
particularly when we are recovering from a natural catastrophe.
Simply defined, resilience is described as a way or manner by which persons or even communities
recover or rebound after experiencing a disaster or a difficulty. Resilience is about getting back on your feet
after a major blow and mustering all your personal strengths and resources to get going even if the going is
tough. Resilience is being able to take on the responsibility of recovering for oneself or one’s community and
not dwelling on a setback caused by someone or something such as nature.

LESSON 1 COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE 9

 Resilience is a personal quality that includes a positive attitude, self-confidence, optimism, faith, and
belief that a tragedy or difficulty is a temporary setback and can be surmounted eventually through time,
effort, and perseverance. Resilience can be a way of combatting stress and all its negative effects on an
individual or community.

There is a growing evidence that the elements of resilience can be cultivated.

Resilience accessed on August 18, 2021 at Psychology Today website https://www.psychologytoday.
com/us/basics/resilience
Developing Resilience is a research report written by Rachel Lewis, Emma Donaldson-Feilder, and
Antonio Pangallo of Affinity Health at Work on May 2011 accessed on August 18, 2021 at Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) website https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/developing-
resilience_2011_tcm18-10576.pdf

What is the difference between mental toughness and resilience? There are many interpretations and
definitions of these two psychological qualities as there are as many researchers, psychologists, coaches, and
personality trainers out there. However, there is one source that tries to simplify the difference between the
two concepts, and this is how the difference is defined: resilience is the ability to recover from a setback,
while mental toughness is the ability to avoid a setback from happening. In an article posted by Courtney
Ackerman, MSc (https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-resilience/), she wrote “As Doug Strycharczyk puts
it, ‘All mentally tough individuals are resilient, but not all resilient individuals are mentally tough’”.

Know the difference between mental toughness, resilience, and grit.

What is Resilience, and Why Is It Important to Bounce Back? by Courtney Ackerman, MSc, posted
on May 22, 2021 accessed on August 18, 2021 at Positive Psychology website https://positivepsychology.
com/what-is-resilience/
After working intensely over a long period, do you give yourself time to recover?
Resilience is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure by Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan
posted on June 24, 2016 accessed on August 18, 2021 at Harvard Business Review (HBR) website https://
hbr.org/2016/06/resilience-is-about-how-you-recharge-not-how-you-endure
Academic buoyancy is the ability of students to rebound from daily setbacks that are a normal part
of schooling, such as a poor grade on a test, negative feedback from a teacher, or being cut from a sports
team.
This is the skill students need to bounce back from failure by Astrid Helene Kendrick posted on
April 9, 2019 accessed on September 30, 2020 at World Economic Forum website https://www.weforum.
org/agenda/2019/04/to-help-students-overcome-setbacks-they-need-to-develop-academic-buoyancy

10 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
 Go over these online articles on how to deal with stress. Can you identify other ways that can help you
cope with stress?

Teens are very vulnerable to stress, the causes of which range from online bullying to failing grades.
Here are some ways to manage stress for teenagers:
Seven Ways to Help Teens Manage Stress by Pamela S. Willsey LICSW, BCD, PCC posted on January
16, 2020 accessed on August 18, 2021 at Psychology Today website https://www.psychologytoday.com/
us/blog/packing-success/202001/seven-ways-help-teens-manage-stress
The Single Best Strategy for Reducing Stress by Susan Heitler, PhD posted on June 3, 2017 accessed
on August 18, 2021 at Psychology Today website https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/resolution-
not-conflict/201706/the-single-best-strategy-reducing-stress

EXPLAIN

How do understanding stress and stressors help a person in identifying ways to cope?
Explain the three views on stress as a stimulus, response, or relational.
List some ways on how a person can cope with stress.

ELABORATE
• Share a personal experience about a stressful situation you were in and what kind of coping mechanism
helped you manage the situation.
• If you see someone who is stressed out and needs help, what would you do?

EVALUATE

What happens when a person experiences chronic and acute stress? What can possibly happen to
this person if this situation continues over a long period of time?

LESSON 1 COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE 11

EXTEND (Refer to Activity 4 of the Exercises.)

Form an online group with your classmates (if face-to-face situations are not possible) and have a role-
playing session utilizing online platforms available and choose any one of the suggested situations listed
below. Assign roles to be played by each member of the group. No script is necessary. Identify the stressors
for each situation through the interactions of the roles being played. Conclude the role-playing situation by
selecting a coping mechanism to be adopted by the character/s.
• Arguing with parents over the choice of career or course in college
• Bullying in school
• Peer pressure in a group
• Breaking off from a relationship
• Choosing a college course or career
• Money problems

• Stress may be both good and bad, depending on the acuteness and length of time it persists.
• Coping is the human organism’s way of bringing itself back to a state of equilibrium, which is a
healthy state.
• There are three views in understanding stress: as stimulus, as response, and as relational. As
stimulus, stress may be the events or situations that are life-changing and very challenging. As
a response, stress causes the body and the brain to secrete hormones and chemicals that are
manifested physically, which may drive a person to a certain behavior in dealing with the stress. As
relational, stress is seen as a situation that a person interacts with. The person can assess whether
the situation is relevant or not, and if the relevance is positive or negative. If it is positive, the
person will see the stress as a challenge, change the effect of the situation, then take the necessary
course of action to lessen the stress. If it is negative, the person will develop negative emotions,
which will aggravate the stressful situation even more.
• Coping is a way for a person to deal with stress in a healthy, acceptable manner. Coping is necessary
to avoid psychological trauma and mental diseases. It can be problem-focused, by dealing with the
problem and finding ways to solve it or avert further stress; or emotion-focused, by lessening the
emotional impact of stress through positive imagery or thoughts.
• Mental toughness is the ability to deal with and overcome obstacles, such as stress, social pressure,
and self-doubt.
• Resilience is the ability to rebound and recover after a setback.

12 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT