CHAPTER 3

Taking Charge of
One's Health and
Well-being
01
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Discussion
At the end of the Chapter, the student should
have:
• explained the effects of stress; .
Today's
• identified stressors affecting his/her life and
• applied strategies of taking charge of his/her
health and well-being.
What stress is ?
You might have come across the word stress in
your science classes. Stress is a term used in
Physics to refer to a physical force or tension
applied to an object. Later on, the word was also
used to mean psychological tension.

From a holistic point of view (Seaward, 2017),

stress is the inability to cope with a perceived (real
or imagined) threat to someone's mental, physical,
emotional and spiritual well being, which results in
a series of physiological responses and
adaptations.
history of stress
Types of
Stress
Sources of
coping and
strength
When these strategies become part of your habit
and lifestyle, you will counteract stress
effectively. You can remember and learn better
and cope better. We hope that the discussion on
what you are about to read will encourage you to
search and discover more about ways of coping
with stress. Pave your way to making your
dreams come true and having a meaningful and
happy life!
Jesus Christ said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."
Loving yourself is a pre-requisite. It is the basis by which you can
also love others. You can indeed be kind to others when you are
kind to yourself. Self-kindness brings so many positive feelings of
care and acceptance, which will help you cope in difficult and
painful situations. Neff (2012), advises us when we are in such
emotional pain and suffering, we say to ourselves:

"This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is a part of life. May I be

kind to myself. May I give myself the compassion I need."
•