What is stress?

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When you
sense danger—whether it’s real or imagined—the body’s defenses kick into high gear in
a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction or the “stress
response.”

The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it
helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save
your life—giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to
slam on the brakes to avoid a car accident.

Stress can also help you rise to meet challenges. It’s what keeps you on your toes
during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the
game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when you’d rather be
watching TV. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing
major damage to your health, mood, productivity, relationships, and your quality of life.

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm

Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and

behavior
By Mayo Clinic Staff

Stress symptoms may be affecting your health, even though you might not realize it.
You may think illness is to blame for that irritating headache, your frequent insomnia or
your decreased productivity at work. But stress may actually be the cause.

Common effects of stress

Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your
behavior. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can help you manage
them. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high
blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
 Common effects of stress

On your body On your mood On your behavior

Headache Anxiety Overeating or

undereating

Muscle tension Restlessness Angry outbursts

or pain

Chest pain Lack of motivation Drug or alcohol

or focus misuse

Fatigue Feeling Tobacco use

overwhelmed

Change in sex Irritability or anger Social withdrawal

drive

Stomach upset Sadness or Exercising less

depression often

Sleep problems

Act to manage stress

If you have stress symptoms, taking steps to manage your stress can have many health
benefits. Explore stress management strategies, such as:

 Getting regular physical activity

 Practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi or
massage
  Keeping a sense of humor
 Spending time with family and friends
 Setting aside time for hobbies, such as reading a book or listening to music
Aim to find active ways to manage your stress. Inactive ways to manage stress — such
as watching television, surfing the internet or playing video games — may seem
relaxing, but they may increase your stress over the long term.
And be sure to get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy, balanced diet. Avoid tobacco use,
excess caffeine and alcohol, and the use of illegal substances.

When to seek help

If you're not sure if stress is the cause or if you've taken steps to control your stress but
your symptoms continue, see your doctor. Your healthcare provider may want to check
for other potential causes. Or consider seeing a professional counselor or therapist, who
can help you identify sources of your stress and learn new coping tools.
Also, get emergency help immediately if you have chest pain, especially if you also
have shortness of breath, jaw or back pain, pain radiating into your shoulder and arm,
sweating, dizziness, or nausea. These may be warning signs of a heart attack and not
simply stress symptoms.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-
20050987

Correlates of student stress in secondary

education
 https://doi.org/10.1080/00131880701200708

Background New demands are imposed by rapid change in the education system;
these, in turn, cause stress. Previous studies have suggested that the degree of stress
experienced by students is affected by characteristics of education, teachers and the
students themselves.

Purpose To identify student and teacher characteristics that determine the stress
experienced by students in Dutch secondary education.

Sample The sample consisted of 3300 students with an average age of 16 years 5
months (standard deviation of seven months) who entered their first year of secondary
education in The Netherlands in 1995.

Design and methods Students' cognitive ability levels were assessed by means of a
cross-curricular skills test. Their level of fear of failure was assessed by means of an
 achievement motivation questionnaire. Student stress was categorized as ‘experienced
study workload’ and ‘perception of lack of teacher guidance’.

Results Data suggested that fear of failure was associated with experienced workload
as well as perception of lack of teacher guidance; cognitive ability was associated only
with workload. Teaching style, as reported by teachers, was not associated with student
stress. Only teachers' age was associated with student stress. The older the teacher,
the more students experienced heavy workload and perceived strong lack of teacher
guidance.

Conclusions Student support should be differentiated depending on student need—

some students may need cognitive support and others emotional support. It may be that
if those perceiving a lack of teacher guidance were given support at the socio-emotional
level, the possibility of their withdrawal from education would be reduced.

Correlates of student stress in secondary

education
 https://doi.org/10.1080/00131880701200708

Background New demands are imposed by rapid change in the education system;
these, in turn, cause stress. Previous studies have suggested that the degree of stress
experienced by students is affected by characteristics of education, teachers and the
students themselves.

Purpose To identify student and teacher characteristics that determine the stress
experienced by students in Dutch secondary education.

Sample The sample consisted of 3300 students with an average age of 16 years 5
months (standard deviation of seven months) who entered their first year of secondary
education in The Netherlands in 1995.

Design and methods Students' cognitive ability levels were assessed by means of a
cross-curricular skills test. Their level of fear of failure was assessed by means of an
achievement motivation questionnaire. Student stress was categorized as ‘experienced
study workload’ and ‘perception of lack of teacher guidance’.

Results Data suggested that fear of failure was associated with experienced workload
as well as perception of lack of teacher guidance; cognitive ability was associated only
with workload. Teaching style, as reported by teachers, was not associated with student
stress. Only teachers' age was associated with student stress. The older the teacher,
the more students experienced heavy workload and perceived strong lack of teacher
guidance.

Conclusions Student support should be differentiated depending on student need—

some students may need cognitive support and others emotional support. It may be that
if those perceiving a lack of teacher guidance were given support at the socio-emotional
level, the possibility of their withdrawal from education would be reduced