Stress & Coping

Most people feel stress at some time during their lives and it was reported recently that one in five young peole has a stress related health problem..

People can feel stressed when they have a lot of work to do - like at exam time. Big changes such as going to university or moving house can also cause a lot of stress. Health, relationships, money worries are just some of the things which can make us stressed.

We all know what it feels like to get stressed. When we get stressed or anxious about something a hormone called adrenaline gets pumped round your body. Adrenaline is released by your adrenal glands (on top of your kidneys) when you sense danger, to prepare the body for 'fight or flight'.

This can make you feel more:

• bad tempered
• tired and anxious
• jittery and ‘on-edge’
• in a world of our own and unable to concentrate
• hungry (especially for high sugar foods) – or we may go off food
• indecisive

A bit of stress can be good for you  - it may ‘jump-start’ us to work harder or meet a course work or exam deadline but when stress levels are very high it can stop you from doing anything and make you feel totally hopeless and out of control. This level of stress can also make you physically or mentally ill – so work at looking after yourself w hen you are going through a time of stress.

Contacts

These organisations have more info on stress, how to recognise it and how to cope with it. You can also speak to a Personal Adviser.

Support4Learning.org.uk

Site about stress including links to sites dealing with education, exam stress and study skills

Young Minds

Information aimed at young people, including info on mental health. Leaflets can be found in Connexions centres or in school/college resource centres or on the website below.