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2.CAN STRESS KILL YOU?

WHAT IS STRESS?

STRESSING OUT

Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.  

Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or  demand. In short  bursts, stress can be positive,  such as when it helps you avoid danger or  meet a  deadline.

You are about to read an article about stress.

Before you do that, match the expressions that you will find in the article with their definitions.

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WORRY MORE, LIVE LONGER


READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE AND COMPLETE IT WITH THE CORRECT PHRASE USING THE DROP-DOWN MENUS.
Worry more, live longer

Stress may not be the one-way ticket to an early grave that most of us assume. In fact, it could benefit the immune system and even prevent cancers.

Dr Marios Kyriazis, a GP and expert in geriatric medicine, is among a growing number of health professionals claiming that stress isn't the one-way road to illness and an early grave that most of assume. In fact, if it's relatively short-term, it appears that stress can benefit the immune system ageing process. In addition, it can prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's, arthritis and certain cancers.

"We tend to blame stress for everything from exhaustion to bad moods to heart disease, but it's all a myth. Contrary to popular belief, stress is vital for survival. I advise people to seek out stress because it can make you live longer. , explains Kyriazis, who is president of the British Longevity Society and author of the book Anti-Ageing Medicines.

It's the degree of stress that is important. "Research indicates that mild and moderate stress benefits the body by increasing the production of special proteins that nourish brain cells", he says.

In particular, short-term stress benefits your memory and can even protect against diseases such as Alzheimer's, says Kyriazis. Some research also suggests stress may help to prevent breast cancer. Meanwhile, another study found that people who experience moderate levels of stress before surgery had a better recovery than those with high or low levels.

Research by Texas University even revealed that people who spent most of their lives in undemanding jobs had a 43 per cent risk of dying prematurely -

"If you think about it, all this is entirely logical. , says Kyriazis.

The general advice on recognising good stress from bad is asking yourself whether you feel a sense of accomplishment or excitement either during or afterwards. An overwhelming feeling, on the other hand, generally points to bad stress.

Stress may benefit the immune system ad even prevent cancers.

Anne Philips, a health psychologist, is sceptical, though, about whether people are really aware that they are stressed. "When we get people to do calculations under a time pressure, some participants say they found it very stressful and yet we don't find much of a reaction. Others say that they felt relatively unstressed and yet their heart rate was up by 20 beats in a minute". 

It wouldn't be fair to ignore the studies that suggest short-term stress can precipitate severe illness and even sudden death. Increases in the number of victims of heart attacks were recorded after earth quakes hit California, Greece and Japan and during military conflicts.

Dr John MacLeod, a GP and reader at Bristol University, is certainly unconvinced there is a proven link with stress. One of his studies - of 5,600 men in 27 workplaces in Scotland - found a lower rate of heart disease and death overall in those most likely to say their lives were stressful.

Source : The Independent

CHECKING UNDERSTANDING

  1. What typical negative effects do people blame stress for?
  2. What are the possible benefits of stress mentioned in the article?
  3. Who are more likely to suffer from health problems, according to Dr Kyriazis?
  4. How can somebody recognize good stress from bad stress?
  5. What evidence mentioned in the article contradicts the idea that short-term stress is healthy?

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CLASSIFY THE LINKING WORDS

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USE THE RIGHT LINKING WORDS

Complete the following text with suitable linking words and phrases (using the words above).

The health benefits of green tea

, green tea is not made from a different plant than traditional tea. , it is made from the same plant as normal, black tea, but the leaves are preserved by steaming them.

The health benefits of green tea have been known to the Chinese since ancient times. It has been used to treat a variety of illnesses and conditions, including infections, headaches and depression. , many people believe these medical benefits are a myth. Recently, , there has been increasing scientific evidence which proves that green tea is indeed very healthy. , it has been found to have a high level of anti-oxidants, substances which help the body fight illness. , there is research indicating that the drink lowers total cholesterol levels. 

Researchers from the University of Purden in USA, concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. ,  the FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) stated that there was little credible evidence to support the claim that green tea can prevent cancers.

,  we can say that if only half of the reported medical benefits are true, drinking green tea is very healthy, and it is recommended that humans drink as many as 3-4 cups of it a day.

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HOW TO STAY CALM WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'LL BE STRESSED

You're not at your best when you're stressed. In fact, your brain has evolved over millennia to release cortisol in stressful situations, inhibiting rational, logical thinking but potentially helping you survive, say, being attacked by a lion. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin thinks there's a way to avoid making critical mistakes in stressful situations, when your thinking becomes clouded -- the pre-mortem. "We all are going to fail now and then," he says. "The idea is to think ahead to what those failures might be."

WATCH THE TED-TALK:

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS :

  • What happens in the anecdote Daniel tells at the start of the talk?
  • What were the consequences of Daniel's clouded thinking?
  • What is the solution he comes up with?
  • What are the two principal tips he gives for common problems?
  • What are the two questions he recommends asking to a doctor before they prescribe you a drug?
  • What was the historical advantage to the brain releasing cortisol in stressful situations?

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THESE EXPRESSIONS FROM THE TALK?

  • "I had just driven home, it was around midnight in the dead of Montreal winter"
  • "As I stood on the front porch fumbling in my pockets, I found I didn't have my keys."
  • "It releases cortisol that raises your heart rate, it modulates adrenaline levels and it clouds your thinking"
  • "Now you might be thinking I've pulled this number out of the air for shock value"
  • "So the idea of the pre-morten is to think ahead of time to the questions that you might be able to ask that will push the conversation forward. You don't want to have to manufacture all of this on the spot."
  • "You might change your mind in the heat of the moment, but at least you've practised with this kind of thinking."
  • "So I'm not completely organized, but I see organization as a gradual process, and I'm getting there".


LET'S TALK!

  • What did you think of the talk?
  • Have you ever been in a similar situation to the one Daniel describes in his anecdote?
  • Have you ever forgotten a passport or boarding card when flying? what did you do?
  • Are you an absent-minded person? What things do you tend to lose/misplace? Where do you keep your keys/mobile/wallet at home?
  • In what situations is it a good idea to predict the possible problems that might occur?
  • Are you good at making decisions under pressure?
  • What things could go wrong in these situations:
    • a job interview
    • a wedding
    • an important exam
    • the first day at work
    • a date

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STRESSFUL SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Many of us dream about that exciting moment of the year comes, our summer holidays.

But, do we truly switch off and re-energise? 

LISTEN TO THE NEWS AND COMPLETE THE TEXT WITH THE MISSING WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS.

A recent survey has shown that we find our summer vacation more stressful than . In this study, participants were asked  about how they felt towards long summer breaks.

fifty per cent of managers come back to work stressed. A worrying finding was that many workers came back from a holiday more stressed than when they left. Many in - and upper-management positions work while they are on holidays.

 While on holidays, 80 per cent of of them answer e-mails that are  , about half of them make and take business and 10 per cent go into the office.

Over 90 per cent of worried about having too many emails on their return.

The two main reasons why managers are unable to distress while on holiday are the weakened global economy and Information

ILM chief executive believes that we no longer switch off completely from work for a over the summer.

Technology makes working extremely easy and therefore switching off is an absolute challenge.

Financial uncertainty make numerous UK extremely cautious about their jobs at all times, when what they really need is recharge their batteries while they are away from the office.

The study also showed that we need two days and seventeen hours being on holiday to be able to totally .

Ten per cent of managers said it took them up to a week to fully get into holiday mode.

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STRESS AND RELAXATION- part 1

TALKING ABOUT STRESS AND RELAXATION
Jordan Friedman, also known as "The Stress Coach", lives in New York City and is a specialist in the field of stress and stress reduction. He has been developing stress management programmes and resources for individuals, companies and universities worldwide for over 20 years, and his client list includes Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the New York City Department of Education. He is the author of The Stress Manager's Manual, and his work has been featured by The New York times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Today Show. Joran is an expert on student stress, and has developed a programme called Stressbusters, which helps nearly 250,000 university students and staff.

Listen to part 1 of the interview. Why does Jordan Friedman think that it's important to reduce stress?

Now listen again. Complete the sentences 1-5. 

The biggest causes of stress are...

Compared with 20 years ago, life today is more stressful because....

Nowadays, we don't have time to...

If our immune systems are weakened by stress...

If we don't sleep well....

STRESS AND RELAXATION part 2 and 3

Now watch part 2. Decide if the sentences are True or False.
  1. Different people should choose different ways of dealing with stress.
  2. The stress management techniques Jordan Friedman mentions all take a minute or less.
  3. The most important thing about stress management techniques is to make them a habit.
  4. Friedman worked with a student who felt very stressed when he had to drive.
  5. The student's classmates suggested that he should travel at a different time of day.
  6. The solution to the student's problem was difficult for him to see for himself.

Now watch part 3. Do students in your country suffer from similar stress?

  1. At what age do people tend to be most stressed?
  2. What main reasons does Jordan Friedman give for student stress?
  3. How does stress affect memory? How might this affect students?
  4. What two things does the Stressbusters programme give students?
  5. What feedback have students given about Stressbusters?