Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health - Grade 8: Expectation 3

Grade 8 – Expectation Three

Specific Learning Expectation

Describe causes and symptoms of stress and positive ways (as opposed to substance use) to relieve stress

Background Information

Students may have been exposed to the concept of stress created by peer pressure when they were introduced to the lessons from the Gr. 7 Substance Use lessons. (The specific expectation was: “Apply living skills to deal with peer pressure related to substance use and abuse.”) Gr. 8 teacher may be able to build on that lesson and relate peer pressure to stress.

Hot Tips for Teachers

Teachers are encouraged to link stress to students’ experiences and explore healthy coping strategies other than the use of substances. The OPHEA Take Action resource has an excellent review of Stress and Substance Use (included with Teaching Strategy 1). (check out www.ophea.net for information on the Take Action resource) There are also, many other stress resources including pamphlets from the Canadian Mental Health Association.(CMHA) A pamphlet on stress from CMHA can be accessed at www.cmha.ca/english/info_centre/mh_pamphlets/mh_phamphlet_07.htm

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Discuss stress, what it is, how it affects us physically and emotionally (teacher overheads included) Ask students to contribute their ideas.

1. In the class discussion, recognize that a certain amount of stress is good for everyone because it helps drive us to stay focused on the task at hand. When one person is dealing with too many stressors, it can create problems. Emotionally, a person can become short-tempered, irritable and snap at people, withdraw from friends and make poor choices such as using alcohol and other drugs to cope with stress.

If stress continues to increase, and one does not deal with the source of each stressor or find time to relax, stress may show up as physical symptoms such as acne, clenched jaw, difficulty breathing, flushed face, dizziness, headache, sick more often, nervous habits such as nail biting, foot or finger tapping, grinding teeth, tearfulness, sweating etc.

2. Ask students to write down possible causes of stress for themselves or their friends, parents, family members. (Student self - worksheet included in teacher resources section.) Perceived stressors could include: not doing well in school, homework problems, few or no friends, lack of attention from parents, fight with a friend or family member, marital problems between parents, parents separation or divorce, being part of a stepfamily, being responsible for younger siblings, death of a family member or a pet, illness in the family, pressure to do well, move to a new school, being afraid to speak up in front of others, not eating well, being very critical of yourself.

In the large group, discuss causes of stress based on students’ responses – categories could be physical, thoughts and feelings, family, friends, school.

3. Positive ways to relieve stress – Class discussion or dyads or individual work Students could add this information to their worksheet for their own use. Responses could include: exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, time on a hobby or activity you enjoy, go to a favourite place, talk with someone when things are bothering you, (friend, family member, or other trusted adult) talk to yourself positively (ex. “ I don’t have to be perfect, it’s ok to make mistakes” or “I won’t let that bother me”

Teacher Resources (3 Overheads)

Did you know?

* Stress is the cause of or contributes to most human illness.

* Stress can act as a motivator. Some people do their best work under stress.

* Stress is a challenge for everyone but the ways in which it affects behaviour are highly individualistic.

* Each of us has a great deal of freedom to decide exactly how much impact stressful events will have on our lives.

* The most healthy, successful and accident free persons are those who manage stress.

* People who understand stress factors in others make the best bosses.

* People who feel alone in the world, who are uninvolved with other people and their community, run a higher risk of illness due to stress.

* Stress can be managed, and the healthiest among us manage it on a daily basis.

What am I?

Nobody can escape me.

I am sometimes good and
sometimes harmful to your health.

I can be the spice of life.

I can be life threatening.

What is Stress?

Stress is “a non-specific response of the body to any demand or challenge” - Dr. Hans Selye

Stress is anything that …

* prods us

* scares us

* worries us

* thrills us

* threatens us

Stress is an inevitable aspect of life. We are under stress every day. Without it, we wouldn’t move, think, get out of bed, or care

Stress is caused by both positive and negative situations.

The initial reaction when stressed (ALARM RESPONSE) is the same every time, whether the source of the stress (STRESSOR) is real or imagined, positive or negative.

Stress can be good (called “eustress”) when it helps us perform better, or it can be bad (“distress”) when it causes upset or makes us sick.

Teachers could use the following information on Stress and Substance Use, from Ophea's Take Action, as a handout.

Stress and Substance Use

Stress is the body's physical response to a pressure or threat; it results from the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream.

Sometimes stress helps us respond to a situation in the best way possible. For example, it may allow us to run faster to escape a dangerous situation. At other times, though, stress has a negative impact and makes people feel nervous, uptight, uneasy, apprehensive or fearful. Some people get a headache in reaction to stress. Other physical effects of stress can include: shallow breathing, lack of motivation, inability to slow down or relax, sweating, shaking, increased heart rate, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, tense muscles, and irritability. (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Opening Doors:A Personal and Social Skills Program, 1999.)

Between the ages of 12 to 15 years old, young people experience many changes - how they look, how they feel, how they think, where they go to school, and who their friends are. Changes such as these often cause stress. All teenagers go through these changes and experience a certain degree of stress. Learning to cope with stress is key to making healthy decisions.

Outlined below are a few examples of changes that may cause stress.

Physical

delayed or rapid growth
changing body shape
physical and sexual maturity
concern about body image

Thoughts and Feelings

mood swings
need for independence and privacy
challenging authority
copying other people's personalities
beginning awareness and thoughts about sexuality

Family

role in the family is changing
wants more independence
possible change(s) in family structure and/or make-up

Friends

friends become a strong influence
need to feel they belong
changing interests may lead to a change in immediate circle of friends (ending of "old"
friendships and beginning of "new" ones)

School

going from a school where the kids know their teachers and are with them all year, to one where they may feel a little lost
change from a "big fish in a little pond" to a "little fish in a big pond"
meeting new people and not knowing how they will fit in (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Help! There's a Teenager in My Home!, 1999.)
knowing how to cope with stress does not come naturally to most of us. We have to learn it like
any other skill. It demands an investment of time and energy, but it does improve with practice. The end results are worthwhile. Coping with stress makes a big difference to our everyday experiences improving our "quality of life." (Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk Heart Health Project, Choices 4 Health, 1996.)

Turning to alcohol or other substances to help with relaxation is not a successful coping mechanism in either the short or long term. Below is a list of positive ways to cope with stress. This list is just a starting point - each person should try different techniques and decide what works for them.

Positive Coping Strategies/Techniques

exercise (walk, jog, dance, aerobics, swim, ski, etc.)
maintain healthy eating patterns
get adequate sleep
try relaxation techniques (deep breathing or visualization)
spend time on a hobby or activity you enjoy (reading, painting, playing an instrument,
listening to music, etc.)
go to a favorite place (movies, beach, friend's house)
talk with others (friend or trusted adult) when things are bothering you
talk to yourself ("I won't let that bother me", or "I'm not perfect, it's okay that I made that mistake”) (Ophea, Take Action Grade 7 & 8, 2001)

Alternative Activites:

i) instead of using the What is Stress overhead, write the word STRESS on chart paper or the board and have a bried brainstorming session where students contribute words, statements, etc that they associate with the word stress. This is a good diagnostic tool for the teacher to find out how much the students actually know about the topic.

ii) symptoms could be developed for students to complete for themselves

iii) teacher could engage students in stress reduction techniques/exercises in the classroom

iv) to demonstrate the duality of stress, class could be divided into two groups or dyads and discuss the positive and negative aspects of stress

Student Stress Worksheet

Possible Causes of stress

____________________________________________

Ways of Coping with Stress in a Healthy, Positive Way.

____________________________________________

Assessments for Learning:

Participation in discussion on stress
Observation of independent work on causes of stress
Participation in discussion of causes of stress
Completion of self-worksheet on coping with stress

Additional resources are available. You may also check with you local school board, public health office or the library of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

R. Samuel McLaughlin Addiction and Mental Health Information Centre 1-800-463-6273
Video Reference Desk 416-535-8501 X 6987
Marketing Department 1-800-661-1111

Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health - Grade 8: Expectation 3

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