Jim is overworked by his demanding boss which leads to high stress levels. The stress causes Jim to consider suicide but he has a sudden realization in the rain and decides to change his life for the better. The story highlights how excessive workloads and stress can negatively impact mental health and lead one to make irrational decisions if not properly managed.

1. 1/1/2014
Commu
nication
Studies
SBA
Josh De Freitas
JOSH DEFREITAS

2. PREFACE
The genre of this reflective piece is that of a short story. The name of the story is called
‘Work Overload’ and it is about the story of Jim who is overworked by his boss which leads to
stress. This stress causes Jim to turn to suicide, but fails in doing so by a sudden epiphany. Its
purpose is to expose the readers to how dangerous stress can be if not coped with properly.
The intended audience is that mature crowd, from students to the age of 16 years + to 30
years. This population is affected by stress and such an audience would be appropriate.
This story would be used in a health magazines, morning assemblies at schools and
conferences at university. This would be effective in targeting stress in this

3. Reflective Piece
Work Overload
The bar was dark and quiet. It was near closing time.”Souldya, I tink yuh drink enuf!”
Teja remarked as he put Jim’s arm aound his neck and escorted him to the car. “I doh hav no
wife, no chirren and two dolla in mih pocket,” Jim weaped. “That’s the alcohol speaking not you,
you need some res’.” Teja consoled him.
Morning came as a surprise to Jim when the yard fowl shrieked. He separated the old
burgundy worn curtains to allow a hope of light to fill the somber apartment which was cluttered
with books, office supplies and other paraphernalia. After losing the staring contest with the
work load piles high upon his old wooden desk, he got up and spent the whole day despondently
slouched finishing his work. Exhaustion overwhelmed him as he heaved himself to get ready for
bed. As he lay on his hard mattress, he pondered, “Is this wah I livin for?”
Within the blink of an eye, the weekend ended. His eye dragged as he commuted through
the silent heat with his bicycle to his low paying job as a telecommunication manager at TSTT.
Mr. Robinson, his boss, always ensured Jim was productive and the paperwork on his desk never
reached a minimum. “Jim! JIM! Do not sleep!” he shouted, “I need you to finish A through F on
the R.E.D. construction contracts by three!” “Yes sir! Of Course! You can always count on me!”
Jim replied as his head and attention rose. THUD! Jim’s head struck the table upon Mr. Robinson
Departure.
Anxiety overcame Jim. With a swift swipe, he threw the stack of papers to the floor and
he stormed out leaving behind a trail of eyes. Sweat crawled down his browes, he ran for a while
until he lost the battle with the sun and collapsed, becoming one with the asphalt. In and out of
consciousness he got up and ran to shelter in an agriculture shop nearby. KUTACK! The sliding
door slammed as a customer was seen dragging out a large bag of dog chow. The wind of air
condition hit his face as he entered. Angels fought with demons in his head.
Jim proceeded to ring the bell to catch the storeowner’s attention. He shouted
impatiently, “Sonny lemme get ah bottle of gramaxoane, I have weeds to kill among other
things!” “You don’t look too well but here you go,” Sonny replied. “Mind your own damn
business,” Jim scolded as he left. He sat behind the store on the dry unforgiving gravel. He gazed
through the neck of the bottle and saw an upset man about to make an irrational decision, but Jim
thought he had no other choice. He looked up into the newly formed thunderous clouds that
began to cry, as though God was pleading to him. Ten minutes later, still with his fate in his
hands, “Am I a coward or an intelligent man?” he thought to himself.
He peered through the pouring rain to see an old grey beard approaching him. Jim
slightly opened his mouth and snarled, “Go way, Aint nuthin here for you!” The man replied
soothingly, “Son, whatever you are about to do, I cannot stop, but I must say, God gives his
hardest challenges to his bravest warriors!” and walked away. PSHHH! The glass bottle broke on

4. the ground and shattered along with his insecurities. Instantly the ominous skies cleared. “Yeah,
you’re right, thanks-…” Jim said while he looked back and saw that the man had disappeared, or
he may have not been there at all. Maybe Jim had hallucinated the whole thing. He had an
epiphany at that moment and so he got up and bolted home. He felt alive and rehashed. The air
certainly was more refreshing and pleasant as he breathed it deeply.

5. Analytical
This analytical piece is based on the story, “Work Overload”. It is focused on the
persona, Jim, despite efforts of his friend Teja, becomes stressed to the point of suicide but
decides to change his life for the better. It discusses the use of dialectal variations and
communicative behavior by the writer.
Firstly, dialectal variation can be seen when Jim says, “I doh hav no wife, no chirren and
two dolla in mih pocket”, to Teja. Here, there are contractions of the word ending of ‘don’t’ and
‘dollar’. He uses basilect because he is in an informal setting with his close friend, Teja at the
bar. However he code switches in his office at work when he says to his boss, “Yes sir! Of
Course! You can always count on me!” with full pronunciation of all the words and adheres to
grammar rules. He uses this because his relationship with his boss is formal and the context is a
formal one.
Second the writer also uses communicative behavior. Gesture is see where, “he threw
stacks of paper to the floor.” Which shows Jim’s anger and discontempt with his working
conditions. Body language is displayed when he is despondently slouched finishing his work in
paragraph two. This represents Jim’s exhaustion with his work load and how tedious it is.
Vocalics are seen throughout the passage. The first example of this communicative behaviour is
seen when Teja consoles him in first paragraph, this portrays the empathy Teja has for how Joe is
feeling. Vocalics is also seen when his boss shouted for him to stop sleeping and this
communicates that the boss is angry that Joe is sleeping when he should be doing work.
In conclusion, the use of dialectal variations and communicative behaviours accurate
depict the feelings of Jim and made the story both realistic and interesting.

6. Introduction
This SBA sheds light on the effects of stress from school on Lower six students. The purpose of this
choosing this topic is to highlight the fact that stress can be harmful to students.
The expository piece of the SBA highlights how stress can put a strain on a student’s mental capacity and
its purpose is to sensitize persons to the fact that it impedes his/her academic performance in school.
The reflective piece of the SBA highlights how stress can affect a student behaviour, which in turn
negatively influences a student’s academic performance in school.
This topic interests me personally because I am currently preparing for CAPE examinations and I have
been directly affected to the extent that stress can have taken a toll on my life and other students.
With respect to academic interests, I have been a past student of biology and I have learnt how stress can
be dangerous to the mind and body; this inspired me to do the topic. With respect to work related
interests, I have plans to become an experimental psychologist and this topic will explore behavioural
patterns of students under stress and help me better understand student minds.

7. QUESTIONNARE ON HOW STRESS AFFECTS STUDENTS
Josh De Freitas
CommunicationStudiesSBA 2014.
1. How oldare you? ______
On a scale of 1-5, ‘1’ beingthe leastand ‘5’ beingthe highest, answer questions2-3.
2. How stressedare youinschool?
1 2 3 4 5
3. How stressedare youat home?
1 2 3 4 5
4. Do you participate inlessons?
YES NO
If no, skipquestions5-7,
5. How doyou feel afterlessons?
FATIGUED NORMAL ENERGETIC
6. Do youthink lessonshave affectedyourstresslevel?
YES NO
7. If yes,howso?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. How doesparental pressure affectyou?
POSITVELY UNAFFECTED NEGATIVELY
9. Do youhave poor eatinghabits?
YES NO
If no, skipthis question,
10. Do youfeel tiredwhenitistime tostudy?
YES NO

8. 11. If yes,please explain.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
12. How muchhours of sleepanightdo youget? _______
13. Has thisaffectedyourstresslevel?
YES NO
14. Please explain.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
15. Rate the relationshipyouhave withyourfamily
1 2 3 4 5
16. Do youfeel stressedathome?
YES NO
If no skip 17-18
17. How hasthis affectedyoumentally?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
18. How hasthis affectedyouphysically?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
19. How doyou performinschool?
POOR FAIR AVERAGE EXCELLENT
20. How isyour attitude towardsschool?
POSITIVE NEUTRAL NEGATIVE OTHER:___________________

9. QUESTIONNARE ON HOW STRESS AFFECTS STUDENTS
Josh De Freitas
CommunicationStudiesSBA 2014.
(i) Sex: Male FEMALE
(ii) What is your average grade in school?
<50 51-65 66-74 74-79 80+
From the beginning of the school term to now, rate 1-5 how often have you
NEVER SELDOM SOMETIMES OFTEN FREQUENT
1 2 3 4 5
1. Felt nervous or stressed ____
2. Felt as if you had no control over important things in your life ____
3. Felt a lack of interest towards daily activities ____
4. Felt behind on your responsibilities ____
5. Felt confused towards schoolwork ____
Please tick eitheryesor no for questions,6-16.
MENTAL
6. Do you get irritated or shorttempered quickly?
YES NO
7. Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of school assignments?
YES NO
8. Fromday to day, do you feel a senseof depression or general unhappiness?
YES NO
9. Do you feel pressured by your parents to excel in school?
YES NO
10.Do you feel agitated in schooloften during class?
YES NO

10. BEHAVIOUR
11.Have you noticed a change in your eating habits (eating more or less) when
you feel stressed?
YES NO
if yes, how so:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
12.Have you noticed a change in your sleeping pattern (sleeping more or less)
when you feel stressed athome?
YES NO
if yes, how so:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
13.Do you find yourself procrastinating or putting of assignments when they
become overwhelming?
YES NO
14.Have you developed any nervous habits (nail biting, pacing, etc.) recently?
YES NO
if yes please specify: ____________________
15.Do you find yourself isolating yourself fromothers in class due to the
intensity of the school work?
YES NO
COPING WITH STRESS
16.Please select your method of coping with stress.
(multiple can be selected or none at all)
DRUGS ALCOHOL CIGARETTES NONE
17.Please select your method of relaxation.
a) Video Games
b) Screen time (Movies, T.V., Cellphone, etc.)
c) Sports, Gymor any PhysicalActivity
d)Other, please specify:___________________

11. Evaluation of secondary sources
Stress is the state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or
demanding circumstances.
1. TEENS AND STRESS: BAD HABITS BEGIN EARLY
This article was written by Sharon Jayson, for “USA TODAY”. It was written based on the
data collected by an online survey of 10,018 U.S. teens (ages 13-17) and 1,950 adults (18+) by
Harris Interactive for the American Psychological Association, August 2013.This source is valid
as it is based on a survey taken by 10,000 teens, and also it has proven to be credible because
USA TODAY is a trust worthy site for a popular us newspaper, Despite that this article is not
biased, it still lacks relevance as US teens may differ from Hillview College teens.
In this article it is stated that, 27% of teens across the USA experience “extreme stress”
during the school year vs 13% in the summer. This shows clearly that more students experience
unhealthy amounts of stress during the school year than the days at home. Similar results would
be expected to be seen in the Hillview College teens during the school year.
According to the survey, 34% expect stress to increase in the coming year. Students stress
levels are not constant as examinations are approaching, students are expected to study and learn
more at school and therefore stress level increases. This is relevant to Hillview College students
because students entering form 6 in Hillview College the CAPE examination is the following
year as compared to the 5 years students had to prepare for the CSEC examination.
Teens were asked in the survey about how they manage stress, the results are as followed:
46% said video games, 43% said surfing the internet, 37% said exercising or walking, 36% said
watching TV or movies, and 28% said playing sports. As stress levels increase among student
teens, the majority relieves it by playing video games and surfing the internet. This is apparent in
Hillview College students also and it is unhealthy because it distracts students from their studies
which leads to further stress brought on by performing poorly in their school examinations. This
paradox can be prevented by encouraging students to participate in stress relieving activities such
as playing sports, which to an extent does not hamper their concentration and attitude towards
school work and their studies.
ARITCLE: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/11/stress-teens-
psychological/5266739/

12. 2)STRESS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS
In an article written for the University of Florida, it states that, stress is only
harmful when it is excessive and much of the stress that we experience is
helpful and stimulating.. It is also affects Hillview College form 6 students
because it acts as a form of motivation to encourage students to complete
assignments for school. This only holds when stress is in small amounts and
therefore stress should be managed by students in the most appropriate way
possible. This article proves to be credible and plausible because it was written
by Counseling and Wellness centre of the University of Florida.
The article goes on to explain that, there are specific guidelines that students can
use to manage stress and they are:
1.Understand your role in stress reactions
2.Develop a balanced life-style and effective personal organization
3.Learn specific relaxation techniques
4.Gain perspective on problems by discussing them
5.Clarify your values and develop a sense of spirituality

13. 3)STRESS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

14. Evaluation of primary sources
In order to get primary data, 20 copies of the previous questionnaire were
printed and handed out to Lower 6 students of Hillview College.
Upon data evaluation, it was found that 80% of the students who answered,
yes that they are pressured by their parents to excel in school, also answered that
they get irritated quickly and had an average grade of 80+. This illustrates that
there may be long-term mental effects brought on by stress at home that may cause
students to be irritated easily. 50% of students answered that they often felt behind
on their responsibilities and 80% of these students answered that they felt a sense
of depression or general unhappiness on a daily basis. The numerous amounts of
assignments have taken a toll on Lower 6 student in Hillview College, this
negatively affects them mentally causing them to feel depressed. Depression is a
serious mental issue that should be treated properly.

15. Expository Piece
Stress, we’ve all fought it, whether it may be stuck in traffic after work or finishing up the
last page of that essay, it affects all. It can be motivating or disheartening at times but can be
harmful mentally and physically in unhealthy amounts and therefore should be coped with in the
most appropriate way/s possible. It can be certain that stress affects us at demanding
circumstances in adults, teens and even children. I have observed changes in the behavioural
patterns of students in lower six at Hillview College. This has stroked my interest in
investigating the extent at which this affects them and possible solutions to rectify it. This
expository focuses on the effects of stress mentally of Lower six Hillview College students.
These mental effects may then be linked to their behavioural changes. In pursuance of this task, I
obtained primary data first hand from students in the form of questionnaires and secondary
information, primarily from articles on the internet which would be to support the points
discussed. Some problems faced in obtaining data and information will also be examined.
To obtain primary data, 20 copies of the previous questionnaire were printed and
individually handed out to Lower 6 students of Hillview College. Upon data evaluation, it was
found that 10 of the 12 students, who answered yes that they are pressured by their parents to
excel in school, also answered that they get irritated quickly and had an average grade of over
74. This illustrates that there may be long-term mental effects brought on by stress at home that
may cause students to be irritated easily. 50% of students answered that they often felt behind on
their responsibilities and 80% of these students answered that they felt a sense of depression or
general unhappiness on a daily basis. The numerous amounts of assignments have taken a toll on
Lower 6 student in Hillview College; this negatively affects them mentally causing them to feel
depressed. With respect to how students cope with this stress, 40% answers that they play video
games and 35% answered with Screen time (Movies, T.V., Cell phone, etc.). This is an
inadequate approach to battling with stress and would cause further stress as this would distract
students from their studies and from completing important assignments. A solution may be for
students to apply more exceptional stress coping techniques.
This questionnaire was effective in gaining insight into students’ minds but lacks a sense
of credibility as students may not have taken it seriously and may have inputted incorrect
information. The questionnaires were distributed to both male and female students in varying
subject areas across the entire lower six population for the sake of integrated data collection.
The first point to be made would be the issue of students becoming depressed or
saddened throughout school. Depression is feelings of severe despondency and dejection. What
does this mean? Simply put; lack of interest in daily activities or a general feeling of sadness.
This is apparent in Hillview College students as 40% answered yes answered that they felt a
sense of depression or general unhappiness on a daily basis and this can lead to falling back on

16. responsibilities. Depression, if not dealt with can lead to further issues, as written by Christian
Nordqvist for The Medical News Today:
Depression can lead to emotionaland physicalproblems.Typically,peoplewith
depression find it hard to go abouttheir day-to-day activities,and may also feel
thatlife is notworth living. (MedicalNewsToday,2014)
This depression might be caused by increasing level of mental strain or stress regularly put on
Lower six Hillview College students. A possible solution may be for students, facing depression,
to discuss any early signs of depression with the guidance counselor present on the campus and
finding alternative methods of relaxation without compromising his/her studies.
The second point to be made would be how stressful activities or demanding
circumstances may lead to students becoming agitated or irritated easily. From the questionnaire,
50% of students answered that they get irritated or short tempered quickly over the past term. As
assignments and work load accumulate during the start of lower six, students have becomed
stress which contributes to their agitation and accounts for the data from the questionnaire,
despite some may have learnt to manage their stress. Agitation is a feeling of aggravation or
restlessness brought on by provocation or a medical condition, (HealthLine.com). According the
same article written for healthline.com, “Agitation caused by stress at work or school may be
relieved through deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing can help restore calm in that it allows
you to focus on breathing rather than the situations causing you to feel agitated.” This may be
useful for Lower six Hillview College students to reduce chronic agitation derived from stress in
school.
The information gathered from an article written by April Kahn for healthline.com proves
to be reliable as is was medically reviewed by George Krucik, MD. No biasness was present as it
was written at a professional stand point.
The third point to be discussed is the procrastination of important assignments on the part
of students. This is very common throughout Hillview College lower six students because of the
stress brought on by an increasing number of difficult assignments and poor time management.
65% of students answered that the felt behind on their responsibilities.
Procrastinationisthe avoidance of doingatask whichneedstobe accomplished.This
can leadto feelingsof guilt,inadequacy,depressionandself-doubtamongstudents.
Procrastinationhasa highpotential forpainfulconsequences.Itinterfereswiththe
academicand personal successof students.(Universityof Buffalo,2011)
Students mainly procrastinate because of poor time management and difficulty concentrating.
They often see tasks as overwhelming or may be uncertain of their objectives and priorities that
they keep postponing academic assignments. When students have they difficulty concentrating, it
promotes time wasting and frustration. Stress in Lower six Hillview College students contribute

17. to these factors and students should show initiative in changes this behavior before examinations.
Some possible solutions to overcoming procrastination according to the article for Buffalo
University are:
 Motivate yourself to study
 Identify your own goals
 Discipline yourself to use time wisely
 Study in small blocks
These tips are ideal for students to overcome procrastination.
The information provided by an article written for the University of Buffalo proves reliable
and unbiased because universities, similar to this, have high standards of the integrity of the
articles written for their websites.
The final point to be discussed is the poor stress relieving habits lower six
Hillview College students have. In the questionnaire, 40% of students answered that they play
video games and 35% answered with Screen time (Movies, T.V., Cellphone, etc.) as a form of
relaxation. This is and inadequate approach to battling with would distract students from their
studies and from completing important assignments. A solution towards this problem would be
for students to apply more exceptional stress management techniques which can be seen below.
In an article written for the University of Florida, it states that, stress is only harmful when it is
excessive and much of the stress that we experience is helpful and stimulating.. It is also affects
Hillview College form 6 students because it acts as a form of motivation to encourage students to
complete assignments for school. This only holds when stress is in small amounts and therefore
stress should be managed by students in the most appropriate way possible.
1. Understand your role in stress reactions
2.Develop a balanced life-style and effective personal organization
3.Learn specific relaxation techniques
4.Gain perspective on problems by discussing them
This article proves to be credible and plausible because it was written by Counseling and
Wellness centre of the University of Florida for its website. Universities like these hold high
integrity in their articles, also these techniques can be applied to everyone who encounters stress
and students of Lower 6 Hillview College.
Various problems were encountered in obtaining data and information for both primary
and secondary sources. The data from the questionnaire can be questioned because students may
be lying and filling in incorrect information. The secondary sources were reliable throughout but
lack a sense of relevance to Hillview College Lower six students because US teens have different
components to stress and a different education system.

18. In conclusion, some mental issues are present in Lower six Hillview College students
which include: Depression and Agitation and can be directly associated to the increasing stress
level throughout the term and through procrastination. A relationship was also found between
procrastination stresses of students. It was noted that students do not cope with stress properly
and this can be harmful in the future. Stress may take a toll on Hillview College Lower six
students and should be managed before CAPE examination because to be the best you must beat
the stress.

19. References
(University of Buffalo, 2011):http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/stressprocrast.php
(Medicalnews today, 2014):
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8933.php
(Health Line, 2014):http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/types-tab
http://www.healthline.com/symptom/agitation
(University of Florida, 2014):http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/stress-and-
college-students.aspx