Pair work
1. What comes to mind when you hear the word stress?
______________________________________________________________________________
2. List some words that are related to stress in the box below.
3. What is the top cause of stress? Why?
Top cause: __________________________________________________________________
Reason: __________________________________________________________________
I. Unscramble (put in the right order) the three paragraphs below.
A. Stress is actually a normal part of life. At times, it serves a useful purpose. Stress can
motivate you to get that promotion at work, or run the last mile of a marathon. But if you
don't get a handle on your stress and it becomes long term, it can seriously interfere with
your job, family life, and health. More than half of Americans say they fight with friends
and loved ones because of stress, and more than 70% say they experience real physical
and emotional symptoms from it.
B. Read on to learn why you get stressed out, and how that stress might be affecting your
health.
C. The kids won't stop screaming, your boss has been hounding you because you turned a
report in late, and you owe the IRS thousands of dollars you don't have. You're seriously
stressed out.
The correct order is _________________________.
II. Continue to read. What could be the title for part D?
D. ____________________________________
Everyone has different stress triggers. Work stress tops the list, according to surveys. Forty
percent of U.S. workers admit to experiencing office stress, and one-quarter say work is the
biggest source of stress in their lives.
Causes of work stress include:
Being unhappy in your job
Having a heavy workload or too much responsibility
Working long hours
Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or no say in the decision-
making process
Working under dangerous conditions
Being insecure about your chance for advancement or risk of termination
Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your company isn't supportive
Life stresses can also have a big impact. Examples of life stresses are:
The death of a loved one
Divorce
Loss of a job
Increase in financial obligations
Getting married
Moving to a new home
Chronic illness or injury
Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
Traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, theft, rape, or violence against you or a
loved one.
Pair work
Rank the causes of work stress and examples of life stresses in order of severity (from the least
severe to the most severe). Explain your opinions.
III. Continue to read the remaining passage of part D and do the tasks that follow.
Sometimes the stress comes from inside, rather than outside. You can stress yourself out just
by worrying about things. All of these factors can lead to stress:
Fear and uncertainty. When you regularly hear about the threat of terrorist attacks,
global warming, and toxic chemicals on the news, it can cause you to be stressed,
especially because you feel like you have no control over those events. Fears can also hit
closer to home, such as being worried that you won't finish a project at work or won't
have enough money to pay your bills this month.
Attitudes and perceptions. How you view the world or a particular situation can
determine whether it causes stress. For example, if your television set is stolen and you
take the attitude, "It's OK, my insurance company will pay for a new one," you'll be far
less stressed than if you think, "My TV is gone and I'll never get it back! What if the
thieves come back to my house to steal again?" Similarly, people who feel like they're
doing a good job at work will be less stressed out by a big upcoming project than those
who worry that they are incompetent.
Unrealistic expectations. No one is perfect. If you expect to do everything right all the
time, you're destined to feel stressed when things don't go as expected.
Change. Any major life change can be stressful -- even a happy event like a wedding.
More unpleasant events, such as a divorce, major financial setback, or death in the
family can be significant sources of stress.
Your stress level will differ based on your personality and how you respond to situations. Some
people let everything roll off their back. To them, work stresses and life stresses are just minor
bumps in the road. Others literally worry themselves sick.
Pair work
1. Explain in your own words why the four factors listed in the passage above can cause stress.
Fear and uncertainty:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Attitudes and perceptions:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Unrealistic expectations:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Change:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. In which way should we respond to stress: let it roll off our back or worry ourselves sick? Why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Group work
1. Work in groups of four. Determine on what we should do to cope with:
a. work stress
b. life stresses
c. inside stress (by worrying about things)
Work stress Life stresses Inside stress
2. Do you think life nowadays is more or less stressful than it was 50 years ago? Why?
more stressful less stressful
Reasons:
Life nowadays Life 50 years ago
