LESSON 1

encountering stress as part of

adolescence.
“It’s not stress that kills us; it’s our
reaction to it.”

- Hans Selye
 INTRODUCTION
They say that growing up as an adolescent is one of the best years in
a person’s life. To some extent, it can be true but not without much
effort on being able to handle the changes and challenges that come
with it. Stress is part of your life, and it cannot be avoided or
ignored. Knowing how to deal with it will make you stronger and
more able to face your years as an adult in the future.
 Learning Targets
In this unit, you should be able to:
● discuss that understanding stress and its sources during
adolescence may
help in identifying ways to cope and have a healthful life;
● identify sources of one’s stress and illustrate the effect of stress on
one’s
system; and
● demonstrate personal ways of coping with stress for healthful
living
 Lesson 1: Sources of Stress and Its
Effects
Stress
In 1936, a doctor named Hans Selye conducted a study on hormonal changes in
rats. While having his experiments, he discovered that the rats not only responded
to the hormones and substances injected but were also reacting to the stress
brought about by their experience. He was the first to define stress as we know it
today and became known as the “Father of Stress Research.”

Stress, as defined by Selye, is the non-specific response of the body to any

demand. It is your body’s reaction to certain pressure or challenge or situation –
whether physical, mental or emotional. This stimulus that triggers the body to
respond is called a stressor.
Positive and Negative Stress
Both your good and bad experiences can create stress.Depending on the
stressor and the response that your body make, either positive stress or
negative stress may result. Stress is positive or helpful when your
response to a stimulus is that one which makes you more alert, more
productive and more motivated. In some cases, stress heightens your
senses and increases your strength and stamina -which can then allow
you to “fight or flee”from potential dangers to keep yourself from harm.
When stress pushes you to rise to a challenge, you become more
focused, more energetic, and even more efficient and creative. When
you can accomplish a task due to this positive stress, you become more
confident in facing future stressful situations that you may encounter.
More often than not, however, negative stress eventually occurs when you have
reached a tipping point or when stimuli go on for too long when yourr
esponsescause damage to your health, relationships, productivity, and other
aspects of your life. This threshold for stress varies for everyone
because stress is subjective. This means that what you consider as stressful
may not necessarily be stressful for another person. And because of this, you
must always be aware and sensitive tothe symptoms and signs of negative
stress.
 Kinds of Stress
It is important to note that stress is not always bad. It is, however, only meant be
temporary. It is supposed to push you to respond to a stressor and then have that
person back to your normal state. However, with the many factors that affect
you, the stressors and stress and how we address and manage it now becomes a
bit more complicated.
Acute Stress.
This is the most common and most recognizable kind of
stress. Its nature is those of everyday situations that you
encounter, making it very manageable. Acute stress is
only short-term for it is your body’s immediate response
to the demands and pressures of the recent past and the
near future. Therefore, it cannot do long-term, extensive
damage to you. It can be positive or negative, thrilling or
exciting, again, depending on how you perceive the
stressor to be.
Episodic Acute Stress
Individuals who suffer from this kind of stress are those who experience acute stress
very frequently. These people are usually impatient, always in a hurry, have very
short tempers, and display high irritability and anxiety. Those who suffer episodic
acute stress are usually the individuals who are either“worrywarts” (who focus on
the negative side of things; always foresee or expect something unfortunate to
happen, and who pointlessly worry so much about the past and the future) or Type A
personalities (those who are overly competitive; overly driven and highly
aggressive individuals whohave the incessant need to be in control of everything).
EPISODIC ACUTE STRESS
Chronic Stress
This kind of stress is the most damaging of all
for it is the stress that consumes you over a very
long time unless you seek professional help right away. Chronic
stress destroys your health and well-being and is manifested
later on as
physical illnesses or diseases that can cause death. People who
suffer from it no longer seek for solutions or hope for a better
disposition, as it is embedded already in their everyday life.
Chronic stress may have been brought about by traumatic
experiences in the past that continue to haunt and affect their
belief systems and daily activities
Adolescents and Stress
Adolescence is a period that is marked by many challenges and changes. It is no
surprise then that you may encounter stress as you cope and try to get
through these difficulties. Stress is an undeniable part of your growing up
years. Even adults experience stress but what is important to note is that they
manage stress differently from how you address stress. When you experience
stress, you are more prone to mental health issues and suicides due to the
developmental stage you are in. You seem to be more vulnerable to stress and
need more guidance in dealing with it. Studies have shown that there is a
reason why you are more predisposed to suffer from the stress, as compared
to most grownups.
Biological Foundations
When you encounter a stressor, the nervous system is activated to respond to it. The
hypothalamus releases the hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream,
which allows a quick physical response addressed towards the stressor – such as
increased blood pressure, heart rate and energy, and more focus. Compared to adults,
a physical response is much quicker in adolescents because the prefrontal cortex -
which is the part of the brain that can calmly assess the situation and delay this kind
of physical response from the brain – is not yet fully developed.
This prefrontal cortex - known for its functions in decision making, being
able to adapt and be flexible to new situations, making judgments,
organizing and planning, goal-setting, and controlling impulses – is not
yet connected to the emotional centers in the brain and is studied to be
among the last to be established. Without full maturity of the brain in
place, you have limited capacity to deal with stress and manage your
thoughts and emotions in a stressful situation. Your brain, therefore, is
much more vulnerable and sensitive to stress than an adult brain. This
may explain why it is so, that as you are repeatedly exposed to such
stressors, you are affected by them in more heightened ways. This
implies that you are more vulnerable to mental health issues such as
depression, etc. It is your development that predisposes you to such
conditions.
PREFRONTIAL CORTEX
Sources of Adolescent’s Stress
Given that your brain is more susceptible to stress, it is more crucial
that you know
and understand what causes stress to be able to effectively cope with
it.
 Social Pressures
You, who are in the process of
finding yourself and forming your
identity, encounter a lot of stress
in your struggle to conform to
pressure you’re your peers.
Competition and comparison
with peers occur as you try to
belong, stand out and be well-liked all at the same time.
With all the pressures given to you(to have the coolest and latest possessions; to
try out alcohol, sex and drugs; to be in a relationship or at least liked by the
opposite sex; and to look and be a certain size and weight) you definitely face a
lot of stress in dealing with all of these demands. The stress comes from being
pushed outside of what is comfortable to you to be able to avoid rejection and
isolation.
Family Relationships

. Changes in family dynamics cause you stress. At this

stage, you are struggling between being independent
while maintaining a healthy relationship with your
parents and siblings, which can cause emotional
stress. Rules and expectations are now being
questioned, and arguments and disagreements may
now be more frequent than before. Other possible
conflicts that can be a source of stress would be the
parents’ divorce, a birth or death in the family,
migration, financial troubles, etc.
Academic Pressure
Stress may also come from the
pressure to succeed in school. This success not
only means regarding grades but also translates
to being a well-rounded student who excels in
other things aside from grades. There is
pressure you place on yourself, that may
sometimes be reinforced by your parents,
which automatically causes a lot of internal
stress. There is the struggle to juggle school
priorities and family obligations. The stress
comes from the fear of failing or having to quit.
Self-Doubt

● This is the stage where you begin to

wonder if you can have it all. There is
the fear that you don’t have what it
takes to be the best student or
● son/daughter or friend. If you do not achieve the status that you
aspire to, selfdoubt enters, and stress takes over. With all the
changes happening, you begin to feel that you are losing yourself
and your self-worth is put into question.
Activity

1-3
what are the 3 types of stress?

4.it is a part of the brain that is known for its function in decision making.

5-8.What are the 4 Sources of Adolescent’s Stress?

9.it is the stimulus that triggers the body to respond

10.your body’s response to any demand or challenge

 THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!!^^