COPING WITH STRESS
IN MIDDLE AND LATE
ADOLESCENCE
CHAPTER 5
TOPIC OVERVIEW
- What is Stress? - Stressful Situations
- Common Sources of Stress - Common Coping Strategies
- The Effects of Stress - Other Tips on Coping with
Stress
- Stress Responses
What is Stress?
STRESS
• The opposite of those things that make us calm and relaxed
• A medical term for a wide range of strong external stimuli,
both physiological and psychological, which can cause a
physiological response called the general adaptation
syndrome
• Can be anything
• Stress does not discriminate
STRESS
• Can either be helpful or damaging, some categorize them
as either good or bad.
• Good stress is that which helps to bring out the best in us. A
particular stress is good if it propels us to perform well in our
endeavors.
• Bad stress is that which hinders us from functioning well.
When a specific stress or group of stresses overwhelms our
coping mechanism that we become helpless.
Common Sources
of Stress
COMMON SOURCES OF STRESS
• Stressor is the term used to denote those which
cause stress.
• Stressors are things, events, situations, or thoughts
that bring about stress.
Common Stressors
in the Lives of
Adolescence
COMMON STRESSORS
1.) Physical Appearance
- Body Insecurity
2.) School/Academic Pressure
- Bombarded with activities and studies
3.) Family/Home
- Family Affairs
COMMON STRESSORS
4.) Social/Peer Pressures
- Doing Drugs
5 ) Loss
- Loss of loved ones
6.) Frustration
- Uncontrollable factors (Typhoon)
COMMON STRESSORS
7.) Romantic Relationship
- Not having someone to lean on
- Being in a relationship quarrels
8.) Future
- Unsure of ones future
- Financial Constraints
The Effects of Stress
EFFECTS OF STRESS
1.) Physical
- Increase levels of adrenaline and corticosterone
2.) Emotional
- Moodiness or easily aggravated
3.) Cognitive
- Negative or Pessimistic
4.) Behavioral
- Loss of appetite
Stress Responses
STRESS RESPONSES
1.) Fight or flight response/Acute stress response
- This kind of stress response involves the occurrence of physiological
reactions when one is under stress or pressure. The functional reactions
activate the body's resources to deal with the threatening situations.
- When the fight or flight stress response is elicited, our sympathetic
nervous system instantly becomes engaged in generating multitude of
physiological changes enabling us to either fight or flee from the stressful
event or situation.
STRESS RESPONSES
2.) General adaptation syndrome
- Medical doctor Hans Selye, the proponent of the General Adaptation
Syndrome (GAS), observed that the human body has a natural adaptive
response to stress. He believes that the body naturally adapts to external
stressors in a predictable biological pattern.
The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) response involves three stages:
alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
STRESS RESPONSES
a.) Alarm phase
The theory concurs that the body naturally reacts to stress by activating
its fight or flight response system. Stress hormones such as adrenaline,
noradrenaline, and cortisol are released when one is stressed. These
hormones help the person to combat the stress.. stay in control, and
perform extraordinary activities.
This is something that one cannot do under normal conditions. When the
cause of the stress disappears, the body goes back to its normal state.
STRESS RESPONSES
b.) Resistance stage
If the stressor is not eradicated, the next phase is the resistance stage or
adaptation.
This response stage which involves the secretion of additional hormones
is for long term protection, In this stage, the adrenal cortex produces
hormones called corticosteroids..
STRESS RESPONSES
c.) Exhaustion stage
The stress has been lingering at this phase. The body begins to weaken
and lose its capacity to fight or lessen the harmful effects of the stressors
because all the energies and defensive reserves have been used up.
The exhaustion stage may be considered as the entry point to stress
overload or burnout. Stress overload or burnout, if not settled right away,
more often than leads to more serius health problems and distressing life.
STRESS RESPONSES
3.) Relaxation response
Dr. Herbert Benson, the founder of Harvard's Mind/Body Medical Institute,
coined the term relaxation response.
Relaxation response is the body's capacity to release chemicals and
brain signals that slow down the movements of muscles and organs,
thereby boosting the flow of blood to the brain. Relaxation response puts
a halt on the physiological responses, thereby bringing back the body
and mind into a state of equilibrium.
STRESSFUL SITUATION
AND COPING MECHANISMS
COMMON COPING
STRATEGIES
COMMON COPING STRATEGIES
1.) Problem - Focused Approach
This strategy fundamentally involves focusing on the source of the stress.
This may include trying to analyze the situation and making extra effort or
working harder to solve the problem. Confronting or communicating with
the direct source of stress is also under this strategy.
COMMON COPING STRATEGIES
2.) Emotion - Focused Strategy
This approach encompasses concentrating on one's feeling or emotion
brought about by the stress instead of facing the actual source of stress.
A person subscribes to this strategy when he or she accepts the stress
but mopes around, keeps on complaining, or blames herself himself or
others for the stressful event. This approach may also entail resorting to
drinking alcohol, taking drugs, and other forms of escaping the stressful
situation. Evidently, this strategy is not advisable.
OTHER TIPS ON COPING
WITH STRESS
OTHER TIPS ON COPING
WITH STRESS
1.) Engaging in Physical Activities
2.) Doing Activities that are relaxing
3.) Acquiring social support
4.) Getting ample rest and sleep
OTHER TIPS ON COPING
WITH STRESS
5.) Being realistic
6.) Thinking positively
7.) Learning the art of resilience
Hey there, who's got
a burning question
to ask?
1.) What did you feel when you were thinking of
healthful ways to cope with the stressful situations
listed above?
2.) Did you have difficulty in listing healthful ways to
cope with the stressful situations?
A WARM
THANK YOU
TO ALL OF YOU!
