Stress Management Skills free essay sample

Teenagers, Ilke adults, may experience stress everyday and can benefit from learning stress management skills. Most teens experience more stress when they perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful and they do not have the resources to cope. Some common external causes of stress for teens might include: School demands and frustrations . Negative thoughts and feelings about themselves changes In their bodies. Problems with friends and/or peers at school. Unsafe living environment/neighborhood . Separation or divorce of parents _ Chronic illness or severe problems in the family . Death of a loved one . Moving or changing schools. Taking on too many activities or having too high expectations . Family financial problems. Some common internal causes of stress for teen might include : Chronic worry. Pessimism. Negative self talk. unrealistic expectations/Perfectionism. Rigid thinking, lack of flexibility. All-or-nothing attitude. Some teens become overloaded with stress. When it happens, inadequately managed stress can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical Illness, or poor coping kills such as drug and/or alcohol use. We will write a custom essay sample on Stress Management Skills or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When we perceive a situation as difficult or painful, changes occur in our minds and bodies to prepare us to respond to danger. This fight, fight. or freeze response includes faster heart and breathing rate. increased blood to muscles of arms and legs, cold or clammy hands and feet, upset stomach and/or a sense of dread. The same mechanism that turns on the stress response can turn it off. As soon as we decide that a situation is no longer dangerous, changes can occur in our minds and bodies to help us relax and calm down. This relaxation response includes decreased heart and breathing rate and a sense of well being. Teens that develop a relaxation response and other stress management skills feel less helpless and have more choices when responding to stress. What are the signs of stress? When people are under stress, they may feel: Emotional signs : Worried Irritable Depressed Unable to focus physical signs : Headaches Back pain Problems sleeping Upset stomach Weight gain or loss Tense muscles Frequent or more serious colds Behavior sign : Eating more or less. Sleeping too much or too little. Isolating yourself from others. Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities. Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax. Nervous habits (e. g. nail biting, pacing). Cognitive Sign : Memory problems. Inability to concentrate. Poor Judgment. Seeing only the negative. Anxious or racing thoughts. Constant worrying. Parents can help their teen in these ways: Monitor if stress is affecting their teens health, behavior, thoughts, or feelings . Listen carefully to teens and watch for overloading. Learn and model stress management skills . Support involvement in sports and other pro-social activities . Be like a friend, not a parent. Try to understand them Become nostalgic Give them courage that they can handle things like an expert Teens can decrease stress with the following behaviors and techniques: Exercise and eat regularly . Avoid excess caffeine intake which can increase feelings of anxiety and agitation. Avoid illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco . Learn relaxation exercises (abdominal breathing and muscle relaxation techniques) . Develop assertiveness training skills. For example, state feelings in polite firm and ot overly aggressive or passive ways: (l feel angry when you yell at me Please stop yelling. ). Rehearse and practice situations which cause stress. One example is taking a speech class if talking in front ofa class makes you anxious. Learn practical Decrease negative self talk: challenge negative thoughts about yourself with alternative neutral or positive thoughts. My life will never get better can be transformed into l may feel hopeless now, but my life will probably get better if I work at it and get some help . Learn to feel good about doing a competent or good nough Job rather than demanding perfection from yourself and others . Take a break from stressful situations. Activities like listening to music,talking to a friend, drawing, writing, or spending time with a pet can reduce stress . Build a network of friends who help you cope in a positive way. By using these and other techniques, teenagers can begin to manage stress. If a teen talks about or shows signs of being overly stressed, a consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist or qualified mental health professional may be helpful. Referrence : 1 . http://www. aacap. rg/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/facts_for_families/ 66_helping_teenagers_with_stress. pdf 2. http://www. wikihow. com/Help-Your- Teenage-Daughter-Manage-Stress 3. http://healthfInder. goWHealthTopics/Category/ health-conditions-and-diseases/heart-health/manage-stress#the-basics 4. http:// www. helpguide. org/mental/stress_signs. htm conclusion : in modern life these challenging times, stress has become a part of the process of life . Remember that we are not poor because of human experience stress , but we stress that we are only human. Therefore, do not mix up all the relevant issues, and opelessness have thoughts are negative, such as No other people who suffer from stress as I am . Avoid having blame themselves or do things that are not as good as suicidal as it is an act of vanity . We can not let stress control ourself because its implications are very large and the dispatcher are typically in excessive stress cannot control themselves . Though not able to control the things that cause stress to our situation all the time , we still can control how you would react to it. Stress is also a test from God , and all people will not miss the test . By reading the Quran , and complain of problems we face pressure to Allah , and ask that He facilitated all of our dealings . It also helps to calm ourselves and perceive every problem or stress that we face is certainly have a solution. Therefore, Treat stress wisely to live more relaxed and all the day to day running smoothly. Table of Contents Causes of stress 1 External causes of stress Internal causes of stress Sign of stress 2 Emotional , physical , behavior, cognitive sign of stress Manage a stress 3 stress †