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WHAT IS STRESS?
 WHEN A PERSON CAN NO LONGER COPE WITH A NUMBER
OF THINGS TO DO AND THEREFORE BECOME PHYSICALLY
AND MENTALLY UNHEALTHY.
 THIS USUALLY OCCURS OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME
TYPE 1 STRESS:
BAD STRESS
• An overload of the hormone adrenaline
caused by emotions like fear, anger and
frustration
• This has a physical, mental and emotional
effect on us
• This has become a problem among
teenagers health
WHAT CAUSES BAD STRESS:
STRESSORS
♦ Changes due to puberty
♦ Complications in relationships
♦ Demands from school
♦ Changing/moving schools
♦ Safety and security
♦ Responsibilities
♦ Divorce
♦ Death of a loved one
♦ Financial problems
♦ Chronic illness
♦ Negative thoughts and feelings
BAD STRESS?
TOO MUCH CAUSES:
Tenseness
Distress
Anger
Unhappiness
Frustration
GOOD STRESS
 also known as eustress
 gets you started
 Offers you a challenge
 Keeps you going
 After a project you feel a great sense of
achievement
WHY DO WE NEED SOME GOOD
STRESS?
It comes from exciting experiences and stops us from
getting bored
TYPE 2 STRESS:
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
 Is an anxiety disorder based on how a person
responds in the long term to a traumatic event
 You start to suffer from PTSD after three months
after the traumatic experience
 PTSD can last for a few months to a few years
depending on the person
SYMPTOMS OF PTSD
 Continually re-experiencing the traumatic event
 Forgetting the event all together
 Feeling disinterested and detached from everyday life
 Severe depression
 Severe anxiety
 Extreme helplessness
 Compulsions and obsessions
 Insomnia
 Panic attacks
 Angry out bursts
MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS
 Become jittery
 Confused most of the time
 Become angry and moody
 Skin can start to break out
 Stop eating healthily but eat junk to keep
yourself going
 Tend to pick up weight or lose too much
weight
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS?
FIRST STAGE:
 Constant irritation with people
 Difficulty making decisions
 Have hardly any sense of humour
 Cannot concentrate
 Lack of interest (in any hobbies or activities
outside work)
 Feel tired (even after an early night)
 Find it increasingly difficult to wake up in the
morning
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS?
SECOND STAGE:
♣ Lack of appetite
♣ Crave food when under pressure
♣ Chronic insomnia (wake up at 3:00 or 4:00 AM and
cannot resume sleep for over several hours)
♣ Biting of nails
♣ Nervous twitches
♣ Headaches and migraines
♣ Eczema and asthma
♣ Sweat for no apparent reason
SYMPTOMS OF STRESS?
THIRD STAGE:
o Change in appetite and weight
o Change in sleep patterns
o Restlessness
o Inactivity
o Fatigue
o Loss of energy
o On-going feeling of guilt and worthlessness
o Depressed mood and feeling down
IMPACTS STRESS HAS ON THE BODY:
ANOREXIA
Stress can cause one’s appetite to change drastically causing
one to not eat healthy or even at all.
OBESITY
Stress can cause one’s appetite to change drastically causing
one to over eat the wrong foods to keep their energy levels up to
cope with the amount of work to do
DEPRESSION
This can be caused because one’s moods are constantly changing and
the high levels of stress can causes one’s moods to drop so low that they
become depressed. Depressed people tend to think of suicide and in
some way harming themselves which can cause a serious problem.
INSOMNIA
Insomnia can be a problem because the less one sleeps the more
stressed they become because their bodies are over exhausted and they
start to get serious mood swings and then start having problems
sleeping
DANGERS OF STRESS
 Self mutilation
 can develop hypertension
 Can be prone to injury much easier
 Can cause a nervous breakdown resulting in one
not being able to cope with day-to-day problems
 Can cause impotence
 Immune system can crash and becomes
weakened
MANAGING STRESS
o Relaxation
o Empowerment
o Positive thinking
o Avoid self medication
EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES
• One can pray
• Read
• Go soul searching
• Meditate
• Write poetry
• Write in a journal/diary
RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
♠ Deep breathing
♠ Listening to classical music
♠ Muscle relaxation
♠ Visualisation
♠ Yoga
♠ Sleeping
♠ Singing
♠ Body massage
♠ Acupuncture
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
TALKING
Talking to loved ones, peers and/or professionals can help one to
understand why what happened, happened. It can also help to seal the
wound and torment of the traumatic event
TEARS
Through crying one can release all the pain and grief that they are
going through. Tears are like the rain putting out the forest fire but only
in our hearts.
“it is sweet to mingle tears with fears, grief's, where they wound in
solitude, wound more deeply”
- Seneca, Roman Philosopher, Political Leader and author of tragedies
TIME
Time heals all wounds. Time is the most important aspect of recovery.
It takes time for one to feel comfortable and it provides an opportunity
for reflection. It allows people to look back on the challenges they have
overcome and it makes them realise their strength and perseverance to
push through the hard times.