STRESS - Vocabulary exercises

Ex. 1
a) Put the words in the correct column to make collocations. Some of the words may be
used more than once.

acute trigger response work-related relieve level

experience ongoing cause

Adjective + stress verb + stress stress + noun

financial stress reduce stress stress factor

b) Can you think of other phrases with “stress”?

Ex. 2
a) Match the words to form collocations. Some words can be used more than once.

digestive problem
experience system
poor nutrition
blood pressure
heart beat
natural rate
memory stimulant
enhance impairment
internal focus
external stressor
heighten fear
trigger anxiety
respond to stress
sleep deprivation
relieve task
manageable productivity
cause
ongoing
acute

b) Work in groups/pairs. Choose 4 collocations and explain their meaning. Let the other
student(s) guess the collocation.
c) Fill in the gaps with some of the collocations in the correct form.

1. If you frequently __________ __________, you may develop __________

__________ and dangerously high __________ __________.
2. __________ __________ arise from some events, people and circumstances that
surround us. For example, poor relations with your boss and colleagues can lead
to __________ _________.
3. Those who have to speak in public often __________ __________. This kind of
__________ __________ is called “fight or flight” response characterized by
heightened __________ __________ and increased __________ __________.
4. Those who have regular episodes of __________ __________ may develop
serious health problems, including __________ __________ .

Ex. 3
Fill in the gaps with the words in the box in the correct form.

digestive heart beat stressor response blood pressure enhance

manageable relieve stimulant heighten deprivation nutrition

1. It’s well-known that under stress use chocolate and sweet energy drinks as
__________ for __________ energy and concentration.
2. If you want to fight consequences of chronic tiredness and sleep __________, you
need to exercise regularly, take vitamins and eat properly.
3. When our body experiences stress, it releases __________ levels of hormones
which boost our focus and productivity.
4. There are numerous ways to __________ stress, such as connecting with family
and friends, taking up a new hobby.
5. Inadequate __________ and vitamin deficiency can lead to problems with the
__________ system.
6. Heavy workload is one of the most common external __________ at work. It’s
advisable to break major tasks into smaller __________ parts and set a deadline
for each of them.
7. Our __________ to acute stress are individual and may include increased
__________ __________ and unusually high __________ __________.