Personal

Development
LESSON 5:
COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE ADOLESCENCE

LEGARDA Q. SOBRAVILLA FIRST SEMESTER

Instructor I, CED-Laboratory School
SCHOOL YEAR 2022-2023
Objective
At the end of the lesson, learners will be able to:
• Recognize the sources of one’s stress;
• Illustrate the effects of stress on one’s system;
and
• Identify personal ways of coping with stress for
healthful living.
Lets watch this...
Warm-up Activity

What are you feeling right now?

Lectures
What is STRESS?
• Stress is the mind's reaction; it is the body to a stimulus that causes tension on the well-
being and disturbs the state of calm or equilibrium of a person.
• Stress is now understood as a way of a life crisis (Masih & Gulrez, 2006) affecting any
individual regardless of their developmental stage (Banerjee & Chatterjee, 2016).
• In most individuals' lives, Stress has been identified as a persistent condition. Stress
affects life and functioning, and therefore there has been the importance of StressStress
as a research topic (Abdollahi, 2002). In addition, Selye (1956) has been recognized and
credited by many researchers as defining the term stress in the context it is presently
used (Oxington, 2005). Selye has been quoted by Oxington in Psychology of Stress,
saying that there would be no life without StressStress. According to Oxington,
StressStress is an inevitable result of life.
Activity
Identify a situation where you felt stressed or anxious in
the past week:
Stress according Psychologist can be:
• Beneficial Stress can be beneficial to individuals when a small and
sporadic amount of stress occurs. It became a motivation for you to
work hard and conquer those conflicts that makes you stressed.
• Destructive Stress can be destructive to physical and mental health
when excessive amounts of stress are sustained over a lengthy
period.
Three (3) Views About Stress
• 1. Stress as STIMULUS - Caused by situations (which are often
called stressors) that may be life-threatening or life-changing.

Examples: Car accident, break up with boyfriend or girlfriend, and

separation from loved ones.
Three (3) Views About Stress
2. Stress as RESPONSE - The aspect of stress emphasized by Selye (1956) is the way the
body reacts to challenging situations. It involves the interactions between the hormones,
glands, and nervous system where the adrenal gland drives the production 7 of cortisol
(produces energy to action) and release norepinephrine (triggers the body's reaction;
increased heart rate, higher blood pressure,) or better known as "stress hormone". -
Adolescent's physical response to stress is faster than that of an adult because the part of the
adolescent's brain, the prefrontal cortex, that assesses danger and directs action during stress
is not fully developed.
- Prolonged or chronic situations that involve both cortisol and norepinephrine affect the body
to wear down fast. And that is the reason why it often causes fatigue, aging, and illness caused
by a low immune system. Example: Your mother is too stressed due to financial instability, and
it causes her to have higher blood pressure.
Three (3) Views About Stress
3. Stress is RELATIONAL - Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) definition of
stress reflects this way of thinking very clearly.

- Assessment here means that when a person allows reasoning to prevail

and weigh the relevance or irrelevance of a situation.
Healthy Stress
1. It can motivate, energize, and produce fruitful actions. Examples: Stage performance-
stress can help an individual to perform something better, it can develop an individual.

Usual Stressors of Middle and Late Adolescents According to some research studies, there
are two sources of stress:

• External Stressors – come from the outside of you, like certain situations and people.
Example: Major life changes, such as the death of a loved one. Work or school.
• Internal Stressors – coming from the thoughts that caused you to fear about the future
and personal beliefs, including your expectations.
• Example: Negative self-talk, Unrealistic expectations.
The body is a finely tuned machine that can change quickly to do what we need it to do, like react to
stress. The body has two systems – The voluntary system does what you want it to do – walk,
talk, move. The involuntary system keeps the body running even without you thinking about it –
breath, sweat, digest.
continuation...
The body has two different nerve pathways in the involuntary system.
One works while we are relaxed, and the other works when there is an
emergency. These two systems cannot work together at the same time. It
is essential to know this because we can shut off the emergency system
by switching and turning on the flexible system. Even though stress is
uncomfortable, it is not always bad timing. Sometimes pressure helps us
deal with challenging situations. A lot of stress changes our bodies
quickly and allows us to react to an emergency. A little focus keeps up
alert and helps us work together.
Some teens become overloaded with stress, and when it happens, they
cannot manage it well. The stress leads to anxiety, withdrawal,
aggression, physical illness, or negative coping skills such as drug or
alcohol use. When we sense a situation as difficult or painful, changes
happen in our minds and bodies to prepare us to respond to the danger.
This is “fight, flight, or freeze” response includes a faster heart and
breathing rate, increased blood to the muscle of arms and legs, cold or
clammy hands and feet, upset stomach, and a sense of dread.
Coping with Stress
It can help avoid the damages that may be brought about by severe or
chronic stress to your health and well-being.

Coping can be problem-focused when remedies or solutions are thought

of changing the situation to reduce the stress or emotion-focused; the
objective is decreasing the emotional effect caused by the stressful
situation (Feist and Rosenberg, 2012).
Teens can handle stress with the following behaviors and techniques:
• Exercise and eat regularly.
• Avoid excess caffeine intake, which can increase anxiety and agitation.
• Avoid illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
• Learn relaxation exercises (abdominal breathing and muscle relaxation technique).
• Develop assertiveness training skills. For example, state feelings in polite, firm, and not overly aggressive or
passive ways: (“I feel angry when you yell at me” “please stop yelling”).
• Rehearse and practice situations that cause stress. One example is taking a speech class if talking in front of the
class makes you anxious.
• Learn practical coping skills. For example, break an enormous task into smaller, more attainable tasks.
• 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 “I 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 enough 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 positively.
Let us check your understanding...
Write THREE major thing that is stressing you out in all the different areas of your life.
 Let us check your understanding...

Attention:
• Lesson 5: Coping with Stress in Middle and
Late Adolescence
• Please be guided accordingly.
References:
• Coping with Stress in Middle and Late Adolescence - Personal
Development for Senior High School, Louis Montano (2020),
https://youtu.be/zUhgE6KmPSc
• Department of Education Region III- Learning Resources
Management Section (DepEd Region III LRMS)
• Personal Development K-12 Compliant, Dr. Mrylendra A. Penetrante