Stress and Stress Management

What is Stress?


Stress or pressure is a normal, necessary part of our daily lives. In order to function in an efficient and effective manner a certain stress level is required. However too much pressure can be a risk to health, can reduce effectiveness, can lead to extreme tiredness and lead to mental breakdown.

Different things can cause stress and they are called stressors.Each person reacts differently to same stressors. This depends on the individuals ability to cope.However a person can learn to manage stress to prevent it from becoming harmful.

Causes of Stress/Potential Factors
As we have seen previously the main cause of stress is our inability to cope with stressors. Stressors are found in our environment, while our ability or inability to cope depends on how we personally react to situations. Here are some examples of some situations that cause stress.

Some stressors at school: changing school
 * Difficulty to read
 * Unable to finish class work
 * trouble with the teacher
 * truancy
 * Unable to clearly explain situations
 * being bullied
 * homework
 * Poor assessment results
 * exams
 * lack of school material

Some stressors at home:
 * housework
 * parents/siblings who drink
 * home violence
 * low income
 * no place for quiet time or study
 * illness

Other stressors:
 * caught smoking or drinking
 * preparing for a performance
 * death of a friend or relative
 * loosing a job
 * changing jobs
 * managing difficult relationships
 * moving house
 * losing friends
 * leaving home
 * making decisions

Body's Reaction to Stress
The body reacts to stress in different ways In the short term you can notice some of the following:
 * mind becomes alert
 * quick reactions
 * dry mouth
 * tension in neck and shoulders
 * faster breathing
 * faster heart rate
 * high blood pressure
 * sweaty palms
 * diarrhoea
 * butterflies in the stomach
 * lump in throat
 * nervous laughter
 * bursting into tears
 * fidgeting
 * nail biting

If the stress continues and you do not do anything to cope with it here are some of the long term effects it can have on the body:
 * headaches
 * diziness
 * ulcers
 * blurred vision
 * forgetfulness
 * indigestion
 * disturbed sleep
 * muscle aches
 * tension
 * fear
 * irritability
 * nervousness
 * loss of confidence
 * depression
 * anxiety
 * nightmares
 * drug dependence
 * excessive drinking
 * heart trouble
 * loss of appetite
 * mental breakdown

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