Helping young people to beat stress

There is growing concern in most countries today about increasing levels of stress among young people. Suicides, substance abuse, depression, anxiety and eating disorders have all been linked to stress. Young people are experiencing more social and psychological problems than ever before. 'How to Beat Stress' is the essential guide to helping teenagers minimise stress in their lives, both at school and at home. Sarah McNamara provides advice, information and techniques on mental and physical ways of coping with stress, study skills and time management, communication skills, and coping with depression and anxiety. This book should prove invaluable reading for everyone who works with teenagers.

Author Notes

George Hinge is associate professor in the department of classical philology at Aarhus University, Denmark.

Acknowledgements	p. xi
Introduction	p. xvii
Practical Suggestions on How to Help Young People to Cope more Effectively with Stress	p. 1
Chapter 1 Talking to young people about stress and coping	p. 3
Issues to consider before starting your discussion on stress	p. 3
Setting the right tone	p. 3
Allowing young people to set the agenda	p. 3
Role shifting	p. 4
Confidentiality	p. 4
Giving the ideas a chance	p. 5
Follow-through	p. 5
Why learn more about stress?	p. 5
Breathing and stretching	p. 5
Engaging young men and women	p. 6
Engaging younger and older adolescents	p. 6
Engaging adolescents from different backgrounds	p. 7
Sources of stress	p. 7
The stress process	p. 8
Stress is part of life	p. 8
Internal stresses	p. 8
Outside stresses	p. 8
Resources	p. 9
The balance	p. 9
What is stress?	p. 10
Identity and appraisal	p. 10
Change can be stressful	p. 11
Positive stress	p. 12
Daily hassles	p. 12
Stress-related symptoms	p. 12
Recognizing stress	p. 12
Why do we respond in this way to stress?	p. 15
The 'fight or flight' response	p. 15
Stress and performance	p. 15
Chapter 2 Mental strategies for coping with stress	p. 18
Learning to control our thoughts	p. 19
Recognizing stress	p. 19
'Here's one I prepared earlier' - predicting stress and being prepared	p. 20
Learning how to plan ahead	p. 21
Preparing for regular events	p. 22
Dealing with stressful events	p. 22
Keeping things in perspective	p. 23
Replacing the negative with the positive	p. 24
Thought stopping	p. 26
Steps for tackling stressful thoughts	p. 27
Examples of stressful thoughts	p. 28
Coping skills training	p. 29
Making a stressful events hierarchy	p. 30
Using relaxation with the hierarchy	p. 31
Learning to relax	p. 32
Stress-coping thoughts	p. 32
Problem-solving skills	p. 34
Problem-solving as a technique	p. 34
Stage 1 What's the problem?	p. 34
Stage 2 Brainstorm	p. 35
Stage 3 Give it a go!	p. 36
The laughing cure!	p. 37
Coping	p. 37
A summary of stress management	p. 38
Chapter 3 Physical ways of coping with stress	p. 41
Nutrition and eating habits	p. 42
Healthy eating	p. 42
Alcohol	p. 43
Fat	p. 45
How to reduce fat in the diet	p. 46
Dieting and eating disorders	p. 46
Weight and body shape	p. 47
Does being slim bring happiness?	p. 48
Are slim girls more attractive?	p. 48
Our relationship with food	p. 48
The effects of dieting	p. 49
The best way to lose weight	p. 49
When eating becomes a problem	p. 49
Exercise	p. 50
What is exercise?	p. 50
Why exercise?	p. 50
Why is exercise good for you?	p. 51
Why not exercise?	p. 52
Making exercise a part of life	p. 52
Sleep	p. 52
Improving sleep quality	p. 53
Learning how to relax	p. 54
Why should young people learn how to relax?	p. 54
Breathing	p. 55
Chest breathing	p. 56
Abdominal breathing	p. 56
Pre-menstrual syndrome	p. 57
Coping with PMS	p. 58
Chapter 4 Study skills and time management	p. 61
Talking to young people about studying	p. 62
Study skills	p. 62
Making it easy	p. 63
1 Where they study	p. 63
2 How they study	p. 63
3 Why they study	p. 64
Making it enjoyable	p. 64
Body clocks	p. 64
Taking breaks	p. 64
A change is as good as a rest	p. 64
Finishing the study period	p. 64
A tidy desk is a tidy mind	p. 64
Use a carrot!	p. 65
Make it social	p. 65
Spread the word	p. 65
Health and studying	p. 65
Body clocks and sleep	p. 65
Physical activity	p. 66
Nutrition	p. 66
Blood sugar	p. 66
Caffeine	p. 67
Alcohol	p. 67
Television and music	p. 68
Organizing the study area	p. 68
Reading material	p. 68
Taking notes	p. 68
Exams	p. 69
Prioritize	p. 69
Mock exams	p. 69
Designing a study timetable	p. 69
Exam stress	p. 70
Coming up to an exam	p. 70
Stress and worry	p. 70
Keep it in perspective	p. 70
Time management	p. 71
Exercise on time management	p. 72
How to manage time well	p. 72
Chapter 5 Interpersonal and communication skills	p. 74
Relationships	p. 76
Think about it	p. 77
Take responsibility	p. 77
Watch how others change	p. 78
Solitude	p. 78
Communication skills	p. 79
Assertiveness	p. 79
What is assertiveness?	p. 79
Why be assertive?	p. 80
Negotiation skills	p. 80
Listen!	p. 82
Social support	p. 83
Bullying	p. 83
Why intervene?	p. 84
When to intervene	p. 85
How to intervene	p. 85
Chapter 6 Treating yourself right	p. 89
Treats	p. 89
Boosting self-confidence	p. 90
Low self-confidence	p. 91
Confidence is complicated	p. 91
Seeing is deceiving	p. 92
Practice makes perfect	p. 92
Confidence in five easy steps?	p. 92
1 If at first...	p. 92
2 Talk the talk and walk the walk	p. 92
3 Learn and move on!	p. 92
4 Don't beat yourself up!	p. 93
5 Be nice to yourself	p. 93
Boosting self-esteem	p. 93
Be the devil's advocate	p. 93
If you're the hardest judge that you could get - tell yourself to get real!	p. 93
All you can do is your best	p. 94
Nuture company the nurtures	p. 94
Unhappiness and depression	p. 95
What can young people do?	p. 97
Talk about it	p. 97
Use their support systems	p. 98
Ways of alleviating depression	p. 98
Thoughts of harming themselves	p. 99
How to help prevent depression	p. 100
Worry and anxiety	p. 101
What worrying achieves	p. 101
How to get rid of worries	p. 102
Worries are usually false predictions	p. 103
Chapter 7 Discussion and conclusion	p. 105
Introduction	p. 105
The aim of the book	p. 105
Programme implementation	p. 106
The socioeconomic dimension to research	p. 109
Overview of stress management for young people	p. 110
References	p. 115

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