For humans, stress can take many forms. The fight or flight response is a stress response that can be vital for our survival to get us away from harmful situations. The physical exertion helps us to dissipate the stress hormones that are released into the body. Stress can have positive benefits if it helps us to work harder, to be motivated.
When confronted by stress, we often cannot fight with it or flee from it. In these situations, stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, are secreted but not used. High levels of the stress hormones remain, and over time, can lead to health imbalances. Often everyday stress can lead to distress of the body. “You may find it difficult to see the relationship between stress and physical health problems, because the long-term effects of stress are subtle and slow. However, experts in every area of medicine are discovering links between stress, disease, and poor health.”
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| Objectives |
Students will be able to recognize types of stress in every day life
Students will learn methods for coping with stress in the environment
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| Materials |
Student responses to stress situations
Article, "Stressing Out? Try Stressing Good Health” Global Heartbeat Project, http://www.globalheartbeat.org/, The College of Exploration
Stress Management. 14 August 2003, available at: http://my.webmd.com/content/healthwise/169/53622 |
| Procedure |
1.
Activities to demonstrate stress in daily life:
Out of class: Ask your students to think of the most stressful and most relaxing part of their day. Ask them to take their pulse at those times and bring the results to class the next day.
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n class: During class ask students to listen to soft music and imagine a relaxing place. After five minutes, take the students’ pulse. Then turn on the lights, put on loud music and after five minutes take the students’ pulse again.
2. After the activity, discuss their results and use the following guiding questions:
What causes stressful situations for you?
What can be done to reduce the amount of stress?
How can you make changes in your response to stressful situations?
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| References |
Ryan, Melissa. “Stressing Out? Try Stressing Good Health” Global Heartbeat, The College of Exploration
Stress Management. 14 August 2003, available at: http://my.webmd.com/content/healthwise/169/53622
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| State
Standards |
1.2.7- The student will use relationships discovered in the lab to explain phenomena observed outside the laboratory.
1.4.2- The student will analyze data to make predictions, decisions, or draw conclusions.
1.4.9- The student will use analyzed data to confirm, modify, or reject an hypothesis.
1.5.2- The student will explain scientific concepts and processes through drawing, writing, and/or oral communication.
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| Lesson Resources |
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