Penstripe Student Planner Catalogue 24-25 - Flipbook - Page 62
6
CHOOSE YOUR PENSTRIPE PAGES
WELLBEING
SECTION C (8 PAGES)
MANAGING STRESS AND YOUR
MENTAL HEALTH
SIGNS AND SOURCES OF STRESS
Managing stress and your mental health
Signs and sources of stress
www.mind-it.co.uk
What is stress?
The area in your brain responsible for activating stress is called the limbic system. This
part of the brain activates your physical response to keep you safe from danger. This is
a VERY basic part of the brain that hasn’t changed much in thousands of years!
The first step is to identify the signs of stress in your mind and body. www.mind-it.co.uk
We all have different signs of stress – what are yours? If you find it hard, try to think
about a stressful situation you have been in lately. How did you feel? What happened
in your body and mind? How did you know you were stressed?
In the past, danger was life threatening – a mountain lion or a poisonous snake.
In the modern world your brain perceives threats from many other sources like school tests,
family arguments and changes in life. Even if these sources are not life threatening, the
same physical responses are activated in your body and you feel stressed.
When faced with danger we are likely to instinctively adopt one of three actions:
Fight the danger / Flight from danger / Freeze in front of danger.
This is called the Fight / Flight / Freeze response.
Let’s say a leopard was about to enter the room you are sitting in right now. Do
you know what you would do?
Would you: (select from the options below)
Identify your signs of stress from the examples below and write down some extra
ones too.
Headache
Stomach ache
Trouble sleeping
Restlessness
Neckache
Shaky hands
Nightmares
Irritability
Backache
Sweaty palms
New or recurring fears
Social withdrawal
Nausea
Feeling lightheaded
Becoming clingy
Acting out
Worries
Aggressiveness
Digestive issues
Find the first likely weapon to beat the beast (Fight)
Try to escape through the window (Flight)
Be stuck and not know what to do (Freeze)
w
Start revising as soon as possible (Fight)
Stop attending the classes and drop the course (Flight)
Do nothing leading up to the day before the exam
w
Well done! Recognition is the first step.
Now that you are aware of the signs of stress, the next time you spot them try to
identify ‘why?’. What is the cause of this stress response?
What are the sources of stress?
– also called procrastination (Freeze)
If you have identified two different reactions, it is normal! How we react always
depends on the source of stress.
Same as with the signs of stress the sources of stress vary from one person to the next.
We have ‘big’ sources of stress in life (relationships, studying, the future …) and we
have smaller ones (phone not working, difficult conversations, time management …).
What are the signs of stress?
What do you stress about? Write down your current sources of stress here; try to
think about the things that trigger the signs of stress you have identified on the
previous page.
Exhaustion
w
Laid back
Anxiety/Panic/Anger
w
w
Inactive
Too little stress
(underload)
Description
Managing stress and your
mental health
62
w
PERFORMANCE
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Breakdown
Optimum
Stress
Too much
stress
(overload)
Burn-out
STRESS LEVEL
Page Ref.
C-1
If things are a little hard right now, you are not alone:
Childline: if you are nineteen and under, you can contact Childline about
anything! No problem is too big or too small; speak to a counsellor straight
away on 0800 1111 (free).
Description
Signs and sources of stress
Page Ref.
C-2
Design Right and Copyright © 2018, 2020 Penstripe C
Design Right and Copyright © 2018, 2020 Penstripe C
It is important to remember that not all stress is bad; in fact it is neccessary to
motivate you and keep you safe.
Fatigue
Less independent
w
You might also react the same way when facing a non-life threatening event
such as an upcoming exam. When you hear about an upcoming exam do you
usually: (select from the options below)
However, prolonged
exposure to stress can
cause problems and
potentially result in
anxiety and depression.
Being aware of the danger
signs and addressing
them as soon as possible
is essential to maintain
good mental health.
Emotional signs:
Physical signs:
