Stress

Hello friends,

Have a look at these phrases and match the parts. What are these phrases in your language?

1. She shook her head in disbelief.

Она потрясла головой в недоумении.

2. She clenched her fists angrily.

Она сердито сжимала кулаки.

3. She shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

Она равнодушно пожала плечами.

4. She folded her arms and waited patiently.

Она сложила руки и терпеливо ждала.

5. She blushed with embarrassment at the sight of new people.

Она покраснела смущённо при виде новых людей.

6. She stamped her feet angrily.

Она топнула ногами сердито.

7. She trembled in fear.

Она дрожала от страха.

8. She tapped her fingers nervously on the table.

Она нервно постучала пальцами по столу.

In what situations could you behave like this?

Choose the proper option:

when you feel excited;

when you feel stressed;

when you feel disappointed;

or when you feel delighted.

As a rule, the described above behavior is common when you feel stressed and nervous.

In today’s lesson we’re going to talk about stress and its causes; how it affects our bodies and what you can do to relive stress.

There are hundreds of definitions of stress but even the highest medical authorities don't know what it really means.

William Goldsmith, MD (Doctor of Medicine), described his understanding of stress in his poem.

Stress

A definition, friends, of stress:

Your own reaction to a mess.

Stress from pains to pleasures range,

The common element is change.

Adapt of die and that is a fact,

And so our bodies must react:

The heart speeds up the gut slows down,

Facial muscles snarl or flown

The point is stress is not unique,

It does not mean you are dumb or weak.

Common both to man and beast,

It proves you are still alive at least!

Do you agree with the poem?

Now you’re going to listen to the text about stress.

While listening, complete the gaps with the word from the box.

You're studying hard for your final exams at school, you've got a part time job, your parents are in the middle of ______ a divorce and you're worried that your best friend is mad at you. Basically, you feel like you're losing control!

Sound familiar? Well, you're not __ because 92% of British teens feel stressed. So, as the pressure mounts in the run-up to exams, we thought we'd give you the lowdown on what stress is and does and, most importantly, what we can do about it!

1. getting

2. alone

The lowdown on stress

In a nutshell, "stress" is the ________ our bodies and minds react to life's changes. Not all stress is bad! In stressful situations, the nervous system causes muscles to tense, breathing to become shallow and adrenaline to be released into your bloodstream as your body gets ready to _______ challenges with focus and strength. So, a little stress can keep you on your toes! But, in the long term, it can put too much strain on your heart and cause other physical and emotional symptoms such as headaches, depression, forgetfulness and low self-esteem. The good news, however, is that you CAN deal with stress before it gets out of hand! So, take control and

REMEMBER YOUR A-B-Cs...

3. way

4. meet

A is for ACTION

You can take action when stress is created by something you can control! If you have too many things to do, for example, try to break tasks down into smaller 'chunks', and deal with one thing at a time in order of priority. Perhaps it's just that you've taken on too much! If so, give ______ an afterschool activity for a while, for example, or ask a friend or family member to help you lighten the load.

5. up

B is for BEAR IT

If there's nothing you can do, you'll just have to 'grin and bear it'! If, at first, you can't change your feelings, learn how to control your thoughts. When you feel overwhelmed, take slow, ________ breaths and count to ten. Later, once you've calmed down, analyze the problem rationally. Perhaps you could repeat a saying to help you accept your situation, such as "One day I'll laugh about this". Also, try to keep things in perspective and don't be too dramatic! Saying that you’re “pulling your hair out” or that your workload 'is killing you will only make you feel worse!

6. deep

C is for COPE

Find ways to handle your stress! For a start, doing something as going for a walk or for a coffee with a friend, help take your _____ off the things that are bugging you. Or perhaps writing poetry or keeping a diary will help you to ________ with your negative emotions. Last but not least, getting enough, exercising and eating regular, nutritious meals are all essential for coping with stress! Above all, try to keep a sense of humour and a positive attitude! You don't have to let your problems rule your life!

7. mind

8. deal

Match the highlighted words/phrases from the text with their meanings.

1.                 lowdown – important information

2.                 lighten the load – make a difficult situation better

3.                 mounts – increases

4.                 run-up – time just before

5.                 keep you on your toes – cause you to remain ready

6.                 pulling your hair out – unable to manage

7.                 in a nutshell – basically

8.                 overwhelmed – going crazy

9.                 in the long term – over a long period of time

10.            out of hand – uncontrollable

11.            keep things in perspective – judge now how important something really is

12.            grin and bear it – accept it without complaining

Choose a situation which is the most stressful to your mind.

Say what you would do in this situation to cope with stress.

1. You are being asked to speak in public. But you don't know much about the subject discussed by the participants. Everybody is looking at you. You are terrified and don't know what to say. You feel your hands shaking and your cheeks blushing.

2. You are the first-year student of the University. You are taking your first exam. You are absolutely calm and self-confident as you know the subject very well. You are taking a question card and realize that you don't remember the answer to the question.

3. You’ve recently been presented a new phone by your parents. But unfortunately, while having lunch your best friend spilt his juice on it. It’s broken!

4. You've seen your brother's girlfriend kissing some other guy. You don't know whether you should tell your brother about it. You are afraid that he won't believe you if you tell the truth. But on the other hand he will never forgive you if he learns that you have concealed this unpleasant fact.

5. You've been asked to baby-sit your 5-year-old nephew. Your sister has promised that he will be sleeping the whole evening so you will have no trouble with him. And now when she has left you are locked in her house with a screaming child and you don't know what to do to calm him down.

Stress can be called the disease of modern society. And everyone tries to find his own way to cope with it.

As for me, I try to have a balance in life.

I wish, you would walk away from stressful situations and be positive and enthusiastic.

They say that laughter is the best medicine for all diseases. In other words, “don't worry, be happy”.