12

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Quarter 3 – Module 5
Coping with Stress in Middle and Late
Adolescence
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT – Grade 12
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 5: COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE
ADOLESCENCE
First Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work
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holders. Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these
materials from their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not
represent nor claim ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Charmaine R. Fernandez

Editors: Mary Rose G. Acupanda Laurice Kathe T. Inso
Leonida S. Wu, Ed.D. Mayflor Olarte-Abuso
Jomar S. Quibot
Reviewer: Mayflor Olarte-Abuso
Management Team: Senen Priscillo P. Paulin, CESO V Jenith C. Cabajon
Fay C. Luarez, TM, Ed.D., Ph.D. Rosela R. Abiera
Nilita L. Ragay, Ed. D. Maricel S. Rasid
Adolf P. Aguilar, CESE Elmar L. Cabrera

Printed in the Philippines by

Department of Education –Region VII Schools Division of Negros Oriental

Office Address: Kagawasan, Ave., Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

Tele #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117
E-mail Address: [email protected]
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PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Quarter 3 – Module 5:
Coping with Stress in Middle and
Late Adolescence
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Personal Development Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)

Module on Coping with Stress in Middle and Late Adolescence!
This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by
educators both from public and private institutions to assist you, the
teacher or facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and economic
constraints in schooling.
This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore,
this also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.
In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the
learners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing
them to manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to
encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the
module.

ii
For the learner:

Welcome to the Personal Development Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)

Module on Coping with Stress in Middle and Late Adolescence !
This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and
time. You will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource
while being an active learner.
This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:
Begin This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in
the module.
Try This This part includes an activity that aims to
check what you already know about the
lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.
Do This This is a brief drill or review to help you link
the current lesson with the previous one.
Explore In this portion, the new lesson will be
introduced to you in various ways; a story, a
song, a poem, a problem opener, an activity
or a situation.
Keep this in Mind This section provides a brief discussion of
the lesson. This aims to help you discover
and understand new concepts and skills.
Apply What You Have Learned This section provides an activity which will
help you transfer your new knowledge or skill
into real life situations or concerns.
Reflect This includes questions or blank
sentence/paragraph to be filled into process
what you learned from the lesson.
Assess What You Have Learned This is a task which aims to evaluate your
level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.
Additional Activity In this portion, another activity will be given to
you to enrich your knowledge or skill of the
lesson learned.
Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the
module.

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At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do
not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind
that you are not alone.
We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful
learning and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You
can do it!

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGES

INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE
For the Facilitator --------------------------------- ii
For the learner --------------------------------- iii

Learning Competency --------------------------------- 1

Your Target --------------------------------- 1

BEGIN --------------------------------- 2

TRY THIS --------------------------------- 2

DO THIS --------------------------------- 3

EXPLORE --------------------------------- 4

KEEP THIS IN MIND --------------------------------- 4

APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ------------------------ 8

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY --------------------------------- 9

REFLECT --------------------------------- 10

GLOSSARY --------------------------------- 11

ANSWER KEY --------------------------------- 11

REFERENCE LIST --------------------------------- 13

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LEARNING COMPETENCIES:

Identify causes and effects of stress in one’s life.

EsP-PD11/12CS-If-5.2

Demonstrate personal ways to cope with stress and maintain

mental health. EsP-PD11/12CS-Ig-5.3

YOUR TARGETS

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

 identify causes and effects of stress in one’s life;
 describe some activities that can manage stress; and
 demonstrate open-mindedness in dealing with people who
experience stress.

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 COPING WITH STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATE
ADOLESCENCE

BEGIN!

Stress is the body’s response to

anything that makes us feel threatened or
pressured. It is caused by any kind of
demand, to which we must adapt, adjust, or
respond. It is the body’s automatic way of
reacting to changes, challenges, and
demands placed on us.
Source: https://webstockreview.net

TRY THIS!

Direction: Write the letter of the correct answer in your journal.

1. It is the body’s response to anything that makes us feel threatened or

pressured.

A. Stimulus

B. Behavior

C. Stress

D. Attitude

2. The collection of physiological changes that occur when you face a

perceived threat—when you face situations where you feel the demands
outweigh your resources to successfully cope.
A. Stressor
B. Stress
C. Stimuli
D. Response
3. Which of the following is not considered a stressor?
A. A break up

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 B. Death of a loved one
C. Watching your favorite TV show
D. Conflict with your best friend

4. All, EXCEPT one, are signs of stress; which one?

A. Excessive sweating
B. Laughing
C. Nausea
D. Chest pains
5. All, but one, are other major causes of stress:
a. Care of the elderly
b. Drug and alcohol abuse
c. Domestic violence
d. Listening to your favorite song

6. True/False. Positive emotions usually cause stress.

7. True/False. Stress response can actually cause harm if it leads to a state
of chronic stress.
8. True/False. Getting ready for prom/senior’s ball is an example of a
positive stress situation.
9. True/False. It is not important to prioritize tasks and break them down
into manageable steps.
10. True/False. Stress response is intended to give you a burst of energy so
you are able to fight off attackers or run away from them effectively.

Note: Please check your answers in the answer key section. If you got a perfect score of 10,
you may skip the module but if you got 9 or lower, I suggest that you take the learning
module earnestly.

DO THIS!

Recognizing Stress

The first step of learning how to manage stress is to learn

how to recognize it. Understanding how stress affects you helps
you understand what you can do to manage your stress. Write
your answer in your journal notebook.

1. Write down the stressors that are in your life right now.
2. Prioritize your stressors from most stressful to least stressful.

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 EXPLORE
What do you understand about “stress?” Have you experienced
stress?

Dictionary definitions do not quite capture the meaning

of stress as it is seen and experienced in the world of work.
One of Webster’s definitions describes it as an “…emotional factor that
causes bodily or mental tension.”
A practical way of defining stress is the feeling one gets from
prolonged, pent-up emotions. If the emotions you experience are pleasant
and desirable—joy, elation, ecstasy, and delight—you usually feel free to let
them show. They are not suppressed. Therefore, positive emotions do not
usually cause stress. Negative emotions, on the other hand, are more often
held inside. They are hidden. You suffer quietly and you experience stress.
Do not confuse positive situations with positive emotions. A wedding, for
example, is a positive situation that often brings about the negative
emotions of anxiety and tension. So stress can exist in great situations.

KEEP THIS IN MIND

Keep Stress Under Control

There are many effective ways to handle stress. Of course, you can’t
avoid stress—in fact, you wouldn’t want to avoid all stress, because you’d
never grow. However, you can manage your life so that you survive the
emotional down times without allowing stress to engulf you. Also, you can
work to eliminate controllable stress factors, such as running late or not
getting enough sleep. But when stress is constant or too great, your wisest
option is to find ways to reduce or control it. You need not, and should not,
live your life in emotional stress and discomfort. Stress can be successfully
managed. Here are some suggestions that may help.

Understand the Causes of Stress

Understanding why you are under stress is important. This may seem
obvious, but it requires deliberate, conscious effort to pause and simply
ponder your situation. By now, you are familiar with the stress response,
the emotional or physical symptoms of uncontrolled stress. Now you need to
try to discover the stressors, the factors of which create the stress in your
life.

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Analyze your Stress Factors and Write Them Down

Write down your response to stress. For example, you may write
down, “I feel tired most of the time. My lower back seems to ache all
through the day and night. I miss deadlines and run behind schedule.”
Analyze stress responses and consequences, and consider each item, and
ask why. “Why am I feeling tired? Why does my back ache? Why do I run
behind schedule? Carefully consider each answer, because the answers will
reveal stressors, such as deadlines, anxieties, trying to do so much,
managing time or money poorly, or poor health habits.

Deal with the Stressors

Develop techniques to deal with the causes of stress. The longer you
avoid dealing with the stress factors, the more the stress will build up. If
tension comes because you have put off an unfinished task, restructure
your priorities so you can get the task that you have been avoiding out of
the way and off your mind.

Learn to Work under Pressure or Unusual Conditions

When you can’t reduce the stressors, you need to manage your stress
response. Almost everyone, at least at some point, has to meet deadlines,
keep several jto relax when the pressure is on.
Some tips to relax when under pressure are the following:

 Stop for a moment (especially when you feel your muscles tightening
up) and take a few deep breaths.
 Do a relaxing exercise. Swing your hands at your sides and stretch.
 Take a “power nap.” Lie down and totally relax for a few minutes.
 Find time to do the things you enjoy.
 Leave your study area for a while to take a brisk walk.
 Find a quiet place to read a magazine or novel during break or at
lunch.
 If possible, look at some peaceful images such as forests, beaches,
etc. These images can initiate a relaxation response.
 Look up.
 Keep something humor p.
ous on hand, such as a book of jokes.

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Source: The Nemours Foundation, available from kidshealth.org
Stress Management

Stress and change are part of our lives. We all talk about stress, but
we are not always clear about what it is. This is because stress comes from
both the good and bad things that happen to us. If we did not feel any
stress, we would not be motivated to do anything. Too much stress,
however, can negatively impact our mental wellness. It also may put
students at greater risk of becoming involved in risk-taking behaviors. In
senior high, students are becoming increasingly more responsible for their
own use of time. Often, they are beginning to learn how to manage multiple
tasks and expectations e.g., academic work, extra-curricular activities,
family, friends and work.

Learning how to prioritize tasks and breaking them down into

manageable steps are important skills to learn for managing stress.

Causes and Effects of Stress

Just as there is great variety of emotions you might experience, there

are many possible manifestations of stress – in your private life and in your
working life. The following are some words that describe the emotions
associated (as cause and effect) with stress:

 Anxiety  Tension
 Pressure  Anger
 Misery  Panic
 Strain  Dejection
 Desperation

Prolonged stress can be devastating; burnout, breakdown, and

depression are some of the potential results of long-term, unmanaged
stress. By wearing a mask, you may expect to hide stress caused by
problems in your personal life and not let them influence your performance
on the job. This will probably not work. The more you try to hold your
emotions in, the greater the pressure buildup will be.

Everyday frustrations cause stress buildup

From the time you wake up until you go to sleep, you may be
confronted with a succession of stressful situations. Managing to get
yourself (and possibly a spouse and children) out of bed and ready to face
the day can be a challenge to your patience and ingenuity. Driving to school
or work can be harrowing – e

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 specially if you are running late. You may experience frustration in
arranging to get the car repaired. You may face conflicts in school or at
work, such as coping with unrealistic deadlines, equipment failures, or
unexpected bad weather. If part of your job is selling, you may experience
feelings of rejection when most of your customers say “no.”

A series of stressful and frustrating experiences throughout the day

can cause you to lie awake at night in an emotional turmoil – unable to get
needed rest. You face the next day with less emotional and physical
stamina. After another stressful day and another night without rest, you
may have even less emotional strength and stability. Therefore, stress
buildup, if not resolved, continues day after day.

Problems in our personal life can be devastating

Surviving the normal, everyday stress described earlier can be

difficult. But far more serious and painful circumstances can create long-
term stress. More serious stressful circumstances may include separation
from loved ones, personal illness or illness of a loved one, death of someone
you care about, or conflict with a spouse or close friend. Other major
causes of stress are problems with drug and alcohol abuse, domestic
violence, care of children and elderly relatives, chronic mental illness,
injury, physical handicaps, and even moving to a new home, if you have
lived in the same place for more than 10 years. The list goes on.

Managing your personal finances can be another stressful experience.

This can be a problem no matter your income level, but it is especially
difficult if you must support a family and do not earn enough to live
comfortably. Unpaid bills, unwise use of credit, and budget limitations can
make life difficult.

A common cause of stress is dealing with life’s transitions

This is especially true when a person must cope with too many
transitions all at once. For example, Ellen has just completed a program in
fashion merchandising. She is eager to get started on her new job. Her
mother is ill and requires care. Her father died a few months ago. Ellen’s
new job requires that she relocate to a town 100 miles from home. The
move, a new career, and a change in family relationships may cause
excessive stress for her. Too many changes have arrived at the same time.

Source: Personal Development for Life and Work, 8th Ed., by Wallace, H.R. & Masters, L.A.,
2001.

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Stress Response

Your stress response is the collection of physiological changes that

occur when you face a perceived threat—when you face situations where
you feel the demands outweigh your resources to successfully cope. These
situations are known as stressors.

When your stress response is triggered, a series of changes occur within

your body. They include the following:

 Redirection of blood away from extremities and instead to major

organs.
 The release of cortisol and other hormones, which bring other short-
and long-term changes.
 The stress response is intended to give you a burst of energy so you
are able to fight off attackers or run away from them effectively.
 This helped our ancestors, who faced numerous physical threats, to
stay safe.
 However, now our threats tend to be less physical and more
associated with our way of life—a challenge to our status, a demand
for performance, etc. In addition to giving us a set of changes that
may not match our needs as well (it might be more effective for us to
have a burst of mental clarity or wisdom than a burst of physical
strength, for example), the stress response can actually cause harm if
it leads to a state of chronic stress—that is, if our stress response is
triggered, and then our body doesn’t go back to its normal state via
the relaxation response.

APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

Growing Up Stressed
Direction: We all have certain things, situations, or people that cause us
to lose our composure from time to time. Determine what
causes stress for you by completing this activity. When you
begin to identify your stressors, you can become skilled at
preventing negative consequences. Place an X next to each
factor that causes you stress. There are blank spaces provided
so you can add your own. Write your answer in your journal.

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What causes stress for you?
□ Friends, peer pressure, teasing, □ Relationships with parents
bullying
Expectations Dating
□ Responsibilities □ Appearance/self-esteem
□ Tests, homework □ Divorce/separation
Time pressure Employment
Lack of money Language barriers
Transportation Abuse/violence
Sexual orientation Other:

What are your emotional symptoms?

Feeling mentally drained Increased indecision
Feeling tense Lack of ability to feel enjoyment
□ Increased irritability □ Crying
□ Fear of failure □ Feeling angry
□ Pessimistic □ Feeling helpless
Feeling anxious/worried Other:
Feeling sad and depressed

What are your behavioral symptoms?

□ Increase smoking, alcohol, drug use □ Withdrawal from people

Backache Accident proneness
□ Absent-mindedness Uncalled for aggression
□ Inability to relax Insomnia
Impatient Boredom
Reduced humor Other:

Source: Mental Health Kit Manual, Junior High School, Alberta Health Services
(https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/programs/ps-7344-full-manual.pdf)

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY

Belly Breathing

Deep breathing is a stress reduction strategy that can be used in the

present moment as well as an excellent skill to master to more effectively

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cope with future stressors. Have all students stand with comfortable space
between each other or seated in a chair. Give the following directions:

1. Stand straight with feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Relax your arms and hands.

3. Relax your body.

4. Close your eyes.

5. Focus on lower abdomen (belly) and imagine a small balloon in that

space.

6. Breath in slowly and deeply through nostrils, imagining the balloon

inflating (getting bigger/larger/growing) slowly, hold a few seconds.

7. Slowly exhale through the mouth, imagining the balloon gently

deflating (getting smaller, shrinking); blow out of the mouth as if
blowing out a candle.

8. Tip: Place a hand over the lower abdomen to feel it go up and down,
and make sure you’re not breathing with the chest.

9. Repeat at least 10 times.

How different does your body feel after the exercise? (Are you more
relaxed/calm? Do you feel lighter? Great? Tired?)

**Belly breathing is one of the strategies that one can do in stressful

situations, but there are others too.

Source:
http://www.healthiersf.org/resources/pubs/stressRed/StressReductionActivities.pdf

REFLECT!

PORTFOLIO NO. 5
Stress Survival Kit

People deal with stress differently. Survival kits are essential to

prepare before a crisis. Sometimes, we also need to prepare survival kits for
stressful situations, before they happen. In this activity, you will be making
your own survival kits that will help cope with stress within your everyday
lives. Write your responses in your journal.

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1. Choose 3 objects or symbols that make you feel relaxed to include in
your kit.
 You can make symbols.
 You can use words or pictures.
 You can use an object from your home.
2. Think about how the symbol helps you when you are dealing with stress
and stressful situations.
3. Write a paragraph for each symbol or object in your kit and how it helps
you cope with stress in your everyday life.
4. Sharing a part of your kit with peers may be a follow-up activity.

Source: Mental Health Kit Manual, Junior High School, Alberta Health Services
(https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/programs/ps-7344-full-manual.pdf)

GLOSSARY

The following terms used in this module are defined as follows:

Anxiety - apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an

impending or anticipated ill
Frustration - a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and
dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled need
Life’s transition - periods in life involving lots of change to your lifestyle.
They might also be a result of important events that make you stop and
evaluate your life
Stimulus - an agent (such as an environmental change) that directly
influences the activity of a living organism or one of its parts (as by
exciting a sensory organ or evoking muscular contraction or glandular
secretion)
Stress - one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to
alter an existent equilibrium
Stressor - a stimulus that causes stress

ANSWER KEY

TRY THIS!

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Since the subject and the tasks required responses based on personal
experiences and reflection, answers may vary. Thus, making it difficult for
teacher to give answer keys to each given task except for the below-given
rubrics.

RUBRIC FOR INDIVIDUAL WORK

Exemplary Sufficient Minimal Beginning

4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Self- Student Student Student Student
disclosure / demonstrates an demonstrates a demonstrates a demonstrates a
Depth of in-depth general reflection minimal lack of reflection
reflection reflection on, and on, and reflection on, on, or
personalization of personalization and personalization of,
the theories, of, the theories, personalization the theories,
concepts, and/or concepts, and/or of, the theories, concepts, and/or
strategies strategies concepts, strategies
presented in the presented in the and/or presented in the
course materials. course materials. strategies course materials.
Viewpoints and Viewpoints and presented in the Viewpoints and
interpretations interpretations course materials. interpretations are
are insightful and are supported. Viewpoints and missing,
well supported. Appropriate interpretations inappropriate,
Clear, detailed examples are are unsupported and/or
examples from provided from or supported unsupported.
personal personal with flawed Examples are notprovided.
experiences are experiences, as arguments.
provided, as applicable. Examples are
applicable. not provided or
are irrelevant to
the assignment.
Student goes Student merely
Connection to Student makes Student goes into into little detail identifies some
outside in-depth some detail explaining some general ideas or
experiences synthesis of explaining some specific ideas or issues from outside
thoughtfully specific ideas or issues from experiences related
selected aspects issues from outside to the topic.
of experiences outside experiences
related to the experiences related to the
topic and makes related to the topic and m very
clear connections topic and makes few connections
between what is general between what is
learned from connections learned from
outside between what is outside
experiences and learned from experiences and
the topic. outside the topic.
experiences and
the topic.

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Connection to Student makes Student goes into Student goes Student identifies
readings in-depth more detail into little detail some general ideas
synthesis of explaining some explaining some or issues from
thoughtfully specific ideas or specific ideas or readings related to
selected aspects issues from issues from the topic. Readings
of readings readings related readings related are only those
related to the to the topic and to the topic and assigned for the
topic and makes makes general makes general topic.
clear connections connections connections
between what is between what is between what is
learned from learned from learned from
readings and the readings and the readings and the
topic. Includes topic. Includes topic.
reference to at reference to at
least two least one reading
readings other other than those
than those assigned for
assigned for class.
class.
Connection to Student Student Student Student has
unit synthesizes, synthesizes attempts to difficulty restating
objectives analyzes and clearly some synthesize some some general ideas
evaluates directly directly or issues from the
thoughtfully appropriate ideas appropriate class discussion as
selected aspects or issues from ideas or issues they relate to this
of ideas or issues the class from the class topic.
from the class discussion as discussion as
discussion as they relate to this they relate to
they relate to this topic. this topic.
topic.

REFERENCES

Books
Wallace, H., Masters, L. (2001). Personal Development for Life and Work,
8th Ed. Southwestern Educational Publishing, Inc.
Wong-Fernandez, Barbara. Et.al.. Personal Development Learner’s Guide
First Edition (Department of Education, 2016), iii-iv

Websites
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/programs/ps-7344-full-
manual.pdf
https://classroom.kidshealth.org/classroom/9to12/problems/emotions/str
ess.pdf
https://www.etr.org/healthsmart/assets/File/hs/emh/hs_emh_06_journal
.pdf

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http://www.healthiersf.org/resources/pubs/stressRed/StressReductionAct
ivities.pdf
http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/stress.html#kha_31
https://www.learnpsychology.org/student-stress-anxiety-guide/
http://www.healthiersf.org/resources/pubs/stressRed/StressReductionAct
ivities.pdf

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Schools Division of Negros Oriental

Kagawasan, Avenue, Daro, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental

Tel #: (035) 225 2376 / 541 1117

Email Address: [email protected]
Website: lrmds.depednodis.net

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