MINISTRY OF EDUCATION YOUTH AND SPORT OF UKRAINE

DRAGOMANOV NATIONAL PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Foreign language department

REPORT

Topic: “What causes stress?”

Performed by Kostuik Olga Oleksiivna

Student 21 ppr

Kyiv 2011

Plan

1. What is stress?

2.What Causes Stress?

3.Stress from Parents, Teenage Dilemmas.

4. Manage Stress Living Together with Your Partner.

5. Causes of Stress at Work.

6. Stress and Alcohol.

7. Stress and Diet.

8. Managing Stress around the Holidays.

9. Stress and Money Issues.

10. Stress and Pets.

11. Stress Curing Techniques – How to Deal with Stress.

I.What is stress?

Stress is the emotional and physical way in which our bodies respond to pressure. Common stress reactions include tension, irritability, inability to concentrate, and a variety of physical symptoms .And most of us would not want to, because it gives life some spice and excitement. But if stress gets out of control, it may harm your health, your relationships, and your enjoyment of life includes headache and a fast heartbeat.

Examples of "overload" situations are common in today's world: 1.You and your spouse both work full time while you are raising your family. At the same time, your parents are retired, in ill health, and are dependent on your help with shopping and running errands.

2. You are a single person living alone, and your salary isn't rising as fast as the rate of inflation. It's getting harder each month to pay the bills.

3. You are a divorced parent and share the custody of your children with your former spouse. But the friction between the two of you on matters concerning the children is becoming bitter and more frequent.

4. The expectations and competition at your workplace is becoming fierce. You find yourself coming in early, staying late, and taking on more work than you can handle.

Stress can cause both mental and physical symptoms. The effects of stress are different for different people.

The physical symptoms of stress include: dry mouth, a pounding heart, difficulty breathing, stomach upset, frequent urination , sweating palms , tight muscles that may cause pain and trembling.

ІІ.What Causes Stress?

It is difficult to determine the exact causes of stress, as for each person, stress can result from different situations and problems.

Failing an exam, raising children, and money troubles – there are a million different reasons that can cause stress for people. However one situation will not affect two people in the same way. Some people find that raising children doesn’t present any challenges that can’t be overcome, while others struggle on a daily basis. As each individual deals differently with every situation, there is not real way of determining what is likely to cause stress.

Often, both internal and external factors are involved in causing stress.

Some people will stress if they loose their job. They may find it difficult to continue to live at the same standard with the loss of income, and have no idea how they will replace that lost income. Others may see it as the perfect opportunity find an even better, more rewarding position, or change career fields completely.

Losing someone, whether family, friend or partner, can cause extreme stress for many. However, the loss of a loved one doesn’t have to mean the end of your world. Of course, you should grieve, but losing someone is also a chance to renew your life. Look at what you’ve done, and what you still want to do. The loss of someone close can spur you on to bigger and better things if you realize that life is indeed short, and you need to work for what you want.

There are things that will cause stress in most people though, no matter what their attitude.

It is rare for people to calmly accept a severe health problem initially - radical cancer, brain conditions or major surgery – will often cause stress, at least in the beginning. There are many other non-threatening situations which may result in stress as well. Disrespect, unjust treatment or a frightening event will normally result in some level of stress.

Often, the external factors are less of an issue that the internal ones. An external factor acts as a catalyst, causing the person to question how it will affect their goals, and their ability to deal with the issue.

Of course it would be normal for someone to feel stress if they find that they require a tumor to be removed. However, the stress they feel is likely to be less than the person who has not looked after their health, and has a less optimistic view of recovery. Losing a job may cause some concern, but if the person is confident in finding employment quickly, it is unlikely that they will suffer from long term or chronic stress.

There is no way to know to exactly what degree someone will suffer stress in a particular situation. The cause, degree and length of time that stress is felt will vary from person to person. What can be determined is that attitude plays a large part in stress. If you are confident that you can face the challenge before you, then stress is likely to be something that you can brush off quickly.

 

In an ideal world, maybe we could get away from stressful situations, or change them. Too often we can't do that - but we can learn to control our response to those situations. And we can develop techniques that will reduce the effects of stress on our mental and physical health.

ІІІ.Stress from Parents, Teenage Dilemmas

It’s not unusual for teenagers today to suffer from the effects of stress. Often, a large source of their stress comes from their parents.

That statement doesn’t mean that teen stress is caused by parents. Rather, the teenagers’ view of what they are, and are not, allowed to do can cause them stress. Of course, there are cases where some parents do impose too little freedom, or allow too much, and both of these occurrences can be cause for stress.

Society today presents teenagers with many choices. For a person to grow, it is necessary to let them make their own decisions, but that can lead to stress in a world where so many options are available. A teenager has very little life experience, and so they often have trouble meshing together what they think they should be doing, and actually completing whatever choice they have undertaken.

Without guidance, no thirteen or fourteen year-old will be able to make good decisions. Very few have the maturity at that age to make life changing decisions. The innate ability to organize your, make money, or raise a family does not come with birth. Instead, they are all things that need to be taught, and most teenagers do not yet have the skills required to complete one or all of those tasks.

What many people forget though is that teens are no longer children. Their knowledge of the world is growing, and they will have started to create their own set of values. Not allowing them to test their new knowledge and values can stifle their self development, so it is a delicate balance between guiding them and taking away their independence.

As a parent, it is difficult to find a happy medium. Too much independence leaves a teen feeling abandoned, while too little makes them feel that they don’t have any control of their life. Both alternatives are likely to cause stress for the teen.When a teen begins commenting on the fact that they have reached an age where they can make decisions, parents tend to act in one of two ways. Some continue to see their teens as children, and state that as the parent, they will continue to make the decisions. Others decide to let the teens ‘sink or swim’, and stop providing any guidance.

A balance of both approaches is what is needed, though the challenge lies in knowing which the correct approach in each circumstance is. Teens can help their case though, and lower their stress levels in the process.

By proving their maturity by offering to take on extra responsibility is a good way to show that they have shed childhood, and are ready to begin moving forward.

Stress can be caused by responsibility, but only if the teen is unconfident, and doesn’t feel that they can handle the responsibility. Meeting a challenge with resolve will help to lower stress, and provide the skills needed in later life to deal with more complex issues. If a teen does find that they are beginning to feel stress, they need to look at what it is that is causing them stress, and then make the decision to deal with, rather than ignore, the problem. Seeing it as a challenge, rather than an issue, is a good start. Occasionally, teens may need to begin at the start, if they have found something they tried failed. By trying again, rather than giving up, they will increase their knowledge, and their problem solving skills, which are vital in adulthood to help combat stress.