What is stress?

Today, many young people commonly experience feelings of anxiety, stress and depression. How to recognise and deal with these issues is an important step towards maintaining a healthy mind.

What is stress?

Stress is the feeling of being under too much pressure, feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope with the pressures of work/life/relationships.

What causes stress?

There are many causes of stress. Some of the causes could include:

• stress at school/work - about grades or relationships or meeting deadlines

• financial pressures

• emotional trauma - like bereavement

• experiencing a serious medical illness

• going to university

• moving house

What are the physical, emotional and social consequences of stress?

Physical consequences of stress may include:

• The person may experience shallow breathing

• The person may feel tired all the time

• The person may begin grinding their teeth at night

• The person may experience headaches more often.

• The person may begin to struggle with high blood pressure

• The person may begin to get indigestion problems.

• The person may feel dizzy or faint at times.

Emotional consequences of stress may include:

The person may:

• feel irritable as they feel people do not understand.

• feel overburdened as there is too much to deal with.

• have racing thoughts as there are too many things to think about.

• feel anxious and not good enough as they know they cannot cope.

• feel afraid that they may mess up and let people down.

• become depressed as they have become so unhappy.

• find it difficult to make decisions as they do not want the responsibility of making the wrong decision.

Social consequences of stress may include:

• Avoiding situations that are troubling the person as they know they will not like it.

• The person may snap at people as they have become impatient with other people.

• They may begin to bite their nails, even in the company of other people.

• They may begin picking their skin, even when chatting to other people.

• They may find it difficult to concentrate and follow conversations with other people.

QUESTIONS YOU COULD BE ASKED ON THIS

Write down two causes of stress. (2marks)

Worrying about exams

Financial issues

Write down one physical consequence of stress. (1mark)

Headache

Explain two physical consequences of stress. (4 marks)

Headaches: Stress can lead to frequent headaches due to tension and anxiety. (2 marks)

High Blood Pressure: Prolonged stress can cause high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart-related issues. (2 marks)

Explain two emotional consequences of stress. (4 marks)

Anxiety: Stress can cause feelings of anxiety and inadequacy, making it difficult for a person to cope with daily tasks. (2 marks)

Depression: Prolonged stress can lead to depression, resulting in unhappiness and difficulty making decisions. (2 marks)