UNIT 3
Stress
- Which of the following situations would make you feel uncomfortable or nervous?
examinations
oral presentation in front of the entire class
meeting a new person
job interview
traffic jam
- Match the words with their meanings.
|
adrenaline
physiological
anxiety
exhaustion
endorphin
self-esteem
nutrients
caffeine
priority
procrastination |
tiredness
postponing doing something
substance in the brain that often stops pain
relating to the way that living things function
worry; nervousness
hormone that makes the heart beat faster
main concern
substance that keeps a human body healthy and helps it to grow
confidence; self-worth
found in coffee, tea, and cola |
*****
There
is no doubt that many college students feel stress. We may know we have stress when we experience it, but what is it exactly?
Stress is a response to a demand that is placed upon you. Without some stress, people would not get a lot done. That extra
burst of adrenaline that helps you finish your final paper, perform well in sports,
or meet any challenge is positive stress. It is a short-term physiological tension
and added mental alertness. Responses to stress can be physical, such as a headache; emotional, such as fear or sadness; and
mental, such as increased anxiety. If you cannot return to a relaxed state, then
the stress becomes negative. The changes in your body (increased heart rate, higher blood pressure and muscle tension) often
lead to mental and physical exhaustion and illness. Too much stress can cause
problems and affect our health, productivity and relationships.
Ways to avoid/manage stress:
Have
you ever noticed how the same situation can stress one person out, while it might not affect another person at all? This difference
can usually be explained by the way each individual thinks about the situation. Changing the way you think can help
you manage stressors in your life.
Physical activity increases energy
and your ability to concentrate, makes you feel great because your body will produce endorphins.
It also improves physical appearance, increases self-esteem and self-confidence,
helps you fall asleep faster and improves sleep quality. Exercise strengthens your heart which is constantly being called
upon to "fight or flight". If you hate to exercise, change the “E” word from exercise to enjoyment. Find activities that
you love to do and that match your personality.
Healthy eating plays an important role in times of extra stress. Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals
are all important for energy, mental concentration, and emotional stability. Stress may increase your body's need for certain
nutrients and weaken your immune system, so you may need an extra healthy diet
to stay focused, alert, energetic and to protect against colds and flu.
Many people use high sugar foods to keep their energy up and caffeine
to keep going when they need rest. Too much caffeine will lead to poor quality sleep and actually add to the physiological
effects of stress. Sugar will satisfy you in the short term, but after an hour or two, you may find that you have less energy
and need more food.
Learning how to manage your time so that you can complete
what you set out to do is a skill that will help you throughout your life. It is especially helpful when you are a college
student as you have deadlines and many things that need your attention. It’s natural to feel worried at times, but having
a plan to help you get organized and set priorities will help ease the tension.
Every student needs to have some kind of tool to keep track of
his/her busy life. This could be a calendar, a day planner, an electronic planner, or a note pad. Whatever the tool, it needs
to be something you can carry with you, and you also need to be able to see at least a week at a time. Put everything on your
calendar…. tests and projects, study time, social engagements, etc.
Whether you are faced with a big task, such as graduating in 4 years, or smaller tasks such as studying
for a final exam, it helps if you break the task down into smaller parts. Students say that when they wait till the last minute
to complete a project, the task seems impossible. By setting priorities and breaking the bigger project into smaller tasks,
the work is more manageable, and less frightening.
Making a ‘to do’ list is an essential part of good time management. Making these lists helps
you see all that has to be done. You can make immediate ‘to do’ lists and longer term ‘to do’ lists.
Putting a date when tasks are due is helpful.
If
most of your life you have followed the belief of “don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow”,
then most likely you have brought this attitude with you to college. Procrastination
can lead to many sleepless nights (literally) and to academic and personal difficulties. Procrastination can simply be a way
of life for many students, and this can be stressful for them as well as others around them. It might be hard to do, but take
care of business first, and then do fun things.
Here are
some advantages of being a good time manager:
- You
will have less stress in your life.
- You
will have more time for the things you want to do and that you enjoy.
- You
can be a better-rounded student and enjoy many aspects of college life.
- You
will be able to spend more time with friends.
- You
can learn more.
- You
will feel good about yourself.
Choose the correct answer.
1. Stress
can help us to
A. be
mentally alert
B. perform
better
C. meet challenges
D. all of the above
2. An example
of ______________ response to stress is an increase in anxiety levels.
A. mental
B. emotional
C. physical
D. positive
3. Too
much stress can lead to
A. productivity
B. illness
C. changes
D. none
of the above
4. Which of
the following statements is true?
A. People
react in similar ways to stressful situations.
B. Changing
our mental attitude can lead to stress.
C. We
can use different strategies to manage stress.
D. Thinking
about a problem reduces stress.
5. Exercise
helps to increase
A. self
esteem
B. sleep quality
C. enjoyment
D. personality
6. We should
___________ the amount of sugar and caffeine in times of stress.
A. include
B. reduce
C. need
D. add
7. Time management
is a skill that helps us to
A. pay
attention
B. feel worried
C. make
plans
D. complete tasks
8. We can
be better students if we
A. have
more time for enjoyment
B. learn more
C. learn
to manage time
D. spend more time with friends
9. A person
who procrastinates is one who
A. has
sleepless nights
B. takes care of business first
C. puts
off work till a later date
D. has
academic and personal difficulties
10. A suitable
title for the text is:
A. College
Students
B. Stress Management
C. Time
Management
D. Staying
Healthy
Answer the following questions.
11. What is the difference between positive and negative stress?
12. How do you react to stress?
13. In your opinion, what is a ‘healthy
diet’?
14. Are you a good time manager? Why do you
think so?
Addiction to the Internet
· Do you agree with these statements?
Many people are addicted
to something and it is a big problem these days.
Being addicted to something
is not a new problem.
·
What are the things to
which people can be addicted?
*****
Tense? Angry?
Can’t get online? Internet addiction is now a serious health problem, says
a leading psychiatrist.
In the American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Jerald Block writes that Internet
addiction is caused by too much gaming, e-mailing and text messaging. He says that the problem is now so common that it should
be included in medical text books. According to Block, Internet addiction has four main features:
-
Excessive use, and not realizing how long you spend on the Internet
-
Withdrawal symptoms, including feelings of anger, tension and depression when there
is no access to the Internet
-
The need for better computers, more software or more hours of use
-
Negative effects, including
arguments, lying, not doing well at school or work, social isolation and tiredness
Block
says that in South Korea 10 people died from blood clots because they sat for
long periods in Internet cafes and another was murdered because of an online game. It is estimated that around 210,000 South
Korean children need treatment. 80 per cent of them might need medicines and nearly
a quarter might need to go to hospital. High school students there spend about 23 hours per week gaming, so another 1.2 million
need basic counselling about Internet addiction. Many people are also worried about the number of addicts who stop going to
school or leave their jobs to spend more time on computers. In China, there might be 10 million teenage Internet addicts.
Dr. Block
writes that it is more difficult to estimate how bad the problem is in America
because people go online at home instead of in Internet cafes. “Unfortunately it is not easy to treat Internet addiction,”
he said. “The problem is with the relationship with the computer,” he said. “If you try to remove the computer,
they feel they’ve lost their best friend. That can lead to depression or
rage.”
Harry Husted,
a single 51-year-old from New York, spends 16 hours a day on the Internet. He says that he is not addicted, but that he used
to be. “I used to work with computers for eight hours, then get home and go online for another seven hours. I was online
until two or three o’clock in the morning or until I got so tired that I had to go to bed. I didn’t go out to
get the groceries and I didn’t care about friends, TV, or anything. When
I realized what was happening I did something about it. Now I only use MySpace to advertise my business.”
Internet
addiction clinics are opening all around the world, and many people have joined web discussion boards such as Internet
Addicts Anonymous.
Robert Freedman, the editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry, said Internet addiction
is different from person to person. “In Korea, people are mostly addicted to gaming sites. In America, it is Facebook.
They are also addicted to online games, gambling, chatting with friends. All these things existed before the Internet, but
now they’re a lot easier.”
His advice to addicts is: “A self-help
group is a good place to start, but maybe a real group is better than an online one.”
Fill in the blanks with these words and phrases from the text.
|
withdrawal symptoms isolation addiction
estimate clot
groceries self-help group excessive treatment
depression |
1. An _______________________ is a strong need to spend as much time as possible
doing a particular activity.
2. When something is ___________________ it is much more than is necessary.
3.When you are alone and separated from other people you are in _____________________.
4. ________________________________ are the unpleasant physical and mental effects suffered by someone
who stops taking a substance that they are addicted to.
5. A ________________ is a lump of blood in your veins that can be dangerous.
6. _____________________ is another word for medical care.
7. An _____________________ is a guess at a number.
8. ________________________ is a feeling of unhappiness and hopelessness that lasts for a long time.
9. ________________ are food and other goods you buy regularly for the home.
10. A _____________________ is a group of people who discuss their similar problems and find ways
to deal with them.
Match the following.
|
11. Internet addicts don’t realize how
12. Leading psychiatrists think
13. The average South Korean high school student
14. People have died because of their
15. South Koreans go online
16. Internet addiction is
17. Facebook and MySpace are
18. In the USA, most people
19. Internet addicts are often
20. Internet addicts think they need |
a. lonely and tired
b. spends 23 hours a week playing online games
c. difficult to treat
d. many hours they spend online
e. social networking websites
f. Internet addiction
g. better computers and software
h. at Internet cafes more often than Americans
i. Internet addiction is a real illness
j. surf the Internet at home |
Sources:
‘Managing Stress: A Guide for College Students’ 2005, viewed 22 January 2007, <http://www.uhs.uga.edu/stress/
>
Richardson, K. 2008, ‘News Lesson: Addiction to Internet is an Illness’,
viewed 13 July 2008, <http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=58223&docid=156270>
