1.StressBy: Kaite Clack

2. Stress is not a state of mind but somethingmeasurable and can be dangerous.What is Stress?First things first, there is two types of stressnegative stress and positive stress. Whenfaced with a positive stress, taking achallenge positively your body actuallyexperiences sympathetic arousal. But beingfearful of the challenge and feelingthreated you would experience constrictionof blood vessels which actually makes theheart work harder. 3. Give your stress wings and let it fly away. ~Terri GuillemetsWhen might you feel stressed?Sometimes our bodies react to certainsituations the same, when we notice we arefeeling stressed about the same thing overand over that is what we call a stressor.There are a few common stressors for teens,such as School, Parents, A peer group, Lackof life skills and even personal thoughts. 4. Stress should be a powerful driving force, notan obstacle. ~Bill PhillipsStressorsSchool is one of the major stressesreoccurring in my life, my marks right nowwill effect my future says Marcos Malfair agrade 12 student at Thomas HaneySecondary School. Stressors can pushsomebody over the edge or motivate themto do their best. In Marcos case his stressorSchool would be considered a positivestressor and can actually motivate him todo better. 5. Stress is poison. ~Agav PowersLong term effects from positivestressPositive stressors are also known as "eustress Aswe have seen stress can play a negative orpositive role on your life. But a stressor like schoolcan also effect you in long term. The effectsfrom eustress can give you motivation and willallow you to carry that out through your years.It can be the spark that drives us to achievemore, to improve the quality of our life, to askfor a raise, to fight for justice, or simply to go ona holiday. 6. When you wake up screaming and you havent fallen asleep yetLong term effects fromnegative stressProlonged or severe stress has been shown toweaken the immune system, strain the heart,damage memory cells in the brain and depositfat at the waist rather than the hips andbuttocks (a risk factor for heart disease, cancerand other illnesses), said Dr. Bruce. Stress causescells and organs to produce hormones thattrigger the production of white blood cells in ourbody. Chronic stimulation of the immune systemcauses the system to become suppressedoverall, and thus become less effective atwarding off diseases and infections. 7. My body needs laughter as much as itneeds tears. Both are cleansers of stress.How can you manage thestress?Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman suggested there are twotypes of coping responses that occur. Emotion focused andproblem focused. Problem focused targets the causes ofstress in practical ways which tackles the stressful situation.There are several problem focused techniques such as:Taking Control this response involves changing therelationship between yourself and the source of stress.Examples: escaping from the stress or removing the stress.Information Seeking the most rational action. This involvesthe individual trying to understand the situation (e.g. using theinternet) and putting into place cognitive strategies to avoid itin future. Information seeking is a cognitive response to stress.Evaluating the pros and cons of different options for dealingwith the stressor. 8. sleep is such a luxury, which i cantafford.Applying this to your life today Startthe coping process slowly rememberit is ok to feel stress and very common butits what you do with the stress that reallycounts! Find the right coping method for you Talk to family or friends about your stress,and if it gets overwhelming rememberhelp is a phone call away! 9. An interview with a real student goingthrough real stress;InterviewWhat does stress mean to you? Stress can mean several things tome, but the first thing that comes to my mind is when you arefeeling overwhelmed by somethingA stressor is an agent that causes stress to your body, what wouldyou say would be some common stressors for you? School is oneof the major stresses reoccurring in my life, my marks right now willaffect my futureHow has stress affected your life in the short term? Positively andnegatively By maturing in a way to control and handle thenegative stress it has actually made a positive effect on me.Do you think stress has affected your life the same way but in longterm? Yes I do.When you are beginning to feel the stress climb what is somethingyou do immediately? I try to relax and make a visual to help meorganize and prioritize.Over time, stress can increase and begin to add up how do youdeal with this? I set my goals high but my expectations low.Stress comes about in many different ways and can have differentimpacts on peoples lives 10. The money is what made me miserable. I want to be free of that stress.Facts about stress 1. Negative stress has been called the silent killer and canlead to heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pain, andan irregular heartbeat 2. The stress hormone cortisol not only causes abdominal fat toaccumulate, but it also enlarges individual fat cells, leadingto what researchers call diseased fat. 3. 75% of the general population experiences at least "somestress" every two weeks (National Health Interview Survey). 4. Stress also contributes to the development of alcoholism,obesity, suicide, drug addiction, cigarette addiction, andother harmful behaviors. 11. Is everything as urgent as your stress would imply?How can stress deteriorateyour body over timeNegative stress, It can kill you, in fact. A study nowreveals that stress causes deterioration in everythingfrom your gums to your heart and can make youmore susceptible to everything from the commoncold to cancer. The first clues to the link betweenstress and health were provided in the 1930s by HansSelye, Cortisol has been considered one of the mainculprits in the stress-illness connection, although itplays a necessary role in helping us cope withthreats. When an animal perceives danger, a systemkicks into gear: A chain reaction of signals releasesvarious hormones most notably epinephrine,norepinephrine, and cortisol from the adrenalglands above each kidney. 12. Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.There are places to talk aboutstress. What you are feeling isvery common! And you aredefinitely not aloneTeensguideforstress.blogspot.comChildrens help phone (1-800-668-6868)because help is only a phone call away! 13. CitationsMcLeod, S. A. (2010). Problem FocusedCoping | Stress. Retrievedfromhttp://www.simplypsychology.org/problem-focused-coping.htmlhttp://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/01/09/34154.aspx