ESOL Orientation

Name_________________________________________________

Stress Management

No one lives without stress. Stress is nature's way of helping us grow and develop. Stress is a part of living, like breathing. However, we can have too much stress in our lives, and then we have problems. We are going to talk about ways to manage stress when we have too much of it.

Management Techniques

1) Eat right. A balanced diet is very important to keep stress levels down. It is also important for us to limit:

a) sugar

b) preservatives

c) caffeine

d) food additives

e) fast food

f) junk food

g) processed food

**We also should drink plenty of water.

2) Exercise is very important to keep stress levels low because it releases tension. Through exercise, your muscles seem to learn to relax. Exercise also improves our cardiovascular system, while lowering our blood pressure and pulse rate. * We need aerobic exercise for 20-30 minutes at least 3 times a week.

3) Relaxation techniques help us learn to relax. Deep breathing, meditation, guided imagery, reading, watching TV and many other individual strategies can help us to relax.

4) Doing something creative also helps to relieve stress. These can be things like gardening, cooking, sewing, reading and other hobbies. Playing music, drawing, painting, writing poetry, dancing and other art forms are also very helpful.

Get into your groups and discuss the ways you manage stress. Do you anything different from the above list? What works for you? Do you do anything that causes too much stress? Do you eat right? Exercise? Does learning a new language create stress in your life? Are you nervous when you speak English in public? In school? Around your children or other family members? Your friends?

If learning a new language becomes too stressful for you, what could you do? Develop some strategies now. Write them below.

Back to Table of Contents | Next