One Day Capacity Building Programme

on

HANDOUTS

Central Board of Secondary Education

Academic and Training Unit,17, Rouse Avenue, Shiksha Sadan,Delhi-02

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 Handout 2 A

Please recall a recent situation in Personal/Professional life which created a

sense of alarm/emergency and mention the ways in which you dealt with it

Situation Feeling Response

Handout 2B

Stress: What is it?

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Stress is a reaction to situations, events or people. Some of these events stir up
feelings or thoughts that cause you to take some kind of action. Stress occurs
when there is a mismatch between the need for these actions and an individual‘s
ability (or belief in their ability) to cope with these demands.

The Older – Neutral/Positive Definition (Hans Selye, founder of stress research,

1956): Stress is not necessarily bad – it depends on how you respond to it. ―The
stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure,
humiliation or infection is detrimental. In other words, the effects of stress
depend on whether you perceive the situation as being positive or negative.
These days, the most commonly accepted definition of stress is:

The Current – Negative Definition (Richard S. Lazarus): Stress is a condition or

feeling experienced when a person perceives that ―demands exceed the
personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.‖ In other words,
stress is something we experience when we face a situation and our ability to
cope is challenged. We feel we‘ve lost control of events. If we think of it this way,
stress can be a perceived threat to us on any level. It can be emotional, physical,
psychological and can affect us in any aspect of our lives – personal , social and
professional . Although today we will focus most of our time on the negative
aspects of stress (as noted in the second definition, above) and ways to mitigate
it, however, it is helpful to first briefly take a broad look at both (positive and
negative) sides of stress:

Eustress or positive stress describe changes or challenges that can contribute to

an individual‘s growth and development; for example, working out, solving a
difficult problem, resolving a conflict, climbing a mountain, or making a personal
decision, with positive results. Positive result can improve overall performance
and lead to increase in self – confidence and self – esteem.

Distress or bad stress describes pressures in school, work, social relationships,

family relationships, and the environment that are perceived as difficult or even
insurmountable due to limited personal resources. Distress can have a negative
effect on a person‘s physical and emotional state and may be manifested in a
number of stress related symptoms, such as headache, stomach-aches and back-
aches, restlessness, fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, irritability, muscle tension
and sleep disturbance. Distress is highly individualized and depends on variables
such as the novelty, rate, intensity, duration, or personal interpretation of the
input, and genetic or experiential factors.

Examples of Eustress and Distress

It is somewhat hard to categorize stressors into objective lists of those that cause
eustress and those that cause distress, because different people will have
different reactions to particular situations. However, by generalizing, we can
compile a list of stressors that are typically experienced as negative or positive to
most people, most of the time.

Examples of negative personal stressors include:

 The death of a spouse.  Losing contact with loved

 Filing for divorce. ones.

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  The death of a family  Conflict in interpersonal
member. relationships.
 Hospitalization (oneself or a  Bankruptcy/Money
family member). Problems.
 Injury or illness (oneself or a  Unemployment.
family member).  Sleep problems.
 Being abused or neglected.  Children's problems at
 Separation from a spouse or school.
committed relationship  Legal problems.
partner.
Examples of positive personal stressors include:

 Receiving a promotion or raise at work.

 Starting a new job.
 Marriage.
 Buying a home.
 Having a child.
 Moving.
 Taking a vacation.
 Holiday seasons.
 Retiring.
 Taking educational classes or learning a new hobby.

Stressors for teachers relate to difficulties with work relationships (including

relationships with large numbers of students and colleagues), which may range
from subtle communication difficulties, work pressure to bullying and harassment
and may result in poor health and burnout. Burnout is a condition that primarily
affects people who work in roles supporting others, and teachers are prone to
burnout because of their relationships with large numbers of students, staff and
administrators (Blix et al., 1994).

What is burnout?

Burnout consists of three central components:

 Emotional exhaustion: This involves the depletion of energy or draining of

our emotional resources. The comment: 7 have no energy for a life outside
of work' might be made by someone suffering from emotional exhaustion.
 Depersonalization: This involves psychological withdrawal from
relationships with our students and/or colleagues, and the development of
negative, cynical attitudes towards others. Comments like: 'My students
are all lazy and are not interested in learning what I have to teach them'
indicates someone is suffering from depersonalization.
 Lack of personal accomplishment: This is the tendency to make negative
judgements of our own competence and achievement in our work, along
with feelings of insufficiency and low self-esteem. A teacher who says:
'None of the students understood anything in that last class. Maybe I just
don't have what it takes' might be suffering from lack of personal
accomplishment.

Handout 3-A

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 Written below are statements about Stress and Stress management.
Please tick off your preferred response with an ̳ב. There are no right or
wrong answers.

True /
S.No. Statement
False
1. Only weak people feel stressed.

The only way to manage your stress is to get out of the

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situation in which you get stressed

3 Stress is completely undesirable.

4 Stress always pushes people to do their best.

5 Stress is same for everyone.

6 Only negative events cause stress.

7 The more work you have, the more stressed you are

8 Our mind plays a role in much of the stress we experience.

9 Stress, worry, and anxiety are the same thing.

10 Only major symptoms of stress require attention.

11 You can tell someone is stressed out just by observing them.

12 Stress is everywhere; there is nothing you can do about it.

The best stress management plan is the one that fits your
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unique needs and interests.

14 Drinking alcohol and drug intake helps to reduce stress.

Because it‘s a natural response, you can‘t do anything about

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your stress.

16 If you don‘t have stress symptoms, you aren‘t stressed.

17 Diet, exercise and sleep are sufficient to eliminate stress.

18 I know well how to handle stress.

19 Physical intimacy always reduces stress

20 One should deal with one‘s own stress rather than share.

21 Stress is intolerable.

Handout 3 B

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 Myths about Stress

According to American Psychological Association stress is a part of our lives and

there’s no getting around it. But as much as we all live with it, many of us
misunderstand some of the basics about stress and its role in our lives. Why does
this matter?

Stress has been indicted in many research studies in exacerbating very real
physical illnesses — everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease.
Reducing stress can not only help you feel better, but also live a longer, disease-
free life?

Let’s look at some of the common myths surrounding stress.

Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody.

Stress is not the same for everybody, nor does everyone experience stress in the
same way. Stress is different for each and every one of us. What is stressful for
one person may or may not be stressful for another; each of us responds to stress
in an entirely different way.

For instance, some people may get stressed out paying the monthly bills every
month, while for others such a task isn’t stressful at all. Some get stressed out by
high pressure at work, while others may thrive on it.

Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you.

According to this view, zero stress makes us happy and healthy. But this is wrong
— stress is to the human condition what tension is to the violin string: too little
and the music is dull and raspy; too much and the music is shrill or the string
snaps.

Stress in and of itself is not bad (especially in small amounts). So while stress can
be the kiss of death or the spice of life, the key is to understand how best to
manage it. Managing stress makes us productive and happy, while mismanaging
it may hurt us and cause us to fail or become even more stressed.

Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can’t do anything about it.

So is the possibility of getting into an automobile accident every time we get into
our cars, but we don’t allow that to stop us from driving.

You can plan your life so that stress does not overwhelm you. Effective planning
involves setting priorities and working on simple problems first, solving them, and
then going on to more complex difficulties.

When stress is mismanaged, it’s difficult to prioritize. All your problems seem to
be equal and stress seems to be everywhere.

Myth 4: The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the best
ones.

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No universally effective stress reduction techniques exist (although many
magazine articles and pop psychology articles claim to know them!).

We are all different — our lives are different, our situations are different, and our
reactions are different. A comprehensive stress management program tailored to
the individual works best. But self-help books that can teach you many of the
successful stress management techniques can also be of great help, as long as
you stick to the program and practice the techniques daily.

Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress.

An absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of stress. In fact,
camouflaging symptoms with medication may deprive you of the signals you need
for reducing the strain on your physiological and psychological systems.

Many of us experience symptoms of stress in a very physical way, even though

stress is a psychological effect. Feeling anxious, shortness of breath, or simply
feeling run down all the time can all be physical signs of stress. Feeling
overwhelmed, disorganized and having difficulty concentrating are common
mental signs of stress.

Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention.

This myth assumes that the “minor” symptoms, such as headaches or stomach
acid, may be safely ignored. Minor symptoms of stress are the early warnings that
your life is getting out of hand and that you need to do a better job of managing
stress.

If you wait until you start feeling the “major” symptoms of stress (such as a heart
attack), it may be too late. Those early warning signs are best listened to earlier
rather than later. A change in lifestyle (such as exercising more) to deal with
those early warning signs will be far less costly (in time and economics) than
dealing with the effects of not listening to them.

Handout 4A
Case study-1

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Mohit is on an academic scholarship that requires him to maintain a certain
grade point average. He does not fare well in the entire semester so he needs to
do well in his finals to pull the grades that will keep him on scholarship. Mohit is
often tensed but when he found out he would have two papers on the same day,
he had a meltdown. First, he was angry that his schedule turned out this way,
and he complained bitterly about it to anyone who would listen. Then he got into
an argument with his roommate, who was listening to music while Mohit was
trying to study.
The night before his exams, Mohit studied at the library all night. He skipped
breakfast the next morning because he wanted to get to the classroom early.The
teacher passed out the test. As Mohit began to read question paper, he felt
panicky. His vision was blurred, and he couldn’t remember anything. The longer
he sat there, the worse it got. Finally, he decided to guess on the questions and
get out of the room as fast as he could. He was so upset that he skipped his next
exam as well. He spent the rest of the day hiding in his bed, wondering what he
was going to do and how he was going to tell his mother he flunked out of
school.

Case study-2

Aisha Verma, 36, runs a management consultancy business. She earns Rs20 lakh
a year and lives with her husband Anurag, 42, who works part-time, and their
seven-month-old son Archie.
Being the family's principal breadwinner; making sure her employees are paid;
the constant pressure to win new business; and worrying about whether she
spends enough time with her son. All these factors keep her on tenterhooks.

But she thrives on all these pressures of her job and, because she feels largely in
control of her life, says that her stress levels are manageable.
'Of course, I feel stressed because running your own business is a 24/7
commitment. It is very difficult to walk away and switch off or to wind down.
However, when I think about my mother, who had to worry about whether she
had enough money to put food on the table, I think she would have encountered
far greater levels of stress than me. Having had a childhood without much
money, I think that would be the biggest source of stress anyone could have.’

The thought of the worst times and the coping strategies for the worst time does
not relieve her a bit. It’s like a constant leaking in her heart. Though she keeps
reminding herself that she and her family is comparatively comfortable in times
but the pressure of sustaining the big fat income without her husband’s support
breaks her down. The husband seems so uncertain and disconnected most of the
times. She wonders why she is pulling around with him. Yet with every sad
thought she tells herself to be brave and face the world happily. It’s like living
two lives at the same time .Two people in one body.

Case study-3

Mehul is employed in a bank as a customer –care officer. The third child after 2
sisters he was always a pampered baby at home. While in college too, his father

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dropped him and elder sister picked him up from college. He hardly made friends
at school or college, always felt safe and happy amidst his family. But whenever
there were relatives around he felt alone and ignored. He was always asked to
do task, his plans were made and he was guided to follow them. His own
independent skills never developed perhaps now at workplace. Mehul is at a
loss. He becomes anxious the moment he enters the bank. With people all
around, he quietly without looking or greeting anyone, takes his seat. Talking to
people tires him at the first instant. His throat feels dry thinking what is he
supposed to reply to the callers. Then the filing work, he just can’t start with.
Then the presentation to the boss is another nightmare. All this is taking a toll,
affecting his health.
Suggest some strategies that can help Mehul fare well at his job.
According to you, why does Mehul lack in social skills?
Do you think Mehul is at a loss?

Case Study-4

Kirti is making all efforts to be a good efficient person both at home and
at school, where she works. Any new assignment offered to work upon she
takes the challenges readily. She strives hard to deliver all her lessons in an
interesting manner. She tries her best to reach out to all her students. She
keeps her children happy with her culinary skills and helps them out in their
projects etc. With two sets of parents all living together, her husband and hers,
at times, it is a constant race. She feels tired occasionally, her enthusiasm is
dipping, giving all her company to her husband and family, she is losing herself.
Often she wishes if her life would have been simpler. Her sleep is decreasing.
She does not get up fresh any more. Now that beautiful smile that adorned her
face is shrinking .Her husband complaints part her all the more.
Case study-5
Aayan had always been an average student. He had never been interested in
science subjects. Aayan studied hard for his examinations. But His parents were
angry and upset at him as they wanted him to study harder to clear the medical
entrance examination. They had him take private tuition. Aayan always
experienced having difficulty following his studies altogether. His parents were
pestered with the thought that Aayan did not want to do medicine so would
prefer some other field. But Aayan didn’t have the courage to disclose this to his
parents and with the heavy heart gave in to their desire. With great efforts now
Aayan is a doctor who is not happy treating patients he feels disinterested in the
hospital always searches reasons to skip the hospital. He often dreams of
himself being in a kitchen and cooking a dish. This discontentment and
unhappiness is creating emptiness in his life. With no friends around he finds his
life very boring, Aayan indulges in minimum communication with his parents
lately he has started experiencing difficulty in sleeping so pops pills daily at
night before sleeping.

Case study-6

Kavita has joined the school a month ago.Ms.Sen who has been a teacher or the
past 25 years has been asked to mentor her.Kavita while appreciating the
mentoring does not agree with her inputs towards handling conflicts with
students and parents. While handling a parent meeting jointly regarding some

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behavior concerns of a student of grade 9 th where Ms Sen completely took over
the discussion and accused the parent for not being proactive and receptive.
Kavita though wanted to intervene but couldn’t and remained a silent observer.
The parent complained in writing to the school authorities regarding the two of
them and she was asked to give an explanation. She is extremely stressed as
she is new and on probation at the same time is feeling frustrated as she is
being framed in a situation where she played no major role to play and in fact
felt the Ms Sen was wrong in her handling
Case study -7
Mudit is Mr. and Mrs. Malhotra only child. Mr. and Mrs. Malhotra have been living
together for 25 years but Mudit does not believe that their relationship is good.
His father is an engineer who works long hours and likes leisure time reading the
papers. He sees his father as a strict disciplinarian who likes everything his own
way. His mother works as a nurse in a local hospital and spends most of her free
time with her friends. In order to make ends meet, Mudit’s parents are often
busy working long hours during the weekdays. Upon returning home from work,
they seldom interact with one another and when they do, it often ends up in a
squabble or a heated conversation. Unfortunately, Mudit often witnesses their
frequent argument. The topic on divorce has often been brought up by both
parties during a fight. Mudit cannot seem to understand why his parents are
unable to speak to each other properly.

Mr Malhotra sets very high expectations of his academic achievements and

punishes him when he fails to get good grades for his tests and examinations.
Mrs. Malhotra often goes out with her friends during her spare time and leaves
the supervision of Mudit solely to Mr. Malhotra, who often indulges in his own
work but keeps a watchful eye over him. In order to obtain good results, Mr.
Malhotra schedules countless tuition sessions during the weekends. Mudit has no
free time to do activities he enjoys. He has repeatedly tried to explain to his
parents that he does not require multiple tuition sessions as he believes that he
can manage his own studies but was met by harsh criticism and negative
remarks. He feels depressed and frustrated about not having any control over
his life and he does not know what he wants to become in the future. He dislikes
his parents a lot because he cannot stand up to his hostile parents who seem to
dominate his life. He has very few good friends, is often fatigued and has poor
concentration during class. Lately the school counselor informs the parents to
consult a psychiatrist for Mudit as he exhibited certain exertion and crying bouts
in the class.

Handout 4B

Written below are some stressors. Based on discussion in your group, rate these
stressors with 1 being the most significant stressor and 23 being the least
significant stressor.

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S.No Rating
Stressor
.
1 Divorce / marital separation
2 Violence / abuse at home
3 Personal injury or illness
4 Fired from job or unemployed
5 Change in eating/ sleeping habits
6 Pregnancy / Childbirth
7 Career change / Location of Job
8 Physical relocation
9 Change in work responsibilities / Promotion
10 Professional relationships at workplace
11 Spouse begins or ceases working
12 Trouble with in-laws
13 Sex-related difficulties
14 Outstanding personal achievement
15 Starting or finishing school
16 Change in work hours or conditions
Celebration of holidays / family gatherings / social
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activities /
18 Death of a spouse or a family member
19 Retirement
20 Change in health of family member/ spouse
21 Change in financial status/ living conditions
22 Trouble with children
23 Marital discord
Any
other
:

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 Handout 4C
Sources of Stress

A wide range of events and conditions can generate stress. Among the most
important of these are major stressful life events, such as death of a loved one,
personal injury or traumatic events that affect our lives.

Types of stress
The major types of stress:

● Physical and ● Professional

environmental ● Developmental
● Psychological ● Internal stress
● Social ● External stress

It is important to understand that all these types of stress are interrelated

1)Psychological stress - These are stresses that we generate ourselves in our

minds. These are personal and unique to the person experiencing them and are
internal sources of stress. We worry about problems, feel anxiety, or become
depressed. These are not symptoms of stress but they cause further stress for
us. Few examples are:
● Relationship conflicts at home
● New or increasing work responsibilities
● Increasing demands
● Financial strain

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● Loss of a loved one
● Health problems
● Moving to new location
● Exposure to one or traumatic incidents, such as a car accident or a violent
crime
● Frustration: It results from the blocking of needs and motives by
something or someone that hinders us from achieving our desired goals.
There could be number of causes of frustration such as social
discrimination, low grades in school etc.
● Conflict: It may occur between two or more incompatible needs or motives,
example whether to study dance or psychology. There may be a conflict of
values when you are pressurised to take any action that may be against
the values held by you.

2. Physical and Environmental stress- These stresses are demands that

change state of our body .We feel strained when we overexert
ourselves physically, lack nutritious diet. Few examples are:
● Rapid heart rate ● Poor-problem solving
● Fatigue ● Feeling overwhelmed
● Difficulty sleeping ● Elevated blood pressure

Environmental stresses- These stresses are aspects of our surroundings

that are often unavoidable such as air pollution, crowding, noise, heat of
summer, winter, cold, etc. Another group of environmental stresses are
catastrophic events or disasters such as fire, earthquake, floods etc.

3. Psychosocial stress- These are induced externally and result from our
interaction with other people. These social stresses vary widely from person
to person. Attending parties may be stressful for a person who likes to
spend quiet evenings at home while an outgoing person may find staying at
home in the evenings stressful. Few examples are:
● Relationship/marriage difficulties(partner ,siblings ,
children ,family ,employer ,co-workers, employer)
● Lack of social support
● Lack of resources for adequate survival
● Loss of savings\investments/ employment
● Social pressures: They are brought from people who make excessive
demands on us. This can cause even greater pressure when we have to
work with them.

4. Professional stress-It is related to one’s job. Professional stress stems from

unexpected responsibilities and pressure that do not align with person’s
knowledge, skills, or expectations, inhibiting one’s ability to cope. Some of
the situations are :
● Being unhappy in your job
● Having a poor management ,unclear expectations of your work

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● No say in decision making
● Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
● Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your
company is not supportive

5. Developmental stress- The nature of individual’s response to stress is

normally developmentally determined that is it is based on one’s physical
and emotional needs and expected outcomes at any point in time. Some
examples are:

● Receiving a promotion or raise at work

● Excessive job demands
● Unproductive and time consuming meetings
● Job insecurity
● Being successful parents
● Balancing career and family

6. Internal stress – These are sources of stress that are coming from within
your body or your mind.
● Inability to accept ● Rigid thinking, lack of
uncertainty flexibility
● Pessimism ● All-or-nothing attitude
● Negative self-talk ● Need to always be perfect
● Unrealistic expectations

Internal pressures: It stem from beliefs based upon expectations from

inside us to ourselves such as, ’I must do everything perfectly’. Such
expectations can only lead to disappointment. Many of us drive ourselves
ruthlessly towards achieving unrealistic high standards in achieving our
goals.

7. External stress – These are sources of stress that are coming from
outside us.
● Financial worries ● Work or school
● Being too busy ● Major life changes

Source- References: NCERT XII CLASS PSYCHOLOGY

Daily Life- The American Institute of Stress -https://go.shr.lc/2DhEMr2
Handout 5
A: Stress Response

The Stress Response and How it Can Affect You

The stress response, or “fight or flight” response is the emergency reaction system of
the body. It is there to keep you safe in emergencies. The stress response includes

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 physical and thought responses to your perception of various situations. When the
stress response is turned on, your body may release substances like adrenaline and
cortisol. Your organs are programmed to respond in certain ways to situations that are
viewed as challenging or threatening.

The stress response can work against you. You can turn it on when you don’t really
need it and, as a result, perceive something as an emergency when it’s really not. It
can turn on when you are just thinking about past or future events. Harmless, chronic
conditions can be intensified by the stress response activating too often, with too much
intensity, or for too long. Stress responses can be different for different individuals.
Below is a list of some common stress responses can be different for different
individuals.

Physical responses Emotional and Behavioral Responses

Thought Responses

 Muscle aches  Restlessness  Avoidance

 ↑ Heart rate  Agitation  Neglect
 Weight Gain  Worthlessness  ↑ Smoking
 Constipation
Depression  Poor Appearance
 Muscle Twitching
 Low Energy  Guilt  ↑Spending
 Tight Chest  Anger  ↓ Eating
 Dizziness  Nightmares  Nail Biting
 Stomach Cramps  Sensitivity  ↑ Talking
 Insomnia  Numbness  Sexual Problems
 Headache  Mood Swings  Fidgeting
 Nausea
 ↓ Concentration  ↓ Exercise
 Dry Mouth
 Weight Loss Preoccupation  Aggressive Speaking
 Weakness  Insecurity  ↑ Sleeping
 Diarrhea  Anxiety - Stress  ↓ Relaxing activities
 Trembling  Depression  Withdrawal
 Chills  Hopelessness  ↑ Alcohol use
 Sweating  Defensiveness  ↑Eating
 Choking Feeling
 Racing Thoughts  Arguing
 Leg Cramps
 Hot Flashes  Intense Thinking  Poor Hygiene
 Heart  Expecting the  Seeking Reassurance
 Pounding Worst  Skin Picking
 Chest Pain  Lack of Motivation  ↑ Body checking
 Numb or Tingling  Forgetfulness  Foot Tapping
Hands/Feet  Rigidity Rapid Walking
 ↑ Blood Pressure
 Intolerance  Teeth Clenching
 Dry Throat
 Face Flushing  Multitasking
 Feeling Faint  ↓ Fun activities
 Neck Pain
 ↑ Urination
 Light Headedness

The parasympathetic nervous system in your body is designed to turn on your body’s
relaxation response. Your behaviors and thinking can keep your body’s natural relaxation
response from operating at its best.

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 The Short-term and Long-term Responses towards Stress

Short-term Responses Long-term Reponses

Endocrine Release epinephrine and If they have not been changed into
System norepinephrine into the blood, then immediate responses, after a long
release a large amount of blood to period of time, they will lead to
the muscles and lungs in order to heart disease, stroke, etc. Also,
increase energy supply, response higher blood pressure will damage
rate, heart rate, blood pressure, the function of kidneys. In addition,
blood glucose and metabolic rate. It the abnormal high level of blood
allows people to response to glucose will increase the likelihood
stressors immediately. of diabetes and anemia.
Release thyroxin into the blood, so If the condition prolongs for a long
as to speed up metabolic rate, period, physical health will be
increase energy consumption and affected, e.g feel tired, lose weight,
change to body activity rate. etc.
Release cholesterol into the blood, If the level of cholesterol remains
in order to increase energy supply high, it will increase the likelihood
and improve muscular sports. of arterio-sclerosis, and it will even
lead to heart disease.
Energy Blood is diverted from the digestive If the digestive system is deprived
Support system to the muscles and lungs, of blood for too long, it will become
and hence increases their dysfunctional and cause
functions. Also, the mouth will stomachache.
become dry and reduce the saliva Too much sweating will cause
in the stomach. uncomfortable feeling and drain
The circulation of blood to the skin away body fluid and body heat. It
increases. Sweating also increases will affect the natural moderator of
so as to cool the muscles. the body temperature.
The lungs are enlarged. The Hyperventilation (excessive
frequency of breathing increases so breathing) will make people feel
as to capture more oxygen for the dizzy and to have abnormal heart
blood. beat.
Concentratio Release hormones from the If the hormones are not available,
n hypothalamus to reduce pain people will be over sensitive to the
during injuries. environmental stimuli.
Release glucocorticoids from the However, this can reduce our
adrenal cortex, so as to reduce ability to resist infection, and
tension in breathing. increase the danger of digestive
Increase the alertness to the ulcers. Also, tense responses will
surroundings, and improve our appear in a more serious way.
psychological health. After a prolonged period, it will
Reduce sex hormones, so as to damage our sensory and
reduce sexual inclination and hence psychological responses.
reduce the poor concentration If the sexual inclination has been
caused by pregnancy. suppressed excessively, it will lead
to male hypogonadism and so on.
Protective Blood vessels contract and blood However, it increases the workload
Responses content concentrates, so as to of the heart. It also increases the
reduce the flow of blood and likelihood of coronary heart
increase the clotting ability of blood diseases and stroke.
in case of injuries.

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 Sources
https://www.mirecc.va.gov/cih-visn2/Documents/Patient_Education_Handouts/
Stress_Response_and_How_It_Can_Affect_You_Version_3.pdf
Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care by C.L. Hunter, J.L. Goodie, M.S. Oordt & A.C. Dobmeyer. Published
by the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2009.
http://stress.hkbu.edu.hk/English%20Version/teacher_support_pressure_excess2.html

http://stress.hkbu.edu.hk/English%20Version/teacher_support_pressure_excess2.html

Handout 6A

Coping with Stress – coping is a dynamic situation –specific reaction to stress. It

is a set of concrete responses to stressful situations or events that are intended to
resolve the problem and reduce the stress.

What is Stress Management?

stress management is a-- “set of techniques and programs intended to help people
deal more effectively with stress in their lives by analysing the specific stressors
and taking positive actions to minimize their effects.” ( Gale Encyclopaedia of
Medicine, 2008).

Different Stress Management Techniques & Strategies

These techniques have been categorized into three groups:
Action orientated approaches: used to take action to change a stressful situation

1. Be assertive

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Clear and effective communication is the key to being assertive. When we’re
assertive we can ask for what we want or need and explain what is bothering us.
The key is doing this in a fair and firm manner while still having empathy for
others. Once you identify what you need to communicate you can stand up for
yourself and be proactive in changing the stressful situation.

2.Reduce the noise- Switching off from technology and the constant stimuli
thrown at us hourly is an important way to slow down.
Make time for some quietness each day and you’ll notice how all those seemingly
urgent things that we feel we need to do, become less important. Plus the to-do list
will always be there. Remember – recharging is the most effective way of tackling
stress.

3. Manage your time- If we let them, our days will consume us. Before we know
it – the months have become overwhelmingly busy. When we manage our time we
prioritize and organize our tasks creating a less stressful and more enjoyable life.

4.Creating boundaries- Boundaries are the internal set of rules that we create
for ourselves. They outline what behaviors we will and won’t accept. Healthy
boundaries are essential for a stress-free life. When we have healthy boundaries
we respect ourselves and take care of our well-being by clearly expressing our
boundaries to others.

5. Get out of your head-Sometimes it’s best not to even try contending with the
racing thoughts. Sometimes you just need a break. Distract yourself. Watch a
movie, phone or catch up with a friend or do something positive that you know
takes your mind off things.

B. Emotion-oriented approaches: used to change the way we perceive a

stressful situation
1. Affirmations and imagery-The power of positive imagery and affirmations is
now scientifically proven to increase positive emotion.How? When you think of a
positive experience, your brain perceives it to be a reality.So, replace those
negative thoughts with positive statements and challenge and change the way you
see and experience the world.

2. Cognitive Restructuring- In the mid-1950’s psychologist Dr. Albert Ellis

developed what is referred to as cognitive restructuring, a technique for
understanding negative emotions and challenging these sometimes incorrect
beliefs that cause them. Cognitive restructuring is a key component of Cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT).

3. ABC Technique- The ABC technique was also originally created by psychologist
Dr. Albert Ellis and was later adapted by Martin Seligman.
The letters ABC stand for; A – adversity, or the stressful event. B – beliefs, or the
way that you respond to the event. Then C – consequences, the result of your
beliefs lead to the actions and outcome of that event.Essentially, the more
optimistic your beliefs are, the more positive the outcome.
Acceptance-Orientated Approaches: used for dealing with stressful situations you
can’t control

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1. Diet and Exercise-You’ve heard it before – but you are what you eat. Be
mindful of having a balanced and healthy diet. Making simple diet changes, such
as reducing your alcohol, caffeine and sugar intake is a proven way of reducing
anxiety.
Another guaranteed way to reduce stress is exercise. It’s proven to also be as
effective as antidepressants in relieving mild depression.
So get moving.

2. Meditation and physical relaxation-Use techniques such as deep breathing,

guided visualizations, yoga and guided body scans to relax the body.

3. Build resilience-Resiliency is our ability to bounce back from stressful or

negative experiences.To simplify, resilient people accept that the situation has
occurred, they learn from what transpired and then they move on.

4. Talk it out- Don’t block it all inside. Talk to someone close to you about your
worries or the things getting you down. Sharing worries is halving them.
And, most of our worries sound a lot less worrisome when we say them out loud.
If you don’t feel up to sharing, writing them down is also a great way to release
them or by engaging an independent professional.

5. Sleep- Getting a good night sleep is fundamental for recharging and dealing
with stressful situations in the best possible way. While it varies from individual to
individual, on the exact amount of sleep needed, an uninterrupted sleep of
approximately 8 hours is generally recommended. So, ensure that you get enough
sleep.

Stress Management In The Workplace

Whether it be extended hours, near impossible deadlines, demanding colleagues

or unappreciative bosses, workplace stress is something we’re all familiar with.
According to the World Health Organization’s definition, occupational or work-
related psychosocial stress “is the response people may have when presented with
work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities
and which challenge their ability to cope.” (Leka, Griffiths, & Cox, 2003)
But the effects of workplace stress aren’t simply isolated to the workplace. They
spill over into our personal relationships, our home lives, and our overall
productivity.

Causes of workplace stress

The most and least stressful job report for 2018, conducted by CareerCast found
that the top most stressful jobs of the year were – Enlisted Military Personnel,
Firefighters, Airline Pilots and Police Officers. The least stressful jobs were –
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, hair stylist, audiologist, and University professor
(“CareerCast Rates Least and Most Stressful Jobs for 2018”, 2018).
While some jobs are undoubtedly more stressful than others, all workplaces are
prone to stress of some degree.

The below diagram, obtained from the WSH Institute (2018) clearly shows the
various factors that can lead to workplace stress along with the organization and
individuals role in dealing with these hazards.
Stress management advantages

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The below table, from the WHO (2018) illustrates the advantages of workplace
stress management:

From minor challenges to major crises, stress is part of life. And while you can't
always control your circumstances, you can control how you respond to them.
When stress becomes overwhelming, or it's chronic, it can take a toll on your well-
being. That's why it's important to have effective stress relievers that can calm
your mind and your body.
There isn't a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to stress relief, however. What
works for one person might not work for another.
And what works for you at home might not be an option when you're at work or in
the community (dancing around your living room might be helpful but dancing in
the grocery store might not be).
So it's important to have a variety of stress relief tools at your disposal. Then,
you'll be able to pick a strategy that works best for your current circumstances.
Stress-Relief Strategies
Whether you're about to be interviewed for a job or you're feeling overwhelmed by
your child's behavior at the playground, it's important to have some stress
reduction tools that can lower your stress right now.

Guided Imagery
Guided imagery is like taking a short vacation in your mind. It can involve imaging
yourself being in your "happy place"—maybe picturing yourself sitting on a beach,
listening to the waves, smelling the ocean, and feeling the warm sand underneath
you.
Simply close your eyes for a minute and walk yourself through a peaceful scene.
Think about all the sensory experiences you'd engage in and allow yourself to feel
as though you're really there. After a few minutes, open your eyes and return to
the present moment.

Meditate
Meditation brings short-term stress relief as well as lasting stress management
benefits. There are many different forms of meditation to try–each one is unique
and brings its own appeal.
You might develop a mantra that you repeat in your mind as you take slow deep
breaths. Or, you might take a few minutes to practice mindfulness, which involves
being in the moment. Simply pay attention to what you see, hear, taste, touch, and
smell.

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When you're focused on the here-and-now, you won't be able to ruminate about
something that already happened and you can't worry about something in the
future. Meditation and mindfulness take practice, but it can make a big difference
in your overall stress level.

Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation involves relaxing all the muscles in your body, group
by group. To practice, you can start with a few deep breaths.
Then, practice tightening and relaxing each muscle group, starting with your
forehead and moving down to your toes.
With practice, you'll learn to recognize tension and tightness in your muscles and
you'll be able to relax more easily. Each time you practice, however, you should
experience a feeling of relaxation sweeping through your body.

Get a Hug from a Loved One

Physical touch can do a lot to relieve your stress. Hugging a loved one can be
especially beneficial.
When you hug someone, oxytocin (also known as the "cuddle hormone") is
released. Oxytocin is associated with higher levels of happiness and lower levels of
stress.
Oxytocin also causes a reduction in blood pressure. It reduces the stress hormone
norepinephrine and can produce a sense of relaxation.
So don't be afraid to ask a loved one for a hug if you need it. It's good for both of
you and it can be one of the simplest forms of stress relief available.

Create Artwork
Getting in touch with your creative side may have been easy for you during
childhood, but if you’ve lost touch with your penchant for artwork, it’s not too late
to pick it up again.
If you aren't into drawing or painting, consider coloring in a coloring book. Adult
coloring books have risen in popularity and for good reason—coloring can be a
great stress reliever.
Research consistently shows that coloring can have a meditative effect.
One study found that anxiety levels decline in people who were coloring complex
geometric patterns, making it a perfect outlet for stress reduction.

Long-Term Stress-Relief Strategies for Lasting Health

Eat a Balanced Diet
A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress. Emotional eating and reaching
for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that adds to
your long-term stress.
Refined carbs, like cookies and potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar.
When your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety.
Consuming a healthy diet can help you combat stress over the long haul. Foods
like eggs, avocado, and walnuts support mood regulation and energy balance.

Make Time for Leisure Activities

Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress. Yet, many people feel
as though their lives are too busy for hobbies, games, or extra fun.
But building time for leisure into your schedule could be key to helping you feel
your best. And when you feel better, you'll perform better, which means leisure
time may make your work time more efficient.

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Develop a Positive Self-Talk Habit
The way you talk to yourself matters a lot. Harsh self-criticism, self-doubt, and
catastrophic predictions aren't helpful. If you're constantly thinking things like, "I
don't have time for this," and "I can't stand this," you'll stress yourself out.
It's important to learn to talk to yourself in a more realistic, compassionate
manner. When you call yourself names or doubt your ability to succeed, reply with
a kinder inner dialogue.

Practice Yoga
Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled
breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief.
And while you're likely to reap immediate benefits from a single yoga session,
you're likely to receive long-term benefits if you incorporate it into your life in a
consistent way.

Express Gratitude
Gratitude helps you recognize all the things you have to be thankful for. Whether
you're grateful for a sunny day or thankful you arrived at work safely, think about
all the good things you have in life.

Prioritize Exercise
Physical activity is key to managing stress and improving mental health. And the
best news is, there are many different kinds of activities that can reduce your
stress.
Join a gym, take a class, or exercise outside. Keep in mind that there are many
different ways to get more physical activity in your day too.Walking, strength
training, kayaking, hiking, and spin class are just a few different examples of ways
you can get stress relief.

Strategies That Engage in Problem-Focused Coping

Most stress relievers focus on changing your emotions. But sometimes, you won't
necessarily get relief until you change the environment.
This is referred to as problem-focused coping (as opposed to emotion-focused
coping). Problem-focused coping involves taking steps to remove the stressor from
your life (as opposed to changing how you feel about the stressor).

Reassess Your To-Do Lists

If you're trying to squeeze 20 hours worth of work into 16 hours, you're going to
feel stressed. Reducing your workload could be key to helping you get through the
day feeling better.
Whether that means stepping away from a committee you joined or it involves
hiring someone to complete some of your household chores for you,
Honing your time management skills can allow you to minimize the stressors that
you experience, and better manage the ones you can't avoid.
When you are able to complete everything on your "to do" list without the stress of
rushing or forgetting, your whole life feels easier.

Obtain Social Support

Having supportive people in your life is key to stress management. If you lack
emotional support and friendship, it's important to get it.

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That may mean reaching out to your existing network. Perhaps confiding in a
family member or distant friend can help you become closer and it may give you
the social support you need.
You may also need to expand your network. Join an organization, attend a support
group, or get professional help if you lack supportive people in your life.

Cut Out Things That Add to Your Stress

Sometimes, the best way to reduce your stress is to cut something out of your life.
Get rid of the things that are adding to your stress so you can experience more
peace.
Watching the news, being constantly connected to your digital devices, drinking
alcohol, and consuming too much caffeine are just a few of the things that may
add more stress to your life. Making some changes to your daily habits could be
instrumental in helping you feel better.

REFERENCES

NCERT CLASS XII PSYCHOLOGY TEXT BOOK

https://verilymag.com/2014/10/unhealthy-habits-how-to-handle-stress
https://success.oregonstate.edu/sites/success.oregonstate.edu/files/LearningCorner/
Tools/stress_management_strategies.pdf
https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/CCI/Mental%20Health%20Professionals/
Interpersonal/Interpersonal%20-%20Information%20Sheets/Interpersonal
%20Information%20Sheet%20-%2004%20-%20Coping%20With%20Stress.pdf
https://www.umassmed.edu/psychiatry/resources/wellness/stress_management/
stress_handouts/

Handout 7A
Positive Mindful Mantras
Effective communication: Assertiveness is a behaviour or skill that helps to
communicate, clearly and confidently, our feelings, needs, wants, and thoughts. It is the
ability to say no to a request, to state an opinion without being self-conscious, or to
express emotions such as love, anger, etc. openly. If you are assertive, you feel
confident, and have high self-esteem and a solid sense of your own identity.
Time Management: The way you spend your time determines the quality of your life.
Learning how to plan time and delegate can help to relieve the pressure. The major way
to reduce time stress is to change one’s perception of time. The central principle of time
management is to spend your time doing the things that you value, or that help you to
achieve your goals. It depends on being realistic about what you know and that you must
do it within a certain time period, knowing what you want to do, and organising your life
to achieve a balance between the two.
Rational Thinking : Many stress-related problems occur as a result of distorted thinking.
The way you think and the way you feel are closely connected. When we are stressed,
we have an inbuilt selective bias to attend to negative thoughts and images from the
past, which affect our perception of the present and the future. Some of the principles of
rational thinking are: challenging your distorted thinking and irrational beliefs, driving
out potentially intrusive negative anxiety-provoking thoughts, and making positive
statements.

Improving Relationships : The key to a sound lasting relationship is communication.

This consists of three essential skills: listening to what the other person is saying,
expressing how you feel and what you think, and accepting the other person’s opinions

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and feelings, even if they are different from your own. It also requires us to avoid
misplaced jealousy and sulking behaviour.
Self-care : If we keep ourselves healthy, fit and relaxed, we are better prepared
physically and emotionally to tackle the stresses of everyday life. Our breathing patterns
reflect our state of mind and emotions. When we are stressed or anxious, we tend
towards rapid and shallow breathing from high in the chest, with frequent sighs. The
most relaxed breathing is slow, stomach-centred breathing from the diaphragm, i.e. a
dome like muscle between the chest and the abdominal cavity. Environmental stresses
like noise, pollution, space, light, colour, etc. can all exert an influence on our mood.
These have a noticeable effect on our ability to cope with stress, and well-being.
Overcoming Unhelpful Habits: Unhelpful habits such as perfectionism, avoidance,
procrastination, etc. are strategies that help to cope in the short-term but which make
one more vulnerable to stress. Perfectionists are persons who have to get everything just
right. They have difficulty in varying standards according to factors such as time
available, consequences of not being able to stop work, and the effort needed. They are
more likely to feel tense and find it difficult to relax, are critical of self and others, and
may become inclined to avoid challenges. Avoidance is to put the issue under the carpet
and refuse to accept or face it. Procrastination means putting off what we know we need
to do. We all are guilty of saying “I will do it later”. People who procrastinate are
deliberately avoiding confronting their fears of failure or rejection.
Various factors have been identified which facilitate the development of positive health.
Health is a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being, and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Positive health comprises the following
constructs: “a healthy body; high quality of personal relationships; a sense of purpose in
life; self-regard, mastery of life’s tasks; and resilience to stress, trauma, and change”.
Box 3.3 presents the relationship between resilience and health. Specifically, factors that
act as stress buffers and facilitate positive health are diet, exercise, and positive

References : NCERT XII PSCHOLOGY BOOK

Handout-Session 8

Enlist some key learning from this CBP that you would like to apply in your life:
1)

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Any other

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Self-Reading Material

Read the Passage

The American Psychological Association (APA) suggested the following definitions:
Stress can be a reaction to a short-lived situation, such as being stuck in traffic. Or it can
last a long time if you're dealing with relationship problems, a spouse's death or other
serious situations. Stress becomes dangerous when it interferes with your ability to live a
normal life over an extended period. You may feel tired, unable to concentrate or
irritable. Stress can also damage your physical health.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical
changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have
recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry.
They may also have physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness or a rapid
heartbeat.
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural
disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Long term reactions
include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical
symptoms like headaches or nausea. While these feelings are normal, some people have
difficulty moving on with their lives. Psychologists can help these individuals find
constructive ways of managing their emotions.
Depression is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of
interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or
excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or

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excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. Depression is the most
common mental disorder. Fortunately, depression is treatable. A combination of therapy
and antidepressant medication can help ensure recovery.
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of
control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal
relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though
you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. This brochure is meant to
help you understand and control anger.
Worry A state of mental distress or agitation due to concern for an impending or
anticipated event, threat, or danger. (Corsini, 2016)
Fear A common emotion with many variations, running from slight anxiety to terror and
panic. It is aroused not only by direct danger but by situations or objects that are cues to
danger. (Corsini, 2016)
Types of stressors
Acute stress is the most common form of stress. It comes from demands and pressures of
the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. Acute stress is
thrilling and exciting in small doses, but too much is exhausting. A fast run down a
challenging ski slope, for example, is exhilarating early in the day. That same ski run late
in the day is taxing and wearing. Skiing beyond your limits can lead to falls and broken
bones. By the same token, overdoing on short-term stress can lead to psychological
distress, tension headaches, upset stomach and other symptoms.
The most common symptoms are:
Emotional distress — some combination of anger or irritability, anxiety and depression,
the three stress emotions.
Muscular problems including tension headache, back pain, jaw pain and the muscular
tensions that lead to pulled muscles and tendon and ligament problems.
Stomach, gut and bowel problems such as heartburn, acid stomach, flatulence, diarrhea,
constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
Transient over arousal leads to elevation in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, sweaty
palms, heart palpitations, dizziness, migraine headaches, cold hands or feet, shortness of
breath and chest pain.
Acute stress can crop up in anyone's life, and it is highly treatable and manageable.
Episodic Acute Stress are those, however, who suffer acute stress frequently, whose lives
are so disordered that they are studies in chaos and crisis. They're always in a rush, but
always late. If something can go wrong, it does. They take on too much, have too many
irons in the fire, and can't organize the slew of self-inflicted demands and pressures
clamouring for their attention. They seem perpetually in the clutches of acute stress.
It is common for people with acute stress reactions to be over aroused, short-tempered,
irritable, anxious and tense. Often, they describe themselves as having "a lot of nervous
energy." Always in a hurry, they tend to be abrupt, and sometimes their irritability comes
across as hostility. Interpersonal relationships deteriorate rapidly when others respond
with real hostility. The workplace becomes a very stressful place for them.
The cardiac prone, "Type A" personality described by cardiologists, Meter Friedman and
Ray Rosenman, is similar to an extreme case of episodic acute stress. Type A's have an
"excessive competitive drive, aggressiveness, impatience, and a harrying sense of time
urgency." In addition, there is a "free-floating, but well-rationalized form of hostility, and
almost always a deep-seated insecurity." Such personality characteristics would seem to
create frequent episodes of acute stress for the Type A, individual. Friedman and
Rosenman found Type A's to be much more likely to develop coronary heart disease than
Type B's, who show an opposite pattern of behaviour.
Another form of episodic acute stress comes from ceaseless worry. "Worry warts" see
disaster around every corner and pessimistically forecast catastrophe in every situation.
The world is a dangerous, unrewarding, punitive place where something awful is always
about to happen. These "awfulizers" also tend to be over aroused and tense, but are
more anxious and depressed than angry and hostile.
The symptoms of episodic acute stress are the symptoms of extended over arousal:
persistent tension headaches, migraines, hypertension, chest pain and heart disease.

27
Treating episodic acute stress requires intervention on a number of levels, generally
requiring professional help, which may take many months.
Often, lifestyle and personality issues are so ingrained and habitual with these individuals
that they see nothing wrong with the way they conduct their lives. They blame their woes
on other people and external events. Frequently, they see their lifestyle, their patterns of
interacting with others, and their ways of perceiving the world as part and parcel of who
and what they are.

Sufferers can be fiercely resistant to change. Only the promise of relief from pain and
discomfort of their symptoms can keep them in treatment and on track in their recovery
program.
Chronic Stress is the grinding stress that wears people away day after day, year after
year. Some chronic stresses stem from traumatic, early childhood experiences that
become internalized and remain forever painful and present. Some experiences
profoundly affect personality. A view of the world, or a belief system, is created that
causes unending stress for the individual (e.g., the world is a threatening place, people
will find out you are a pretender, you must be perfect at all times). When personality or
deep-seated convictions and beliefs must be reformulated, recovery requires active self-
examination, often with professional help.
The worst aspect of chronic stress is that people get used to it. They forget it's there.
People are immediately aware of acute stress because it is new; they ignore chronic
stress because it is old, familiar, and sometimes, almost comfortable.
Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack, stroke and, perhaps, even
cancer. People wear down to a final, fatal breakdown. Because physical and mental
resources are depleted through long-term use, the symptoms of chronic stress are
difficult to treat and may require extended medical as well as behavioural treatment and
stress management.
The generalized stress response — introduction
The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) was proposed by the researcher Hans Selye.
Before forming this hypothetical framework, Selye carried out a number of experiments
on rodents in which he exposed them to a variety of different hardships. Selye
discovered that while each unpleasant experience caused specific defence reactions in
the mice, such as the release of specific antibodies or the compensatory growth of
specific muscle groups, there was also a generalized stress response that was always
the same.In fact, Selye’s hypothesis should be called the “generalized stress response”
because that is a more accurate description of what it describes.
This generalized stress response to a stressor was divided into three phases.
Alarm reaction — involves the breakdown of body tissues (catabolism), hypoglycemia
(low blood sugar), gastrointestinal ulcers, and swelling of the adrenal glands. More
modern research tends to refer to the response in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
(HPA) axis, including cortisol levels.
Resistance — reverses the symptoms of the alarm reaction phase, and also creates
adaptations that allow the subject to withstand higher levels of the imposed stressor.
Exhaustion — reverts to similar symptoms as the alarm reaction phase.
Importantly, Selye was very clear that the generalized stress response was the sum of
all stressor acting on an individual at any time.
Additionally, Selye noted that each stressor has specific effects that produce specific
adaptations, and the nature of these specific adaptations influences the course of
progress through the three phases of the GAS framework.

Let’s explore those two insights a bit further.

The generalized stress response — sum of stressors
When imposing a stressor on a subject, the generalized stress response is determined
by the sum of all stressors acting at that time. For example, when a rodent is subjected
to a toxin, their generalized stress response to that toxin is determined not just by the
amount of the toxin, but also by their living conditions, their ability to exercise, and
many other factors. In other words, being in what we might term a “stressful”

28
environment reduces the ability of the mouse to overcome the stress imposed by the
toxin. This makes the duration of their resistance phase shorter, and reduces their
capacity to adapt to the imposed stressor.

This observation led Selye to propose that each animal has a finite amount of
“adaptation energy” that can be dedicated to resisting and overcoming all imposed
stressors. When other stressors are low, we can enjoy a very long resistance phase in
which to overcome the imposed target stressor. However, in a stressful environment,
any additional stressor can quickly push us into the exhaustion phase.

How might the GAS apply to strength training?

We can model strength training as a stressor within the GAS framework, if we identify
muscle damage as the main result of the stressor.
From Selye’s point of view, this is completely appropriate, since his studies involved
applying a toxic agent that caused harm to his experimental subjects, which later
recovered and self-repaired the damaging effects.
It also makes sense from a practical perspective, since muscle damage is the main
factor that determines how long it takes to recover from a workout, and is often caused
by strength training. Other forms of fatigue (both central and peripheral) produce only
very transitory effects lasting a few hours.
1. Alarm reaction phase — unaccustomed strength training can cause muscle damage,
which leads to a temporary loss in strength. Similarly, some types of workout cause
elevations in cortisol, which is a major stress hormone, and indicates that the HPA
axis has probably been activated. Yet, other types of workout cause no muscle
damage or reductions in strength, and do not cause measurable cortisol responses.
2. Resistance phase — it is well-known that strength training produces very specific
adaptations, and these can help improve the ability to withstand future, larger doses
of strength training. Additionally, the imposition of other stressors (such as
psychological stress from adverse life events) does reduce the available adaptation
energy, and increase the time taken to recover from a workout.
3. Exhaustion phase — while the precise nature of overtraining is still poorly understood,
it does seem to involve increases in muscle damage, and rodent studies have shown
that excessive strength training volume and frequency can lead to muscle loss.
In summary, some types of unaccustomed strength training workouts do seem to cause
a generalized stress response, as well as muscle damage. The muscle damage response
disappears once specific adaptations to the particular type of workout are developed,
and the capacity to recover may be limited by the presence of other stressors, such as
adverse life events. Finally, if the imposed workout load is too high, muscle damage
becomes excessive and muscle atrophy is observed. Yet, as the above analysis reveals,
not all types of strength training workout can be modelled in this way, as they do not
produce muscle damage.
The “fight or flight” response was documented by Walter Cannon (1932). It posits that
we all have an innate biological response (for animals as well as humans) to severe
stress, whereby the nervous system is aroused, and the body releases the hormone
cortisol. This stress hormone helps us run faster or fight harder in life threatening
situations. We experience increased heart rate and respiratory rate, perspiration,
increased muscle tension and energy. This response is helpful for survival in threatening
and traumatic events like being chased by a lion, fleeing violence in a war or escaping a
burning car. However, today the problem with our fight or flight response is that:
It can be triggered (at work, at home) even if the situation if not life threatening

It has negative consequences on our health (makes us uneasy by impairing the immune
system, causing stress-related illnesses like Sleep and eating disorders, Diabetes, cold
and viruses, etc)
It interferes with our ability to perform and make good decisions
Makes us ineffective at our work and leaves us accident prone
It reduces our ability to interact positively with others and enjoy life

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 The reality is that we only need to activate this fight or flight response in rare
circumstances for survival. However, our bodies can go into this type of response with
other kinds of (non-life threatening) stress, which is a problem for us and our health.

Coping with Long-Term Stress

There are a variety of coping strategies that people can use to fight long-term stress.
For instance, addressing an underlying situation with regard to work or a relationship
may lessen stressful situations. Seeking counselling is another method that can work
well for many people. The following strategies are known to reduce stress:
Organization
1. Clearing away clutter

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2. Enlisting help with tasks from friends and family
3. Using time management to eliminate and combine tasks
Support
1. Confiding in friends and family
2. Counseling
3. Support groups

Meditative
1. Deep breathing and meditating 3. Writing in a journal, poetry or prose
2. Sitting peacefully outdoors 4. Going for a walk or drive

Physical
1. Regular exercising, yoga and stretching
2. Engaging in a sporting activity
3. Taking a bath

Personal Enjoyment
One of the most important methods of coping with long-term stress—but one of the
most difficult, at times—is to be kind to yourself. Long-term stress and anxiety can often
reduce our receptiveness to things we enjoy. But scheduling time for fun, relaxing
hobbies as a routine or a reward can lighten the weight of issues like school, work, and
family.
Take time listen to music, reading books and magazines, watching television, or seeing
a film. If you have the spare finances, treat yourself to a visit to a spa or shopping for a
gift for yourself. Sometimes you’re the only person who knows how hard you’re working,
and only you know that you deserve a reward.Social activities and interaction can also
make the burden of long-term stress easier to bear. Try joining a social activity group;
attend a play, symphony, athletic event or lecture. Playing a game or engaging with a
pet can also be stimulating and relaxing. The human body is designed to withstand an
occasional level of extreme stress. However, while the body is able to survive certain
amounts of pressure, every person is different. Therefore, it is important to note
recurring symptoms and take action to correct them quickly and as permanently as
possible. One of the best strategies is to get to the root cause and incorporate engaging
in relaxing activities regularly as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Techniques for Stress Management

By voluntarily changing the rate, depth, and pattern of breathing, we can change the
messages being sent from the body’s respiratory system to the brain. In this way,
breathing techniques provide a portal to the autonomic communication network
through which we can, by changing our breathing patterns, send specific messages to
the brain using the language of the body, a language the brain understands and to
which it responds. Messages from the respiratory system have rapid, powerful effects
on major brain centers involved in thought, emotion, and behavior.
(Richard P. Brown, M.D. and Patricia L. Gerbarg, M.D. The Healing Power of the
Breath.)
Deep breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing technique
Lie on your back on a flat surface or in bed, with your knees bent and your head
supported. You can use a pillow under your knees to support your legs. Place one hand
on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage. This will allow you to feel
your diaphragm move as you breathe.

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Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out against your
hand. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible.

Tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale through pursed
lips (see "Pursed Lip Breathing Technique_"). The hand on your upper chest must
remain as still as possible.

When you first learn the diaphragmatic breathing technique, it may be easier for you
to follow the instructions lying down, as shown on the first page. As you gain more
practice, you can try the diaphragmatic breathing technique while sitting in a chair, as
shown below.

To perform this exercise while sitting in a chair:

Sit comfortably, with your knees bent and your shoulders, head and neck relaxed.
Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out against your
hand. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible.
Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage. This will
allow you to feel your diaphragm move as you breathe.
Tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale through pursed
lips (see "Pursed Lip Breathing Technique"). The hand on your upper chest must
remain as still as possible.
4-7-8 Breathing- inhale for a count of four, wait for a count of seven, and exhale for a
count of eight. This allows you to pause between breaths and really slow things down.
Visualization Breathing: Releasing Your Stress- Get into a comfortable position, close
your eyes, and start diaphragmatic breathing. As you inhale, imagine that all the
stress in your body is coming from your extremities and into your chest. Then, as you
exhale, imagine that the stress is leaving your body through your breath and
dissipating right in front of you. Slowly, deliberately repeat the process. After several
breaths, you should feel your stress begin to subside.
Alternate Nostril Breathing- This breathing exercise variation has been practiced for
thousands of years as a form of meditative breathing. As you inhale, place your finger
over your right nostril and only breathe through your left. On the exhale, switch
nostrils and only breathe through your right.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique
Facilitator introduces exercise - Progressive muscular relaxation is useful for relaxing
your body when muscles are tense. The idea behind this technique is that you focus
slowly on tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. Normally you tense each

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muscle group for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 (or more) seconds,
repeating as needed. This helps you become more aware of physical sensations in
your body and is very practical because it can be done anywhere, anytime. The
premise of PMR is that by tightening and releasing all the major muscle groups of the
body in an exaggerated fashion, you will end up feeling more relaxed and at peace
with yourself, and much less stressed than you otherwise would. Consciously
exaggerating and releasing muscle tension also helps you learn to recognize when you
are holding onto unnecessary muscular tension so that you can use relaxation
techniques to relieve this stress before it gets out of hand.

Step 1: Tension
The first step is to tense a specific part of the body. Take a slow, deep breath and
squeeze the muscles as hard as you can for about 5 seconds. It is important to really
feel the tension in the muscles, which may even cause a bit of discomfort or shaking.
It is easy to accidentally tense other surrounding muscles (for example, the shoulder
or arm while tensing the hands), so try to only tense the muscles you are targeting.
Step 2: Relaxing the Tense Muscles
Quickly relax the tensed muscles. After about 5 seconds, let all the tightness flow out
of the tensed muscles. Exhale as you do this step. Feel the muscles become loose and
limp, as the tension flows out. Notice the difference between the tension and
relaxation.
Remain in this relaxed state for about 15 seconds, and then move on to the next
muscle group. Repeat the tension- relaxation steps. After completing all of the muscle
groups, take some time to enjoy the deep state of relaxation.
 Muscle Groups
 Feet - Point toes and curl them under
 Lower legs and feet - tighten your calf muscles by pulling toes toward you
 Entire Leg- squeeze tight muscles, calf muscles and feet.
 Buttocks - tense in towards each other
 Stomach: suck stomach in
 Chest: Take a deep breath in and hold it for a few seconds
 Neck and shoulders- squeeze shoulder up to ears and then release down the
back
 Upper arms - Bend arms at elbows and flex biceps
 Forearms and hands - Extend arm, elbows locked, and flex hands back at the
wrists
 Hands - Clench fists
 Jaw - open mouth wide and stick out tongue
 Mouth - press lips tightly together
 Eyes - close eyes tightly, hold and release
 Forehead - wrinkle forehead into frown, tense, release, rest, and/or raise
eyebrows Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has

been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression,
anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders
and severe mental illness. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to
significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. In many studies, CBT has
been demonstrated to be as effective as, or more effective than, other forms of
psychological therapy or psychiatric medications.
It is important to emphasize that advances in CBT have been made on the basis of
both research and clinical practice. Indeed, CBT is an approach for which there is
ample scientific evidence that the methods that have been developed actually
produce change. In this manner,
 CBT differs from many other forms of psychological treatment.

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  CBT is based on several core principles, including:
 Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of
thinking.
 Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful
behavior.
 People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping
with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in
their lives.
 CBT treatment usually involves efforts to change thinking patterns. These
strategies might include:
 Learning to recognize one's distortions in thinking that are creating problems,
and then to re-evaluate them in light of reality.
 Gaining a better understanding of the behaviour and motivation of others.
 Using problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations.
 Learning to develop a greater sense of confidence is one's own abilities.
 CBT treatment also usually involves efforts to change behavioural patterns.
These strategies might include:
 Facing one's fears instead of avoiding them.
 Using role playing to prepare for potentially problematic interactions with
others.
 Learning to calm one's mind and relax one's body.
 Not all CBT will use all of these strategies. Rather, the psychologist and
patient/client work together, in a collaborative fashion, to develop an
understanding of the problem and to develop a treatment strategy.
 CBT places an emphasis on helping individuals learn to be their own therapists.
Through exercises in the session as well as “homework” exercises outside of
sessions, patients/clients are helped to develop coping skills, whereby they can
learn to change their own thinking, problematic emotions and behavior.
 CBT therapists emphasize what is going on in the person's current life, rather
than what has led up to their difficulties. A certain amount of information about
one's history is needed, but the focus is primarily on moving forward in time to
develop more effective ways of coping with life Dialectical behaviour therapy
(DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive cognitive behavioral treatment.

It aims to treat people who see little or no improvement with other therapy models.
This treatment focuses on problem solving and acceptance-based strategies. The term
dialectical refers to the processes that bring opposite concepts together such as
change and acceptance.
It emphasizes individual psychotherapy and group skills training classes to help people
learn and use new skills and strategies to develop a life that they experience as worth
living. DBT skills include skills for mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance,
and interpersonal effectiveness.
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) may be seen as having two main
components:
1. Individual weekly psychotherapy sessions that emphasize problem-solving behavior
for the past week’s issues and troubles that arose in the person’s life. Self-injurious
and suicidal behaviors take first priority, followed by behaviors that may interfere
with the therapy process. Quality of life issues and working toward improving life in
general may also be discussed. Individual sessions in DBT also focus on decreasing
and dealing with post-traumatic stress responses (from previous trauma in the
person’s life) and helping enhance their own self-respect and self-image.
2. Weekly group therapy sessions, generally 2 1/2 hours a session which is led by a
trained DBT therapist. In these weekly group therapy sessions, people learn skills
from one of four different modules: interpersonal effectiveness, distress

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 tolerance/reality acceptance skills, emotion regulation, and mindfulness skills are
taught.

There are four modules in skills training:

Mindfulness: the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment.These
skills include “what” skills or skills that answer the question “What do I do to practice
core mindfulness skills?”, like observing, describing, and participating. There are also
“how” skills or skills that answer the question “How do I practice core mindfulness
skills?”, like non-judgment, and practicing “One-mindfully” and effectively. Many of
these mindfulness skills feed into skills from the other modules; for example, ‘being
non-judgmental’ as encouraged in mindfulness is also encouraged in distress
tolerance, and the observing and describing skills can be helpful in identifying and
labelling emotions.
Being mindful means paying close attention to what’s happening in the moment. Put
simply, mindfulness is about being present. It means noticing what's happening inside
your mind and in your body. When we are mindful, we carefully observe our thoughts
and feelings without judging them as good or bad. Mindfulness can also be a healthy
way to identify and manage hidden emotions that may be causing problems in our
personal and professional relationships. It means living in the moment and awakening
to our current experience, rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future.
Mindfulness is frequently used in meditation and certain kinds of therapy.
Basic mindfulness meditation – Sit quietly and focus on your natural breathing or on a
word or “mantra” that you repeat silently. Allow thoughts to come and go without
judgment and return to your focus on breath or mantra.
Bodily sensations – Notice subtle body sensations such as an itch or tingling without
judgment and let them pass. Notice each part of your body in succession from head to
toe.
Sensory – Notice sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. Name them “sight,”
“sound,” “smell,” “taste,” or “touch” without judgment and let them go.
Emotions – Allow emotions to be present without judgment. Practice a steady and
relaxed naming of emotions: “joy,” “anger,” “frustration.” Accept the presence of the
emotions without judgment and let them go.
Urge surfing – Cope with cravings (for addictive substances or behaviors) and allow
them to pass. Notice how your body feels as the craving enters. Replace the wish for
the craving to go away with the certain knowledge that it will subside.
Distress Tolerance: how to tolerate pain in difficult situations, not change it. This
includes skills that are extremely important yet often overlooked: skills relating to
accepting, tolerating, and learning from suffering. Many other mental health treatment
regimens focus on avoiding pain, changing difficult situations, or walking away from
circumstances that cause suffering, but the distress tolerance skills taught through
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy focus on dealing with the pain and suffering that is
inevitable to the human condition.
The distress tolerance module is split into four crisis survival strategies:
 Distracting  Improving the moment
 Self-soothing  Thinking of pros and cons

Interpersonal Effectiveness:
How to ask for what you want and say no while maintaining self-respect and
relationships with others.The skills in this module are related to interacting with
others, especially in difficult or potentially damaging situations. These skills are
intended to help clients function effectively when trying to change something (e.g.,
making a request) or in trying to resist changes (e.g., refusing a request). The
intention is to aid the client in meeting their goals in each situation while avoiding any
damage to the relationship or to the client’s self-respect.
Emotion Regulation: how to change emotions that you want to change. Many clients
who participate in DBT are struggling with personality or mood disorders and can

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 benefit immensely from emotion regulation skills. Some of these skills that can help
clients deal with their emotions include:
 Identifying and labeling emotions
 Identifying obstacles to changing emotions
 Reducing vulnerability to “emotion mind”
 Increasing positive emotional events
 Increasing mindfulness to current emotions
 Taking opposite action
 Applying distress tolerance techniques
 The Happy Schools Framework
 The Happy Schools Framework was constructed based on the findings of the study,
aiming to capture the voices and perspectives of school-level stakeholders regarding
what constitutes a happy school. The framework is the heart of this report, and aims
to inform policy making from these school-level perspectives in a bid to revolutionizing
education from the ground up (Robinson and Lou, 2015).

The Happy Schools Framework

The Happy Schools Framework was constructed based on the findings of the study,
aiming to capture the voices and perspectives of school-level stakeholders regarding
what constitutes a happy school. The framework is the heart of this report, and aims to
inform policy making from these school-level perspectives in a bid to revolutionizing
education from the ground up (Robinson and Lou, 2015).
The Happy Schools Criteria
The results of the Happy School Survey provided the basis for identifying the 22 criteria
for a happy school under three broad categories: People, Process and Place. Many of
these criteria overlap across the three categories of People, Process and Place, and
mutually reinforce each other.
The feedback compiled through the Happy Schools Seminar highlighted many promising
and innovative practices being implemented in schools, and provided examples of
strategies that schools can use to reach each of the criteria. The following describes
some of these examples under the three categories of People, Process and Place.
People
The first category of People refers to all human and social relationships among members
of the school community. Friendships and relationships in the school community ranked
as the most important factor among respondents in terms of what makes a happy
school, with the findings identifying school practices that encourage parental
involvement, foster interactions and friendships between students of different grades,
and school activities that directly involve community members.
Another important criterion for happy schools in this category is positive teacher
attitudes and attributes, which include characteristics such as kindness, enthusiasm and
fairness, and the role of teachers in serving as inspiring, creative and happy role models
for learners. Respondents saw a need for schools to take this criterion into account in
teacher recruitment and evaluation, so as to place more emphasis on teacher
personality, attitude and ethics when hiring and assessing teachers.
Respondents also ranked positive and collaborative values and practices as being a very
important criterion in making schools happy. Such values and practices include love,
compassion, acceptance and respect. Strategies for promoting these values and
practices include visual reminders displayed as posters or illustrations; and ‘dual-
purpose learning’, whereby various values, strengths and competencies are highlighted
and promoted within the context of an academic topic or subject.
Process
The second category of Process encompasses teaching and learning methodologies that
can enhance learners’ sense of well-being. The various criteria under this category,

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include creating a more reasonable and fair workload for students due to a growing
imbalance between study and play. Another important criterion under this category is
learner freedom, creativity and engagement. Accordingly, a happy school should allow
for learners to express their opinions and to learn freely without the fear of making
mistakes, or as frequently cited by respondents to the survey, ‘learning without
worrying’ so that mistakes are valued as part of the learning process.
This also relates to the criterion useful, relevant and engaging learning content, which
calls for the content of curricula to reflect contemporary and relevant issues, with
guidance for teachers on how to make these issues relevant to learners’ lives.
Place
The third category of Place refers to contextual factors, both in terms of the physical
environment and the school atmosphere. Among the criteria under this category, a warm
and friendly learning environment ranked as the second most important factor for a
happy school overall, with the findings indicating the need to place more emphasis on
greetings and smiles, as well as introducing music, creating more open classrooms and
colourful and meaningful displays, thereby creating a more positive school atmosphere.
A secure environment free from bullying was another criterion ranked as important by
respondents, with findings identifying strategies such as the installing of a ‘buddy bench’
as well as enabling learners to interact and better understand one another through
shared learning and playing activities.
The need for school vision and leadership was also highlighted, with examples from
schools participating in the seminar showing how happiness can be prioritized through
school visions, mottos or slogans to create more positive school atmospheres.
In terms of the physical environment, respondents also cited the need for more open and
green learning and playing spaces to enhance learner happiness and well-being.
Suggested strategies include establishing relaxing and creative spaces, having a school
garden, as well as making use of outdoor spaces so that learners can connect with
nature while also engaging in investigative or physical learning activities.

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Source: ‘The Happy Schools Criteria’ in UNESCO’s ‘Happy Schools!: A framework for
learner wellbeing in Asia-Pacific. 2016. p.xii-xv (Abridged)

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