LESSON 5
Coping with Stress
in Middle and
Late Adolescence.
Activity: Case Analysis!
Lexie, an 18 year old freshman student has issues pertaining her
worrisome attitude and behavior. Often she would be so stressed out with her
school workloads, friends relations and house chores as she is the eldest among a
brood of 4. Usual day would mean waking up to 4am, preparing food for her
younger siblings before finally leaving for school which requires a travel time of
2 hours by bus. In school she needs to attend to all her workloads while having
classes. At 5 in the afternoon she travels home again for at least 2 hours. At
home she begins again preparing for the next day and dozes off to sleep at 10 or
11pm while complying with her professors’ assigned homework. She’s wasted
according to her as she feels that her life is so full of stress for having
unsupportive parents who would assign her much work at home and sending her
to a school that is so far from her home. She could have been allowed to stay in a
dormitory.
• What are Lexie’s stressors?
• Why does she feel stressed out
about these?
• Is it normal to feel
‘wasted’? why?
• How do you think she
should confront these issues?
Stress is part of growing up. You may feel pressure
in everything you do, both at home and in school.
You experience stress when you respond to stressors
that you perceive to exceed your capabilities.
Stress is defined as a reaction of the mind and
body to a stimulus that disturbs the well-being, state
of calm, or equilibrium of a person. It is as s state of
extremely difficult, pressure or strain.
Some Stressors include the following:
1. Illness in the family
2. Loss of a loved one
3. Quitting school
4. Divorce/separation
5. Failing in school
6. Getting into trouble
7. Sibling rivalry
8. Hunger
9. Financial constraints
Types of Stress
Eustress is a stress that can challenge and
motivate you to find creative solutions to your
concerns, and this kind of stress.
Distress, on the other hand, when stress
becomes so overwhelming and leads to a sense of
helplessness and exhaustion.
Stress can affect your physical appearance, cognitive,
emotions, and behavior. Let’s start with the cognitive
symptoms such as:
• having memory problems,
• being unable to concentrate
• having poor judgment
• seeing only the negative
• being anxious
• worrying constantly.
Sometimes physical symptoms of stress comes out,
these are the following:
• body aches and pain
• diarrhea or constipation
• nausea and dizziness
• chest pain
• rapid heartbeat
• frequent colds
You will also feel emotional symptoms, which are the
following:
• moodiness
• irritability or short temper
• agitation or restlessness
• feeling of being overwhelmed
• sense of loneliness and isolation
• depression or unhappiness
There are also behavioral symptoms, include:
• eating more or less
• sleeping too much or too little
• isolating yourself from others
• procrastinating
• neglecting responsibilities
• drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking cigarettes,
taking illegal drugs, or playing computer for several hours,
• having nervous habits such as nail biting and pacing
restlessly.
According to Santrock (2012), coping
involves managing difficult situations, exerting
efforts to solve your problems, and striving to
master or reduce the stressful effects of these
situations. In order to cope successfully, attitude
plays a key role.
Here are additional suggestions for coping with stress provided
from the APA (2014).
Get some sleep- between homework, activities and hanging with
friends, it can be hard to get enough sleep, especially during the
school week. Ideally, adolescents should get nine hours a night. To
maximize your chance of sleeping soundly, cut back on watching TV
or texting and avoid drinking caffeinated drinks before going to sleep.
Focus on your strengths- Spend some time thinking about the
things that you good at. Focusing on your strengths will help you
keep your stresses in perspective.
Engage in physical activity- it is the most effective stress
busters. Find activities you enjoy and build them into your
routine such as playing different sports.
Do things that make you happy- Aside from physical
activities, find other hobbies that bring you joy. Make a point
of doing these things even when you’re stressed and busy.
Talk to someone- it’s so much easier to manage stress when
you let others lend a hand. They may be able to help you find
new ways to manage stress.
Indicators That You Have Successfully Handled
Stress
1. Emotional Stability. Remaining calm and not being carried away
by your emotions signals a healthy way of coping stress.
3. Doing well in school. Your ability to meet all your academic
requirements and get high scores show your capacity to cope with the
various demands of the school.
4. Learning to say “no.”By being firm on what you believe is right
and saying “no” to peer pressure is a positive sign of being able to
cope well with stress.
