Coping with stress
Understanding stress
What is stress?
Stress is our body’s response to a demand placed on it. Stress is often confused with anxiety, but stress is not a diagnosable mental illness.
Stress is a normal condition, experienced by everyone. It involves an emotional, physical or mental response to events that cause bodily or mental tension. It can be thought of as a state of readiness – the ‘fight or flight’ response.
A small amount of stress from time to time is not a problem, it can even motivate us to get things done. But when stress is intense and ongoing, it can start to impact our physical and mental health.
(Source: CoolMinds HK)
Recognizing stress
When stressed, you might have thoughts like “I can’t cope with this”, “this is too much pressure for me”, “I don’t have enough time” and “how am I going to get this done”. In essence, your mind has decided you have ‘more on your plate than you can chew’.
"Fight or flight" mode
At the same time, your body goes into ‘fight or flight’ mode. Your nervous system is activated, and hormones are released that enable you to react quickly. For example, when stressed you might notice your heart rate increases, pupils dilate, breathing rate increases and muscles tense. You might also notice changes in mood or emotions. These changes enable you to deal with the situation.
Stress and its impact on your body
Stress has also been shown to affect the body’s immune response. This change in immune response and increased inflammation is a possible link between various physical diseases and stress, including cardiovascular disease, thyroid disease, and diabetes.
(Source: CoolMinds HK)
Learning how to better tackle stress
Articles to explore
Being active helps maintain your health. We tend to think that the mind and body are separate, but what you do with your body can have a powerful effect on your mental health. And it’s easier to feel good about life if your body feels good.
This Young Post (SCMP) article explains how to use a decision-making technique called "the worry tree". The worry tree was developed by two mental health experts.
In this blog post, GSCE students Suria and Megan share their tips on how to tackle school stress.