Reality check

Tom was feeling very proud of himself as he walked into his sixth-grade class one bright Monday morning. He had an exciting weekend because the Junior League baseball team on which he plays second base won the division title. Tom hit three for four - a double and two singles - adding significantly to the team's victory.


Shortly after he sat down in his usual seat, his teacher asked the students to put away their books and take out a sheet of paper. She was going to give a surprise test on the homework. The homework! In all the excitement, Tom had forgotten to do it. His vision blurred as he tried to think about the homework topic. His thoughts came quickly, like cars whizzing by on the highway. What was he going to do? How could he fail a test? It would ruin his grade average His parents probably would not let him play on the baseball team any more.


He broke out in a cold sweat, his hands shaking, his breathing labored, his heart pounding. From the recesses of his brain, he heard the teacher say, "Put your name on the sheet of paper and fold it in half; number the left side from one to ten and the right side from eleven to twenty." He glanced around the room. His classmates were busy filing out the sheet of paper. What was going to happen to him?


The teacher then said, "Now fold the paper in half, and in half again, then in quarters, and throw it in the wastepaper basket." Tom could not believe her words. Why did she trick them into believing that they were going to have a test? Then she said, "Now you know what stress is!" Realizing what had happened and relieved as he threw the paper away, Tom sank into his seat, exhausted!

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What just happened???

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Hans Selye, considered to be the father of stress research, would say that Tom was indeed under stress.

Selye defined stress as:

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Tom showed some of these responses of stress: excitement, faster heartbeat, sweating, blurred vision. The stimuli that produce these bodily changes are called stressors. In Tom's case, stimuli came from, first, the excitement of winning the game and then from the prospect of failing a test.

Obviously, children are also vulnerable to stress and show stress responses in a variety of ways. Many adults tend to view children as happy, without a care in the world and thus, stress-free. But, as Tom made clear, children also experience stressors and respond to them.

What is stress really?

Who experiences stress? All people do! Stress is not confined to the business executive, the harried mother, or the child who is doing poorly in school. It affects everyone regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, or activity. Children are certainly not immune to it. Too much stimulation results in stress and the lack of stimulation can also produce a response to stress. The body's response to the intensity, duration, and frequency of stress, not the exposure itself, is the salient feature of stress.

A three-year old may show anxiety because Mom and Dad are too busy and may not be paying enough attention to satisfy his/her needs. A child's first school experience may be stressful because of the effects of separation. Stress manifests itself in a variety of ways.

Headaches, Back pain, Shortness of breath and Constipation are to mention but a few physical manifestations.

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Was it a bad joke?

Well, for starters, a surprise test is never a joke...or fun, but instead of going through with it, Tom's teacher proved a point. She lifted the weight off their shoulders and I can guarantee you that they all laughed it off afterwards. The health benefits of humor are common knowledge. When people are having fun and laughing, they temporarily forget their troubles and often feel better. Humor can reduce stress, ease pain, foster a return to health, and improve a person's outlook on life in general. Encouraging opportunities for laughter during the school day and at home by reading funny stories and humorous anecdotes from personal experience can reduce stress in children.

A bad joke??? Well, maybe...or maybe not!

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Resources:

Hans Selye
Symptoms of stress
Stress and stress management
Laughter is the best medicine
Childhood stress

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