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STRESS MANAGEMENT
Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. It implies not only to adults but also children. Stress
isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. Stress is
unique and personal

Definition of Stress
Stress is a feeling that's created when we react to particular events. It's the body's way of rising to a challenge and
preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, strength, stamina, and heightened alertness. In a nutshell stress is the
body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. Stress can come from
any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, nervous, or anxious.

Causes of stress

The situations and pressures that cause stress are known as stressors. We usually think of stressors as being negative.
However, anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. What causes stress depends
also on your perception of it. A situation may be stressful for someone but the same situation may be challenging for
others. Stress is caused not only by external factors but can also be self-generated.

 Inability to accept uncertainty

 Pessimism
 Negative self talk
 Unrealistic expectations
 Perfectionism
 Lack of awareness

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress:

 Smoking  Using pills or drugs to relax
 Drinking too much  Sleeping too much
 Overeating or under eating  Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing
 Zoning out for hours in front of the TV problems
or computer  Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry
 Withdrawing from friends, family, and outbursts, physical violence)
activities

Effects of stress on Health

 Pain of any kind  Depression
 Heart disease  Obesity
 Digestive problems  Skin conditions, such as eczema
 Sleep problems

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Healthy ways of managing stress

Change the situation: Change your reaction:

 Avoid the stressor.  Adapt to the stressor.

 Alter the stressor.  Accept the stressor.

 Go for a walk.  Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea.

 Spend time in nature.  Play with a pet.
 Call a good friend.  Work in your garden.
 Sweat out tension with a good workout.  Get a massage.
 Take a long bath.  Curl up with a good book.
 Light scented candles.  Listen to music.
 Watch a comedy movie or cartoon

Things that influence your stress tolerance level

 Your support network – A strong network of supportive friends and family members is an enormous buffer
against life’s stressors.
 Your sense of control – If you have confidence in yourself and your ability to accept challenges find it easier to
take stress in their stride
 Your attitude and outlook – optimistic attitude, ready to embrace challenges, strong sense of humor, accept
that change is a part of life, and believe in a higher power or purpose.
 Your ability to deal with your emotions – You’re extremely vulnerable to stress if you don’t know how to calm
and soothe yourself when you’re feeling sad, angry, or afraid..
 Your knowledge and preparation – The more you know about a stressful situation, how long it will last and
what to expect, the easier it is to cope.

Stress Busters

 Laughter is the best medicine

 Start your day with Yoga and Meditation and deep breathing
 Learn how to say “no”
 Express your feelings instead of bottling them up.
 Be willing to compromise.
 Manage your time better.
 Focus on the positive
 Don’t try to control the uncontrollable.
 Set aside relaxation time
 Exercise regularly. Eat a healthy diet.
 Get enough sleep.
 Adjusting Your Attitude
 Reframe problems
 Just change the way you look at things. The word Evil when read the other way round reads live

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STRESS MANAGEMENT - WORKSHEET

Exercise 1: This self-assessment test is developed by two American psychologists Holmes and Rahe (‘the social
readjustment rating scale’ Psychosomatic Medicine), which lists life events and helps you learn how much
obvious stress you have in your life. Examine yourself whether you are experiencing any of the below
symptoms of stress. Next, look for your score at the end of this self-test and you will discover your personal
stress rating.

Physical symptoms Emotional symptoms

tightness in chest mood swings

chest pain and/or palpitations feeling anxious
indigestion feeling tense
breathlessness feelings of anger
nausea feeling guilty
muscle twitches feelings of shame
aches and pains having no enthusiasm
headaches becoming more cynical
skin conditions feeling out of control
recurrence of previous illnesses/ allergies feeling helpless
constipation/ diarrhoea decrease in confidence/self-esteem
weight loss or weight gain poor concentration
change in menstrual cycle for women
sleep problems/tiredness
Psychological symptoms and negative
Behavioural symptoms
thoughts
drop in work performance ‘I am a failure’
more inclined to become accident-prone ‘I should be able to cope’
drinking and smoking more Why is everyone getting at me?’
overeating/ loss of appetite ‘no one understands’
change in sleeping patterns ‘I don’t know what to do’
poor time management ‘I can’t cope’
too busy to relax ‘What’s the point?’
withdrawing from family and friends ‘I don’t seem to be able to get on top of
poor judgment things’
inability to express feelings ‘I keep forgetting where I put things’
over-reacting loss of judgment

Stress Self Test

Add up your score to check how stressed you are.
0 – 4 symptoms: You are unlikely to be stressed.
5 – 8 symptoms: You are experiencing a mild form of stress and are not coping as well as you can. You need to
make some changes.
9 – 12 symptoms: You are experiencing a moderate degree of stress. You need to make major changes to your
life.
13 or more symptoms: You need to take urgent action to reduce your stress levels. The higher your score the
more urgent is the need for action.

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SAMPLE: Stress and Me

Use this worksheet to explore how you respond to stress, and how you can better cope
with it.
Things that cause stress

How my body reacts

• headaches
• stomach aches
• body feels tight, like a balloon How my heart feels
ready to explode • angry: overreact to the situation, lash
• not sleeping well or wanting to out
sleep all the time • frustrated
• loss of appetite, or • depressed, sad
overeating or eating extra • lonely
comfort foods • worthless, hopeless, I’m not good How my head reacts
• feeling tired, no energy enough, I don’t matter
• get sick more often than usual • trouble focusing or
• panicky, scared, anxious concentrating
• lots of aches and pains • overwhelmed
• heart beats fast • negative self-talk
• cry easily or feel like crying • headaches
• feel sweaty • like running away • blaming others
• confusion

Healthy choices for coping with stress Not-so-healthy choices for coping with stress

• Take deep breath; begin to calm all the negative • Get angry at people and bully them.
thoughts. • Verbally or physically abuse someone else.
• Think positive thoughts, answer negative self-talk • Use alcohol, tobacco, other drugs or gambling to
with positive answers. escape the pressure.
• Talk to someone: parents, friends, teacher, • Sleep all the time.
counsellor. • Overdo activities to avoid dealing with the stress.
• Set small goals and tasks, ask for help. • Spend more money than you can afford on
• Focus on what you can control and let go of what shopping.
you can’t. • Spend hours watching TV or playing video games.
• Exercise: go for walks or runs.
• Take time to laugh: it can make you feel better.
• Take time out for yourself: listen to music, do yoga.

Healthy consequences
Not-so-healthy consequences
• resiliency: the skills and emotional strength to • health problems
bounce back • depression
• sense of hope • suicidal thoughts
• more energy • feeling hopeless, worthless
• feeling in control • feeling guilty
• better balance in major life areas like school, • difficulties in major life areas like school, emotions,
emotions, health, family issues, and relationships health, family issues, and relationships

LESS stress MORE stress

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Stress and Me

Things that cause stress

How my body reacts

How my heart feels

How my head reacts

Healthy choices for coping with stress Not-so-healthy choices for coping with stress

Healthy consequences Not-so-healthy consequences

LESS stress MORE stress

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