The upside of stress

This ESL lesson can be taught both as a Business English and as a general English lesson. It deals with the topic of stress, and more specifically, good stress vs bad stress. Students learn expressions and collocations with the word “stress”, discuss situations that might cause them stress, and watch a short video. Other lessons you might find interesting are: “Dealing with setbacks and failure”, “Adventure tourism and extreme tourism”, “Self-care”, “Meditation and the brain”, “Perfectionism vs progress“, “Phrasal verbs: mental health”, “Idioms: burnout”, “Mental load and invisible labor”, “Cold exposure and resilience: The Wim Hof method“, “Beyond the senses: exploring floatation tanks“, “Phrasal verbs: rest and relaxation“, “Idioms: attention and concentration“.

Speaking: The lesson starts with a list of situations. Students are asked to say how they feel about them (Very stressed and anxious, Stressed, but excited, Neutral, no strong feelings, Confident and calm, Eager and motivated). Next, students discuss a few questions related to stress.

Vocabulary: Students learn a few expressions and collocations related to stress (chronic stress, acute stress, to stress out, to be under stress, stress management, stress-free, stress-induced). Then, they look at a few sentences, and say whether these sentences are true for them. After that students learn a few expressions they will later hear in the video (reframe your perspective, use something to your advantage, get a bad rap, get your adrenaline pumping).

Video: Students watch a video called “The upside of stress” and complete 2 listening comprehension activities. Then they engage in a post-listening discussion.

Reading and speaking: Students read the opinions of 5 people and how they cope with stress. Then they discuss their own stress management techniques.

Speaking: Reframing your perspective. Students look at a few stressful activities, and decide how they could reframe their perspective to see each situation as an opportunity for growth and development.

Confusing words: Finally, as an optional vocabulary activity, students look at the differences between “de-stress” and “distress”.

For more speaking practice, and to review key vocabulary from this lesson, you can check out the conversation cards.