1) Identify stressors

• What is stress?

  • Stress is a reaction caused from ongoing, increasing or new pressures. What we feel in situations we find difficult, challenging or even frightening.
• The pressure that lead to stress are called STRESSORS and they can be:

  • Physical
  • Emotional
  • Social
  • Environmental
• Physical stressors

  • Physical factors cause stress that affects your body.

  Examples:

  • Illness
  • Accidents
  • Hunger
  • Injury
• Physical stressors also include:

  • Poor nutrition
  • Lack of sleep
  • Addiction
  • Risky behaviours such as driving while using cellphone or while drunk.
• Emotional stressors

  • Includes your feelings and thoughts, reactions to life crises and change.

  Feelings that are stressors can be:

  • Hate
  • Anger
  • Anxiety
  • Fear
• Life crises that are stressors include:

  • Job loss
  • Unplanned pregnancy
  • Failing
  • Divorce of parents

  Change can be a stressor, include:

  • Marriage
  • Starting a new job
  • Moving to a new place
• Personality as a stressor:

  • Personality consists of thoughts, feelings, attitudes and behavior that make you unique.
• Personality types

  Type A:

  • Competitive, someone who wants to achieve success.
  • Goals and wants to reach the top.
  • Likes to be in control.
  • Wants to submit perfect tasks.

  Type B:

  • Carefree, calm and very relaxed.
  • Often postpones things, completes tasks at last second.
  • Optimistic and always expects the best to happen.
  • Not competitive, does not care about winning or coming in last.
• Personality types

  Type C:

  • Bit shy, not assertive.
  • Likes to be alone.
  • Rather suffer than get involved in arguments.
  • Enjoys facts and things have to be neat.

  Type D:

  • Pessimistic, negative view of life.
  • Expect worst to happen.
  • Likes routine, hates change.
  • Easily irritated, melancholic, sad or upset.
• Social stressors

  • Social stressors refer to aspects of your relationship with others.
• Examples of family and society:

  • Stigma
  • Lack of work
  • Fear of crime
  • Problem neighbours

  Examples of friends and peers:

  • Bullying
  • Unpopularity
  • Loneliness
  • Peer pressure
• Environmental stressors

  • The environment is everything around you, where you live and includes all physical factors that affect you.
• Environmental stressors can include:

  • Natural disasters - fires, floods, drought.
  • Dangerous environment where violence is part of life.
  • Noise pollution such as cell phones ringing, building works.
  • Physical factors such as lack of fresh air, sunlight and privacy.