IV. Stress.

4.1. We are school-leavers. It’s a crucial moment of our life. We realize our responsibility. That’s why we get nervous as we are under constant stress. We should know how to cope with these problems and how to overcome them. Here is our project “Anti-Stress Recipes”.

4.2. Do you know what the signs of stress are?

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1) “7 o’clock! Why should I get up so early?!” - If you ask yourself this question at least once a week, you are irritated.

2) “9 o’clock! A test! Again!” - You worry almost every day, don’t you?

3) “1 o’clock! I can’t understand anything!” - You feel sick and tired and can’t concentrate on the lesson.

4) “4 o’clock! I want to sleep!” - You are gloomy – you have no time to rest, you have so much to do.

5) “8 o’clock! Leave me alone!” - You are tense and you don’t want to do anything.

Don’t any of these thoughts strike you sometimes? (comments of the pupils).If ‘yes’ – you are on the way to stress.

Stress is a worried or nervous feeling that stops you relaxing caused, for example, by pressure at school or personal problems. When you are under stress, you see life in grey and black colours.

Relaxation Pause (is performed to music):

Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Listen to your breathing.

Feel its rhythm and depth. Feel yourself breathe-in and breathe-out.

Remember the most pleasant moment of your life. …Try to fix this feeling. …

Thank you. Open your eyes.

A quarter of an hour of relaxation like that every day will pay you well! You will gain extra energy and good will towards life generally.

Now we are calm and quiet, relaxed and at ease. We are ready to accept new information; we hope it will be of great use for everybody.

4.5. People have had problems since the beginning of time. We’ve already read some proverbs that are probably thousands of years old. We are sure most of them are useful today.

Our modern life is really stressful. We compete at school and in sport and even with our friends. We try to get as good marks as possible, to buy as cool telephone as possible, to look as smart as possible, to go on holiday as far as possible so that we can relax after getting so tense and tired!

All this can’t but influence our nerves. What do you think the signs of stress are? (comments of the pupils: irritability, fussiness, gloominess, suspicion, indecision, excitability, restlessness, lack of concentration, unsociability, loss of appetite, over-eating, sleeplessness, drinking, smoking, worrying, tension.)

Many people try to get rid of the signs of stress instead of the cause. They may take sleeping pills or try to control the various signs in other ways. But the only satisfactory way of stopping stress is to find the cause of it.

4.6. Presentation ‘Causes of Stress’.

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1) - The loss of a close person or any other loss may cause stress. It may be the death or illness of a friend, the loss of your job or money. And you can probably do nothing to change these.

- As the proverb says ‘One cannot put the clock back’. You should concentrate on what is happening in you life today. And go on living. Don’t try to re-live yesterday. It is gone.

2) – A conflict inside you may cause stress. Perhaps you feel you ought to do something but you don't want to. You may have mixed feelings about someone or something and not know what to do.

- As the proverb says ‘No man is wise at all times’. You had better look into, understand yourself. It may be helpful to talk to someone about it.

3) – A fear of something may cause stress. Often we are afraid to do something, because we don’t know what will happen afterwards. Perhaps, you are stressed by fear you can’t identify.

- As the proverb says ‘Don’t climb the hill before you get to it’. You shouldn’t be fearful because most of the things we fear never come to pass. Do something. It’s often better to make a decision rather than do nothing.

4) – Several different problems may cause stress. Perhaps you feel you have too much responsibility.

- As the proverb says ‘Little by little and bit by bit’. Try to see your problems separately and deal with them one by one.

5) – Worry also may cause stress. Worry refers to negative self-talk, that often destructs the mind from focusing on the problem of hand. Worry can refer to a feeling of concern about someone else’s condition.

- As the proverb says ‘Cheek brings success’. Re-define your worry as a problem. Then you can do something about it instead of just worrying. Do something before things become worse!

4.7. In conclusion we’d like to present you with some recommendations how to avoid stress and be happy.