Question

lesson 2 managing stress
building resiliency
directions: below are two scenarios involving students with high levels of stress in their lives. using what you learned from lesson 2 as a guide, identify some ways each student could handle his or her stress effectively.
carlos, a senior at south high school, will be taking his act this weekend. he knows the importance of his test score and the impact it will have on his college eligibility. aside from studying for the test throughout the week, he is responsible for looking after his younger brother for a few hours after school every day. additionally, his neighbor has asked him if he would be willing to help out with some household chores on wednesday evening. carlos has been an excellent student throughout his high school career and has generally managed his stress effectively. however, with the upcoming act, he is feeling overwhelmed with stress. he is afraid he will not score well on the test and not be able to attend the college of his choice.
what could carlos do to manage his stress in this situation?

cindy has been putting off working on her art project for the entire semester. the project is due on monday, and she hasnt even started. while she is a gifted artist, she is not very disciplined, and tends to procrastinate. cindy spends a great deal of time after school playing video games and snacking on unhealthful foods. she generally stays up late watching television and is tired and inattentive while in school. now cindy is feeling overwhelmed as her project is due soon, she hasnt started yet, and she has very little energy to focus on designing a quality project.
what could cindy do to manage her stress in this situation?

Explanation:

For Carlos:

• Prioritize tasks. Focus on ACT prep and brother - care first. Politely decline neighbor's chore request.
• Use time - management techniques like creating a study schedule.
• Practice relaxation methods (e.g., deep - breathing) to reduce test - anxiety.

For Cindy:

• Break the art project into smaller tasks. Set a schedule (e.g., "Today I'll sketch the outline").
• Change lifestyle habits: reduce video - game time, eat healthier snacks, and go to bed earlier.
• Use positive self - talk to combat procrastination guilt and boost motivation.

Answer:

Carlos could prioritize tasks (focus on ACT and brother - care, decline chores), use time - management (create a study schedule), and practice relaxation (deep - breathing). Cindy could break the project into tasks (set a schedule), change lifestyle (reduce games, healthy snacks, early bed), and use positive self - talk.