Unit 5 looks at how stress, anger, and other emotions are often intertwined. Teenagers’ sometimes mercurial moodswings can sometimes leave them in dangerous waters. By learning and practicing a variety of stress-management techniques, teens can help themselves cope successfully with their stresses today and be prepared for the new and possibly more intense ones that will face them as they get older.

The three web-based activities associated with Unit 5 are Crossword, Self-Check, and Web Inquiry: “Mind/Body Health: Stress.”

Web Inquiry: Students will read the article “Mind/Body Health: Stress.” The article, published by the American Psychological Association, focuses on the health consequences of stress. It outlines examples of dangerous stressors that many people experience and provides suggestions for stress management. There is also a link to a “Stress Smarts” quiz, which contains a series of questions and answers about the effects of stress.

Extension: Have students research how behaviors, such as how people handle stress, can be inherited. Ask them to think about how members of their families handle stress, and how that has influenced them.

1. This article on stress aligns with the following goals of Unit 5 of the LST High School curriculum:
2.  How emotions such as stress and anger affect other emotions.
3. Some common trigger situations that can provoke strong emotions for us, as well as ones that are personally challenging.
4. How emotions can influence our decisions about how to respond to triggers.
5. Healthy techniques that help us manage powerful emotions so we can stay true to our values.
6.  The benefits of managing emotions (such as stress and anger) and expressing them in heathy ways.

Students will read the article “A Healthy You!” from the Centers for Disease Control website. The article outlines a CDC initiative targeting six critical health areas that profoundly affect teenagers’ health, as well as other significant topics.