Good Stress and Bad Stress

Personal & Social Development · Self-Regulation & Resilience · ages 11-12

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What is the name for your body's fight, flight, or freeze reaction to a threat?
- The sleep cycle
- The stress response
- The growth spurt
Which of these is an example of eustress, the kind of stress that helps you?
- Feeling excited and focused before a competition you trained for
- Lying awake at 2 a.m. worrying about a friendship that ended badly
- Feeling your stomach drop with dread before a pop quiz you didn't study for
Comparing yourself to other people's lives on social media can be a real source of stress for someone your age.
Circle one: True False
Amir feels stressed about a test tomorrow. Which strategy is backed by evidence to actually lower his stress, not just distract him?
- Going for a 20-minute run to lower his cortisol
- Scrolling social media until he falls asleep
- Skipping dinner so he has more time to worry-study
During a stressful moment, your heart pounds and your muscles tense up. Which chemicals released by the HPA axis are causing this?
- Vitamin D and calcium
- Insulin and glucose
- Adrenaline and cortisol
Priya has felt on edge for two months straight, and her cortisol has stayed high the whole time. What is this constant stress most likely doing to her?
- Making her permanently faster at solving math problems
- Wearing down her sleep, focus, and immune system over time
- Having no effect at all as long as she stays busy
Two students feel their heart race before a big presentation. One says 'this is exciting, I'm ready' and pushes through with energy. The other says 'I can't breathe, I need to disappear' and can't stop shaking. What's the best way to describe the difference?
- The first is experiencing eustress, the second is experiencing distress
- There is no real difference, since both have a racing heart
- The first is not stressed at all, the second is the only one under stress
Diego has stopped hanging out with friends, sleeps poorly most nights, and has felt this way for over a month, not just before one big event. What should Diego consider doing?
- Wait it out alone since stress always fades on its own
- Ignore it because talking about it will only make it worse
- Talk to a trusted adult, like a parent, teacher, or counselor

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Good Stress and Bad Stress W1-mt_0VOZSVjo6c-s1

The stress response · Fight-flight-freeze is your body's built-in stress response. It's controlled by the HPA axis, which releases adrenaline and cortisol.
Feeling excited and focused before a competition you trained for · Eustress gives you a helpful boost of focus and energy, like feeling ready for a competition. The other two examples describe distress, the overwhelming kind.
True · Social comparison is one of the most common stressors for tweens and teens, along with academic pressure and physical changes.
Going for a 20-minute run to lower his cortisol · Exercise lowers cortisol and clears your head. Scrolling before bed and skipping meals tend to make stress and sleep worse, not better.
Adrenaline and cortisol · The HPA axis releases adrenaline and cortisol, which speed up your heart and tense your muscles to prepare you for action.
Wearing down her sleep, focus, and immune system over time · When cortisol stays elevated for weeks, it disrupts sleep, weakens the immune system, and makes it harder to concentrate, unlike a short burst of stress.
The first is experiencing eustress, the second is experiencing distress · Both students show the same physical stress response, but eustress feels motivating while distress feels overwhelming. The feeling, not just the heartbeat, tells them apart.
Talk to a trusted adult, like a parent, teacher, or counselor · Stress that lasts for weeks and affects sleep and interest in friends may have crossed into anxiety or depression. That's a signal to get support from a trusted adult.