Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Ross.

Today, we're going to be looking at the lesson called Stress.

This fits into the lesson unit, What are common types of mental health conditions? Now, for this lesson, it is required that you have an adult present, so please make sure they're with you before you continue watching the video.

Today's lesson outcome is I can describe common stressors, the effects of stress, how to manage it, and when to get help.

Let's begin by taking a look at ground rules together.

Laura says we should listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement, and not the person.

Andeep says we should respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone including ourselves.

Izzy says, choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join a discussion.

We must never put anyone on the spot.

And Jacob says, no judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged.

All of these ground rules are here to keep everyone safe and feel respected throughout the lesson.

Here are today's key words.

We have stress, anxiety, relaxation techniques, and time management.

So stress means your body and mind's response to challenging situations.

Anxiety is a state of unease, worry, or nervousness about uncertain outcomes, often accompanied by physical sensations.

Relaxation techniques are methods used to reduce stress and anxiety by creating a feeling of calm such as deep breathing and meditation.

And time management means the process of organising and planning how to divide your time between specific activities.

Keep an eye out for these keywords as they are going to pop up throughout today's lesson.

Here is the lesson's outline, and we are going to begin with what are the symptoms and causes of stress? So what is stress? Dr.

Elsie says, "Stress is the body's natural response to a perceived threat, pressure, or demand.

It can be caused by both positive and negative situations such as exams, sports competitions, or family problems." So what happens to our bodies when we feel stressed? Dr.

Elsie answers this question by saying, "Stress triggers the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

These can increase our heart rate, sharpen our focus, and temporarily boost our energy levels." She continues to say that, "Stressors are situations that make us feel under pressure and can result in anxiety.

Anxiety can also lead us to experience stress." Stress can be caused by: academic pressure, like a test or homework deadline, social challenges such as friendship issues, peer pressure, or bullying, life changes like moving house, parents separating, or illnesses in the family, and internal pressure, so the pressure that we feel in our minds and bodies, such as when we're striving for perfectionism or if we're experiencing low self-esteem.

In small amounts, stress hormones can be positive as they can improve focus, improve performance, help us stay sharp during times of pressure.

These hormones are part of the body's natural survival system and can motivate us to: take action, solve problems, and avoid danger.

Dr.

Elsie says "When levels of stress hormones, like cortisol, stay elevated for too long, they can negatively affect the body and mind.

Over time, this can make it harder to concentrate, stay healthy, and feel emotionally balanced.

She continues to say that stress can be caused by situations that are out of your control, but also by a fear of failure, a lack of preparation, or setting yourself high expectations.

This can result into physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms. Symptoms of stress can be physical, emotional, and behavioural.

So some of those physical symptoms of stress can include headaches, stomach aches, rapid heartbeats, fatigue, so feeling tired, muscle tension, and increased blood pressure.

Emotional symptoms can include: feeling overwhelmed, anxiety, feeling irritable and frustrated, feeling moody, or feeling tearful or easily upset.

And behavioural symptoms can include: reduced sleep, finding it difficult to fall asleep, changes to appetite, reduced concentration, putting off tasks, intense periods of studying, and nervous habits, like biting fingernails.

Okay, time for a check for understanding.

Which of the following is not a physical symptom of stress? Is it A, headache, B, anxiety, C, muscle tension, or D, fatigue.

Which of the following is not a physical symptom of stress? Pause this video so you can have some time to think about your answer.

Okay, well done if you said B, anxiety.

Dr.

Elsie says, "Anxiety is an emotional symptom of stress and means that you may feel a uncomfortable sense of worry.

Although anxiety can cause physical sensations, anxiety itself is an emotional response to stress." There are lots of stressor or situations that may mean that we experience stress in our lives.

Aisha says, "I feel stressed about an upcoming test.

I put pressure on myself to do well and this is giving me anxiety." And Izzy says, "Recently, I've had an argument with a friend.

We've made up, but I felt really sad and lonely while we weren't talking.

It was a stressful situation." Lucas says, "I think I feel easily stressed at the moment because I'm not getting enough sleep.

I'm really irritable and can't cope with challenges that I'd normally manage well." And Jun says, "My weekly schedule is really busy.

I do clubs that I enjoy, but it can sometimes make me feel overwhelmed.

Homework on top of that can make me feel stressed." Laura says, "I worry a lot about things that I can't control, like global events and climate change.

This makes me feel a little helpless and really anxious when I read the news." and Jacob says, "We're moving house next week and I feel stressed about it.

I'm looking forward to getting a new place, but it does feel disruptive and I don't always like change." Okay, time for a check for understanding.

Rewrite this sentence to correct the misconception: So the sentence says, "Stress is always a bad thing and should be avoided at all costs." And your job is to rewrite this sentence to correct the misconception.

Pause this video so you can have some time to do your task.

Okay, so your sentence might look like this, "Not all stress is bad; Small amounts of stress can motivate us to perform better, but too much stress can be harmful." Well done if your corrected sentence looks similar to mine.

Time for a task now.

Izzy is completing a summary task about stress.

Help her by explaining what stress is.

Include three possible causes of stress for teenagers, and two physical symptoms and two emotional symptoms a person might experience when stressed.

Pause this video so you can have some time to do the task, and then we will go through the answers together.

Okay, well done for having a go.

Your explanation may look like this: "Stress is the body's way of reacting to pressure or challenges.

It's a natural response that helps us deal with difficult situations, but too much stress can be harmful for our body and mind.

Teenagers might experience feelings of stress when they have an exam coming up, when dealing with friendship problems, or when feeling pressure from life changes, like moving home.

When someone is stressed, they might have physical symptoms like headaches and muscle tension.

They could also have emotional symptoms, such as anxiety or becoming easily upset." Well done if your explanation looks similar to mine.

We're now going to move on to the second part of our lesson.

How can stress be managed during the exams? It is common to experience stress during periods of exams and assessments.

These can be stressful because at the time, they often feel like a big measure of our abilities.

Many pupils worry about not doing well or forgetting what they've revised.

The pressure to do well can come from school, parents or even from ourselves; we might feel like we are letting others down, or ourselves down.

Ms. Walsh says, "Exams are important but, remember, they do not define your worth or future.

There are many paths to success.

Staying emotionally and physically healthy, and using relaxation techniques to stay calm will help you do your best, be resilient, and remain focused during exam periods." There are lots of ways that you can manage and reduce stress.

These can include ways to stay healthy, but also ways to help relax your body and mind when you're feeling stressed.

For example, we need to make sure that we use our time carefully.

So time management, set clear limits on how long you work and allocate time to relax.

Mindfulness apps can offer effective relaxation techniques to calm your mind and thoughts.

And stretching can relieve physical tension in muscles, and exercise can help to reduce levels of cortisol and adrenaline hormones in your body.

Getting the right amount of sleep, around eight hours per night, means that your body and mind are stronger in the morning.

Listening to calming music is a relaxation technique that helps lower your heart rate and relax your mind.

And being outside in nature can reduce cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure.

It also promotes the production of the happy hormone, endorphins.

Okay, time for a check for understanding.

Which of these is not a good relaxation technique? Is it A, spending a lot of time indoors, B, using a mindfulness app, or C, listening to calming music.

Which of these is not a good relaxation technique.

Pause this video so you can have some time to think about your answer.

Okay, well done if you said A, spending a lot of time indoors is not a good relaxation technique.

Sometimes, our symptoms of stress can feel overwhelming.

When this happens, we need to know how to manage this and where to get help.

So for example, if we experience physical symptoms, such as headaches and tiredness, we can use these relaxation techniques and strategies so we can get enough sleep, and stretch after studying, eat well and reduce sugar or caffeine intake, take breaks during revision, practise deep breathing, or do some light exercise, and use a mindfulness app or listen to music.

If we're experiencing emotional symptoms, such as anxiety and irritability, then we can use these relaxation techniques and strategies such as talking to a trusted adult about your worries, using positive self-talk, and by focusing on what you can control as this help to reduce negative thinking.

Exam periods can be a particularly stressful time, and this is important that we can manage our feelings and get help when we need it.

One of the most useful actions we can take is to make an action plan, as stress can be managed with plans and strategies.

Ms. Walsh says, "An action plan is a step-by-step guide to help your time management and to reduce stress.

It includes what you need to do, when you'll do it, and how you'll make sure that you take care of yourself as you go." Sam says, "Alex, did you put together an action plan for the math test next week?" Alex says, "Yes, my plan is to revise for 30 minutes after school each day this week and take a 10 minute break after each session.

"I'm going to try to be in bed by 10:30 PM every night to get enough sleep.

And if I can't relax, I'll use a mindfulness app to try to calm my mind.

There's one that my dad uses which has a free trial, so I'll try that one out." To make a successful action plan, we need to use good time management, make a timetable, breakdown subjects by days, and allocate realistic time blocks.

Include daily relaxation techniques.

Include breaks and days off study.

Plan times for self-care and hobbies.

Stick to routine bedtimes.

And write a food plan to avoid relying on sugary snacks for energy.

And list ways to get support if needed.

Here is an example of an exam action plan.

So each day, this person is going to revise a different subject.

On Monday, they're going to revise English poetry For one hour.

On Tuesday, they're going to practise a maths past paper for 45 minutes.

On Wednesday, they're going to study science flashcards on the human body for 30 minutes.

On Thursday, they're going to do a group revision for history exam for one hour.

And Friday, they're going to review keynotes from all subjects for one hour.

They've also included a five minute break along with some relaxation techniques and self-care and support.

So they're going to go for a walk or do stretching exercises after revision.

They're going to listen to calming music or use a mindfulness app before bed.

They're going to make sure that they get at least eight hours of sleep each night.

And they're going to speak to their parents and carers if they start to feel worried.

Here is an example of an exam action plan for the weekend.

So they're going to do longer revision sessions in the morning, and then the afternoon is going to be free to see friends and do hobbies.

So on Saturday, they're going to do a two hour longer revision session for English, they're going to do a self test with friends, and they're going to complete an online quiz.

On Sunday, they're going to review weaker topics and make action plan for the following week.

And their relaxation techniques, self-care and support is going to look like this.

They're going to eat healthy snacks instead of sugary ones during study time.

They're going to plan to speak to teachers about topics that they are less confident in.

And they're going to participate in hobbies that they enjoy to allow for time off.

Okay, time for a check for understanding.

True or false.

Stress during exams cannot be controlled no matter what you do.

Pause this video so you can have some time to think about your answer.

Okay, well done if you said false.

So this statement is false because stress can be managed with good time management, relaxation techniques, and knowing where to get support.

So where can we go for support? We can speak to teachers and school staff.

They can help explain topics that we're struggling with, offer study tips, or just listen and offer advice if you are feeling overwhelmed.

We can get support from parents and carers and family members.

Talking to a parent, carer, or older sibling can help you feel supported and less alone.

It is not a sign of weakness.

They can also help you with time management or in creating a calm space for you to revise in.

We can speak to our friends and classmates.

Sharing how you are feeling with a friend can reduce stress.

You might even be able to revise together or support each other through it.

And we can speak to a school counsellor or school staff or nurse.

Many schools have someone trained to help pupils deal with stress, anxiety, or pressure.

Okay, time for a check for understanding.

Which of the following is a helpful way to reduce exam stress? Is it A, leaving revision until the last minute.

B, ignoring how you feel.

C, making a revision and self-care schedule.

Or D, comparing your grades with others.

Which of the following is a helpful way to reduce exam stress? Pause this video so you can have some time to think about your answer.

Okay, well done if you said, C, we can make a revision and self-care schedule.

Time for a task now.

Write a short action plan to help you manage your stress during the next exam period.

You need to include what tasks you need to complete, so using specific subjects or topics that you need to revise, you need to decide when and how you will revise, what relaxation techniques you will include to stay healthy and calm, and who you can talk to if you feel overwhelmed.

So pause this video so you can have some time to do the task, and then we'll go through some possible answers together.

Okay, well done for having a go.

Your action plan may happen like this.

So topics to revise.

Maths, algebra, trigonometry and graphs, English, poetry comparison, biology, photosynthesis, cells and genetics, and history, causes of World War One.

When and how will I revise.

Weekdays, you're going to revise the two subjects per evening using past papers, flashcards, and mind wraps.

And on the weekends, you might revise for longer in the morning and do tests with friends.

Your relaxation techniques to stay calm and healthy could include taking regular breaks, going for walks, or doing a short workout, practising breathing exercises, getting eight hours of sleep each night, and spending time on hobbies that you enjoy.

And the different ways to get support if needed could include speaking to parents, carers, and friends to share how you are feeling, or speaking to your form teacher for academic support or pastoral staff for emotional support.

Well done if your action plan looks similar to mine.

This brings us to the end of our lesson.

Here is a summary of everything that we've covered today.

Common causes of stress include fear of failure, lack of preparation, and high expectations, all of which can make situations like exams feel overwhelming.

Stress can show up in different physical symptoms such as headaches or fatigue, emotional signs like anxiety or irritability, and behavioural changes including difficulty concentrating or changes in sleeping patterns.

To manage stress effectively, it's important to use strategies such as good time management, relaxation techniques like breathing or mindfulness, and seeking support.

Creating a personal action plan that includes these strategies can help you stay in control and reduce stress, especially during exam periods.

Here is a slide with different places that you can get support.

We have the NHS Live Well where the NHS provides advice about healthy living, exercise, quitting smoking, and drinking less alcohol.

We have the NHS websites where the NHS provides advice about health and prevention, including how to access services.