1. What is stress and its causes ?

How to overcome or
reduce Stress?

 What is stress?
 Stress is a normal part of life that can either help us learn and grow or can
cause us significant problems.
 Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for
action (to fight or flee).
 If we don't take action, the stress response can create or worsen health
problems.
 Prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected, and unmanageable stresses are the
most damaging.
 Stress can be managed by seeking support from loved ones, regular exercise,
meditation, or other relaxation techniques, structured timeouts, and learning
new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives.
 Many behaviors that increase in times of stress and maladaptive ways of
coping with stress -- drugs, pain medicines, alcohol, smoking, and eating --
actually worsen the stress and can make us more reactive (sensitive) to
further stress.
 Risk factors for unmanageable stress include a lack of adequate social
support.
 While there are promising treatments for stress, the management of stress is
mostly dependent on the ability and willingness of a person to make the
changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle.

 What causes stress?

Stress is a fact of nature in which forces from the inside or outside world affect the
individual, either one's emotional or physical well-being, or both. The individual
responds to stress in ways that affect the individual, as well as their environment. Due
to the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a
negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral,
negative, or positive experience.In general, stress is related to both external and
internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job,
your relationships with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges,
difficulties, and expectations you're confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors
determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing
factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your
nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the
amount of sleep and rest you get.

Stress has driven evolutionary change (the development and natural selection of
species over time). Thus, the species that adapted best to the causes of stress
(stressors) have survived and evolved into the plant and animal kingdoms we now
observe.

How to overcome or reduce Stress?

These days it’s hard not to get overwhelmed once in a while. Between juggling work,
family, and other commitments, you can become too stressed out and busy. But you
need to set time aside to unwind or your mental and physical health can suffer.

Learning how to manage your stress takes practice, but you can -- and need to -- do it.
Here are 10 ways to make it easier.

1. Exercise
Working out regularly is one of the best ways to relax your body and mind.
Plus, exercise will improve your mood. But you have to do it often for it to pay off.

So how much should you exercise every week?

Work up to 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise like brisk walks or
75 minutes of a more vigorous exercise like swimming laps, jogging or other
sportsFocus on setting fitness goals you can meet so you don’t give up. Most of all
remember that doing any exercise is better than none at all.

2. Relax Your Muscles

When you’re stressed, your muscles get tense. You can help loosen them up on your
own and refresh your body by:

 Stretching
 Enjoying a massage
  Taking a hot bath or shower
 Getting a good night’s sleep

3. Deep Breathing
Stopping and taking a few deep breaths can take the pressure off you right away.
You’ll be surprised how much better you feel once you get good at it. Just follow
these 5 steps:

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your hands in your lap and your feet on the floor.
Or you can lie down.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Imagine yourself in a relaxing place. It can be on the beach, in a beautiful field of
grass, or anywhere that gives you a peaceful feeling.
4. Slowly take deep breaths in and out.
5. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.

4. Eat Well
Eating a regular, well-balanced diet will help you feel better in general. It may also help
control your moods. Your meals should be full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and
lean protein for energy. And don’t skip any. It’s not good for you and can put you in a bad
mood, which can actually increase your stress.

5. Slow Down
Modern life is so busy, and sometimes we just need to slow down and chill out. Look
at your life and find small ways you can do that. For example:

 Set your watch 5 to 10 minutes ahead. That way you’ll get places a little early
and avoid the stress of being late.
 When you’re driving on the highway, switch to the slow lane so you can avoid
road rage.
 Break down big jobs into smaller ones. For example, don’t try to answer all 100
emails if you don’t have to -- just answer a few of them.

6. Take a Break
You need to plan on some real downtime to give your mind time off from stress. If
you’re a person who likes to set goals, this may be hard for you at first. But stick with
it and you’ll look forward to these moments. Restful things you can do include:

 Meditation
 Yoga
  Tai chi
 Prayer
 Listening to your favorite music
 Spending time in nature

7. Make Time for Hobbies

You need to set aside time for things you enjoy. Try to do something every day that makes
you feel good, and it will help relieve your stress. It doesn’t have to be a ton of time -- even
15 to 20 minutes will do. Relaxing hobbies include things like:

 Reading
 Knitting
 Doing an art project
 Playing golf
 Watching a movie
 Doing puzzles
 Playing cards and board games

8. Talk About Your Problems

If things are bothering you, talking about them can help lower your stress. You can talk to
family members, friends, a trusted clergyman, your doctor, or a therapist. And you can also
talk to yourself. It’s called self-talk and we all do it. But in order for self-talk to
help reduce stress you need to make sure it’s positive and not negative.

So listen closely to what you’re thinking or saying when you’re stressed out. If you’re
giving yourself a negative message, change it to a positive one. For example, don’t tell
yourself “I can’t do this.” Tell yourself instead: “I can do this,” or “I’m doing the best I
can.”

9. Go Easy On Yourself
Accept that you can’t do things perfectly no matter how hard you try. You also can’t control
everything in your life. So do yourself a favor and stop thinking you can do so much. And
don’t forget to keep up your sense of humor. Laughter goes a long way towards making you
feel relaxed.

10. Eliminate Your Triggers

Figure out what are the biggest causes of stress in your life. Is it your job, your commute,
your schoolwork? If you’re able to identify what they are, see if you’re able to eliminate them
from your life, or at least reduce them.
If you can’t identify the main causes of your stress, try keeping a stress journal. Make note of
when you become most anxious and see if you can determine a pattern, then find ways to
remove or lessen those triggers.

2.Do's and don't or Solution on Aggressive and

violent behaviour.

3. What is environmental degradation, answer

its impact on Living being? Write in brief
solution to improve environment.
Definition

 Environmental degradation is the

disintegration of the earth or deterioration of
the environment through the consumption of
assets, for example, air, water and soil; the
destruction of environments and the
eradication of wildlife. It is characterized as
any change or aggravation to nature’s turf seen
to be pernicious or undesirable.
 Ecological effect or degradation is created by
the consolidation of an effectively substantial
and expanding human populace, constantly
expanding monetary development or per capita
fortune and the application of asset exhausting
and polluting technology.
 It occurs when the earth’s natural resources are depleted,
and the environment is compromised in the form of
extinction of species, pollution in the air, water and soil,
and rapid growth in population.

Effects of Environmental Degradation

1. Impact on Human Health

Human health might be at the receiving end as

a result of environmental degradation. Areas
exposed to toxic air pollutants can cause
respiratory problems like pneumonia and
asthma. Millions of people are known to have
died due to the indirect effects of air pollution.

2. Loss of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is important for maintaining the

balance of the ecosystem in the form of
combating pollution, restoring nutrients,
protecting water sources and stabilizing
climate. Deforestation, global warming,
overpopulation and pollution are a few of the
major causes of loss of biodiversity.
3. Ozone Layer Depletion

The ozone layer is responsible for protecting

the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. The
presence of chlorofluorocarbons,
hydrochlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere,
is causing the ozone layer to deplete. As it will
deplete, it will emit harmful radiation back to
the earth.

4. Loss For the Tourism Industry

The deterioration of the environment can be a

huge setback for the tourism industry that
relies on tourists for their daily livelihood.
Environmental damage in the form of loss of
green cover, loss of biodiversity, huge
landfills, increased air and water pollution can
be a big turn off for most of the tourists.
5. Economic Impact

The huge cost that a country may have to

borne due to environmental degradation can
have a significant economic impact in terms of
restoration of green cover, cleaning up
landfills and protection of endangered species.
The economic impact can also be in terms of
the loss of the tourism industry.

Solutions to Environmental Degradation

1. Stop Deforestation

In order to mitigate the adverse effects of

environmental degradation, stopping
deforestation is crucial for our environmental
system. We cannot afford to cut or burn trees
down as trees store greenhouse gases, produce
oxygen and are the natural habitat for many
animals and plants, which may become
endangered if these forests are destroyed.
An extensive afforestation campaign should be
launched in the interest of environmental
protection. We can further make a positive
impact through reforestation or afforestation.
2. Government Regulations

Governments require intervening and setting a

framework whenever there are problems that
lead to significant eco-degradation.
Governments set high taxes for activities that
harm our planet and support environmentally-
friendly behavior with financial subsidies.

These will also force industries and private

people to avoid activities that lead to
environmental degradation.

3. Fines and Punishment For Illegal dumping

There should also be high fines for illegal

dumping to reduce the adverse ecological
consequences. People and industries will
continue to dump their trash illegally as they
know that even if they get caught, penalties are
quite low.
Therefore, raising fines for illegal dumping
would increase the incentive to dispose of
trash at official waste disposal sites.
4. Reduce Consumption Levels

It has become essential to reduce our

consumption levels. Our developed society
always strives for the latest electronics,
smartphones, and the trendiest clothes and so
on.

However, this behavior leads to huge resource

depletion and excessive production of waste.
We have to lower our consumption levels
significantly to avoid the adverse ecological
consequences.

5. Reuse and Reduce Waste Generation

You can reduce waste production by using

your items and food more efficiently. If you
want to get rid of old but still working things,
be creative to give it a new look or use it in
another way.
6. Avoid Plastic

Plastic waste is a big environmental problem

that leads to significant plastic pollution and
the degradation of our planet. In order to cut
down plastic waste, avoid buying items with
plastic wrapper or packaging, refrain from
using disposable plastic bags, cups, plates,
containers, cutlery, etc. Instead, bring your
own reusable stuff, which can be reused
several times.

7. Education

It is highly essential that children should know

about the adverse environmental consequences
of our daily life behavior and the ways we can
improve our ecological footprint.
This education should start early in school.
Children are usually more eager to learn new
things and change their behavior compared to
adults.

These children are more likely to act in an

environmentally-friendly manner when they
grow up, and they might also convince their
parents to behave in a more ecologically
friendly way.

8. Convince Others

You can further enhance your positive impact

by convincing other people regarding the
 importance of behaving in an environmentally
way. Tell them what environmental
degradation really means for future
generations and how changing small things in
our daily life can prevent these adverse effects.

As you can see, there are a lot of things that

can have an effect on the environment. If we
are not careful, we can contribute to the
environmental degradation that is occurring all
around the world.

We can, however, take action to stop it and take

care of the world that we live in by providing
environmental education to the people who will
help them pick familiarity with their surroundings
that will enable to take care of environmental
concerns thus making it more useful and protected
for our children and other future generations.