Schools Division Office of Quezon City

7 COMMONWEALTH HIGH SCHOOL

Ecols St., Commonwealth
Quezon City, 2nd District, Metro Manila

HEALTH 7
Quarter 3, Week 1

Grade: Junior High / Grade 7

Quarter: Third Lesson: 1

Lesson: MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH: UNDERSTANDING STRESS

Mental Health Defined

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is "a state of wellbeing in which the
individual realizes his or her abilities to cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and
fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community." Thus, mental health is vital at every stage of life,
from childhood to adolescence until adulthood. However, several instances affect the mental health of a
person, one of these is dealing with stress.

Understanding Stress
Do you ever feel like there are too many pressures and demands on you? Do you ever lose sleep
worrying about your assignments or school projects? Everyone feels stressed- out at times — adults, teens,
and even kids, and it is. normal.
Stress is a mentally or emotionally upsetting condition that occurs in response to an unpleasant
situation. It is the body's way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a challenging scenario with
focus, strength, stamina, and heightened alertness.
Do you ever wonder what causes stress? A stressor refers to a situation or a thing that makes a
person stressed-out. A stressor comes from internal or external factors such as your thoughts, beliefs, and
decisions that cause tension.

There are many different reasons what causes stress for other people. For students, like you,
common causes of stress include tight deadlines for submitting assignments and reports, loss of something or
someone we care about or a loved one, a conflict with a classmate or a friend, and physical threats.

Reminders:

● Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which the individual realizes his or her abilities to cope with
the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can
contribute to his or her community.
● Stress is a mentally or emotionally upsetting condition that occurs in
response to an unpleasant situation.
A stressor refers to a situation or a thing that makes a person stressed-out.

Lesson: THE CAUSES OF STRESS: DIFFERENTIATING EUSTRESS FROM DISTRESS

Stressors
 Schools Division Office of Quezon City

7 COMMONWEALTH HIGH SCHOOL

Ecols St., Commonwealth
Quezon City, 2nd District, Metro Manila

HEALTH 7
Quarter 3, Week 1

Stressors can be defined as any situation that can make a person feel uneasy, anxious, or stressed-
out. When we talk about “stressors” in real life, we are talking about the things that lead or result to stress.
Here are some examples of stressors:

1. Major Life Changes/Experiences

⮚ Most stressors come from a person’s major life changes and experiences, especially situations
that affect family, school, and personal life. These changes impend
one’s sense of security and self-confidence.
2. Everyday Problems
⮚ These are minor but common everyday problems that can cause
stress; that are sometimes called “everyday hassles”. These stressors
can be overloaded tasks, losing something, or thinking about small
things just like thinking how you will look or what to wear.
3. Physical environment or surroundings
⮚ Heavy traffic and crowded transportation vehicles, going to school
or workplace, dirty and stinky street walks, bad weather conditions are also considered as
stressors in your surroundings. Even experiencing calamities and
catastrophes like flash floods, fires, earthquakes, and other disasters
can also be very stressful to people.
4. Common stressors for Adolescents
- These include the following:
● adolescents deciding for their future
● conflicts with family, friends, and other people
● exams, performances, and others
● having a broken family
● hooking into drugs and other vices such as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol
● failing in school
● breaking -up a relationship

Stress is not always a negative experience as what most people think, it can also be positive. Positive stress,
sometimes called as “Eustress,” refers to a positive response of a person’s body towards a stressor. This
stress also promotes aspiration for personal growth and achievements. It will motivate a person to continue
working to produce good effects to one’s well-being.

On the other hand, Stress in negative situations, which we often relate to the “stress” is also called
“distress.” This refers to negative response of the body to a given stressor. It may also lead to health
problems, like changing moods and emotions and can also affect a person’s way of thinking and making
decisions.

Lesson: 3
Lesson: UNDERSTANDING STRESS
Every day there may be something that makes you feel uneasy, right?
 Schools Division Office of Quezon City

7 COMMONWEALTH HIGH SCHOOL

Ecols St., Commonwealth
Quezon City, 2nd District, Metro Manila

HEALTH 7
Quarter 3, Week 1

Don’t think that it’s a sign that you are not well. It’s normal. This is a sign of stress. Stress is a
mentally or emotionally upsetting condition that occurs in response to unpleasant situations. It can affect
one’s physical health.
A stressor is anything that causes stress. It may be a condition, a situation, or a thing. It can be the
very loud music that your neighbor plays or the interest that you must pay on a loan. It can even be the
meowing of cats at night, a tight budget, a noisy workplace, or a messy room.
Do you know where stressors come from? A stressor comes from within your body or outside of it.
Stressors from within your body are thoughts, beliefs and decisions that cause tension. For example, you
suspect that your husband is cheating on you. You are also afraid that your friend will reveal your secrets or
that you are going to fail a job interview. These disturb you and cause you tension.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF TOO MUCH STRESS

1. Loss of Appetite
2. Frequent Colds
3. Shallow or Labored Breathing
4. Upset Stomach, Indigestion and Vomiting
5. Headache
6. Skin Problems
7. Insomnia
8. Constipation or Diarrhea
9. High Blood Pressure

Grade: Junior High / Grade 7

Quarter: Third Lesson: 4
Lesson: COPING STRATEGIES TO MANAGE STRESS
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the main cause of stress of many people around the world.
Feeling a lot of things like sadness, anger, confusion, and fear are normal during a crisis. These feelings are
due to lack of routines and reduced social interaction. Even though we can still communicate with people
virtually, it is still upsetting to hear about the pandemic constantly. As a student, one should learn strategies
on how to combat stress, this is one step away from the chaos of the pandemic.

In 2011, Meeks et al. cited that stress management skills are techniques that can be used to cope with
the harmful effects produced by stress. The goal of stress management is not to eliminate all stress but to
minimize the stressors that we experience every day. Engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors can help to
reduce stress and maximize the likelihood of living a long, healthy life. Let us learn some various stress
management techniques that have been consistently supported by empirical research!

The Canadian Clinic Community Health Centre has laid down some stress relieving techniques which
can help a lot, especially for students. Below are some techniques and methods that can help reduce stress.
1.) Relaxation using Jacobson technique of progressive muscle relaxation
Objective: The activity allows you to relax all stress centers in the body and gradually check mechanisms
that may lead to stress, thereby reaching complete relaxation both inside and outside the body.

MY RRS (Rest-Relax-Sleep Log)

 Schools Division Office of Quezon City

7 COMMONWEALTH HIGH SCHOOL

Ecols St., Commonwealth
Quezon City, 2nd District, Metro Manila

HEALTH 7
Quarter 3, Week 1

Objectives: The activity will help you monitor steps in staying away from stress. It allows you to monitor
your resting, relaxing, and sleeping habits.
Oversleeping is associated with obesity, diabetes, headaches, and back pain. If you feel like you are
always sleepy and you need more than 10 hours of sleep every day, it is best to consult your doctor about it.

Remember
Long-term stress can have really bad consequences, it can make you sick and drain you physically
and mentally. It is true that you cannot avoid stress, but you can always learn how to manage it and look for
ways on how to cope with situations that are stressful to you. By learning how to combat stress, you’re not
only helping yourself but also the people around you. Remember these following tips.
Take time to address the situations that give you stress.
Make it a habit to alter stressful situations. This may include changing the way you communicate
with people and live your daily life.
Adapt to stressful situations by changing yourself. Try to change your expectations and alter your
attitude towards resolving conflicts and issues.
Some stressful situations are unavoidable. Examples may include death of a loved one, accidents, or
even a pandemic. It may be difficult to accept it but accepting what happened is the best way to cope
with it.
Have fun and nurture yourself. Make time for relaxation.
You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health.