Transcript Stress Management - Arrowhead High School

Stress & Anxiety
Stress & Anxiety
Causes
Impacts on Performance
Warning Signs: Physical, Mental,
and Emotional
Management
Relaxation & Imagery
Stress
 Have you ever heard, teens have it easy, since they don't have to deal with
grown-up issues. For adults, stress often results from job responsibilities,
family duties, or financial obligations.
 Teenagers are just as familiar with stress as adults. In addition to academic
pressures, sports, school activities, and the college application process, teens
also deal with pressures about sex, drugs, bullying, divorce, death.
Causes of stress & anxiety
 School work – School work stresses most teens at one
point or another. For students who aren't naturally
gifted in certain subjects, like math or science, getting
good grades can be an intense struggle, to the point
where simple assignments are stressful and exams even
more so. When an adult works a job, he typically does
something he is skilled at and trained for, but teens
must often complete tasks in subjects that they dislike
or find hard to grasp.
 Relationships - Relationships are often a source of
stress for teens. Friendships and romances may cause
anxiety, fear or even depression. Breakups and first
dates tend to be especially stressful.
Causes of stress & anxiety
 Expectations - Expectations from parents, teachers and
other adults in authority produce another common source of
stress. When parents communicate high expectations for
academic or extracurricular performance, teens feel
additional stress in what is already a stressful environment.
 Social Circles - Young people are constantly comparing
themselves to one another; who is the best dressed, who
has the best boyfriend, who gets the best grades, who has
the best body. These constant comparisons are a huge
cause of stress among teens. The desire or attempt to fit in
leads to peer pressure to try things such as smoking,
drinking, cheating or sex.
 Work Load - Even though teens don't usually work fulltime jobs, mandatory activities and school fill their
schedules to the brim, leaving little time for fun or rest.
School hours usually take up six hours each day, then there
are extracurricular activities and several hours of homework
which can lead to fatigue and burn out.
 Family Problems
Stress and Performance
 Stress and anxiety can be good and motivate a student to
achieve their goals. But too much stress is definitely bad.
Do you feel just enough stress to keep you on your game,
or are you a great big ball of nerves?
 People feel little stress when
they have the time, experience
and resources to manage a
situation.
 They feel great stress when
they think they can't handle the
demands
Warning signs of anxiety
Signs of teen stress & anxiety can come in
many forms.
Every teen will experience some signs at
different times, but when they last for
longer periods of time it can tend to create
further problems.
Signs of stress & anxiety can be physical,
mental or emotional.
Physical Signs
Headaches
Stomach aches
Muscle aches
Nervousness
Over eating or under eating
Problems sleeping
Mental Signs
Forgetfulness
Disorganized
Lack of concentration
Drop in grades
Emotional Signs
Anger quickly
Sadness
Frustration
Easily Agitated
Anger or tantrums
Violence
Stress Management
Stress & Anxiety
Management
• Laugh
• Avoid caffeine
• Find your own personal and
safe way to unwind (e.g.,
hiking, exercising, journaling,
eating a favorite treat, doing
a craft, playing games,
working on a puzzle, etc.)
• Exercise regularly
• Get sunlight – Vitamin D
• Regular sleep (at least 8
hours per night)
• Well-balanced diet
• Drink water (4-8 glasses per • Be prepared/organized – don’t
wait until the last minute to
day)
do assignments or study for a
• Avoid drugs, alcohol, and
test
tobacco
Stress & Anxiety Management
• Learning relaxation
• Aromatherapy – relaxing
techniques – breathing
aromas include lavendar,
exercises, meditation, and
rose, bergamot, cypress,
muscle relaxation are great
balsam fir, chamomile, and
techniques for alleviating
orange
tension
• Attention Retraining
• Talking – talking and working
out one’s problems with
somebody else will help
reduce built up tension
• Learn to forgive and forget
past wrongs
When all else fails…
Just Keep Swimming
Visit your Student Services/School Counseling Office
Ms. Altenberger, School Psychologist