KAPLAN UNIVERSITY



[pic]Kaplan University

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Stress Management and Prevention Program Resource Guide

Kaplan University

Stress Management and Prevention Program Resource Guide

By

Sue Brodin

Kaplan University

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

April 27, 2013

Table of Contents

Unit 1 The nature of stress

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing

Unit 2 the Body as battlefield

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing

Unit 3 feast or faminine

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing

Unit 4 one planet under stress

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing

Unit 5 under stress: what now?

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing

Unit 6 ageless wisdom of meditation

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing

Unit 7 sight, sound, and body work

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing

Unit 8 the wellness mandala

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing

Unit 9 applying stress: critical management and prevention to your professional life

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing

Additional Information

(End of the Guide)

(This page intentionally left blank)

Unit

1

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Nature of Stress - Assess your personal level of stress. In order to assess your personal level of stress, you need to identify what causes you stress. Everyone has different reactions and the same event may not cause the same amount of stress in each person. Stress can be good when it energizes and motivates, but bad when it affects us negatively.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Nature of Stress – Identify areas of possible health risks related to stress. There are many health risks related to stress. Stress can increase the risk of heart disease, depression, headaches, GI problems, and obesity.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Nature of Stress - Examine personal sleep habit behaviors that may be related to health consequences of stress. Stress can cause all sorts of problems that affect sleep. Stress can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep which in turn ends up increasing stress from sleep deprivation.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ My Health Philosophy – This is very important to me because I am always looking for ways to lead a healthier life. I am concerned about the damage that can be done from being stressed and I am continually looking for ways to decrease my stress levels.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ A Good Night’s Sleep – Sleep is something that definitely needs work in my life. Sleep is so important for health, yet I just can’t seem to get as much as my body needs. I think this is a component of health that is often overlooked.

Unit

2

Unit 2: The Body as Battlefield

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Body as Battlefield – Explain the cause of stress. Stress can be caused by our perceptions and attitudes about external circumstances. It can be caused by financial problems, relationship problems, illness, work, etc.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Body as Battlefield - Discuss health consequences of stress. There are many health risks related to stress. Stress can increase the risk of heart disease, depression, headaches, GI problems, and obesity.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Body as Battlefield – The myth of multitasking. In today’s busy society it is believed that multi-tasking is the only way to get things done. In fact, it has been proven the focusing on one task at a time makes people more productive and efficient.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects – It is important to understand each stage of stress and how it affects your body. The effects of stress can last seconds, minutes, hours or days.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Physical Symptoms Questionnaire – It is really interesting to track all of your physical symptoms and then compare it to your workload and what was happening in your life during that time period. Often times we do not make the connection between how we feel physically and our levels of stress. We can use the symptoms as a reminder of how stress affects us.

Unit

3

Unit 3: Feast or Famine

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Feast or Famine – Discuss emotional consequences of stress. We all have different circumstances that trigger stress. Some of the emotional effects of stress are: forgetfulness, difficulty making decisions, loss of sense of humor, increased irritability or moodiness, negative thinking, poorer concentration, and constant worry.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Feast or Famine – Discuss spiritual health consequences of stress. The spiritual consequences of stress can cause one to doubt their values and beliefs, become bitter toward a higher being, and withdrawal. Ways to cope with this are: connecting with a spiritual leader, scheduling regular prayer or meditation time, and connect with people that share similar beliefs.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Feast or Famine – Discuss the role of anger. Anger is the result of unmet expectations. Holding onto anger can increase the risk of many chronic health conditions.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Fear This – Fear affects us in so many ways. It can be emotionally exhausting and can hold us back from trying different things. Our fear seems to be related to our self-esteem.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ The Psychology of Your Stress – It is important to become aware of our perceptions, attitudes, and behavior during stress. Often we don’t realize just how bad our reactions to certain situations are at times of stress. It is important to take a step back and look at our behaviors.

Unit

4

Unit 4: One Planet Under Stress

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about One Planet Under Stress – Evaluate the role of stress from a global perspective.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about One Planet Under Stress – Assess the impact of biological and ecological stress on the planet and on humans.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about One Planet Under Stress – Identify the link between socio-economic stress and need to effectively manage resources.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Distractions of the Human Path – Distractions derail us from our spiritual path. Distractions are sometimes attractive but can also be addictive and destructive if we are not careful. We must be mindful of the things that distract us and do our best to stay on track.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Under the Gun: Stress and Personality – The Hardy Personality talks about control, commitment, and challenge in regard to stressors. We need to engage our inner resources (massage, meditation, music, imagery, etc.) to get through times of stress.

Unit

5

Unit 5: Under Stress: What Now?

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Under Stress: What Now? Evaluate the use of reframing to create a positive mindset. Reframing is about looking at a situation in a new way, putting a positive spin on a stressful situation. Reframing changes your perspective on things. Instead of looking at the problem, look for ways to change it.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Under Stress: What Now? Examine the process and benefits of using affirmations to create and sustain a positive mindset. Affirmations are positive statements that help you make positive changes. They are short, positive statements used to overcome negative thinking. They are best used in the present tense, as if they are already happening.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Under Stress: What Now? Assess the importance of maintaining a positive outlook on life as a way of reducing individual stress. Having a positive outlook greatly decreases the stress in your life. Keeping a gratitude journal can help to focus on positive thoughts instead of the negative.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Dreams Revisited – Since I was young I have always been interested in dreams and the meaning behind them. I have a dream book so I can look up the meanings of them. I had never thought of writing my own endings. I really like that idea!

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Reframing: Seeing a Bigger, Clearer Perspective. Reframing is a technique used to change a threatening perception of something to a non-threatening perception. It’s a way of turning a thought, feeling or statement around to be positive.

Unit

6

Unit 6: Ageless Wisdom of Meditation

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Ageless Wisdom of Meditation - Assess the importance of learning the art of breathing as part of physical relaxation. Breathing is a simple technique used to calm you. It helps to relieve stress and all of the symptoms that go along with it.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Ageless Wisdom of Meditation – Identify the ways in which physical exercise helps to reduce stress. Physical exercise help to rid our bodies of excessive stress hormones leaving us calmer and more relaxed. There is nothing like a good workout after a stressful day to get rid of all the anxiety that has built up.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Ageless Wisdom of Meditation - Examine the benefits of physical relaxation on the human body. Physical relaxation lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, alleviates muscle tension, and decreases stress. It helps to relax both the mind and the body.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Three Short Guided Meditations – Guided meditations are a great way to relax and de-stress. My favorite meditation out of the three is the walk on a secluded beach. With practice, you actually can begin to feel like you are really there.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Too Much Information – Too much information can lead to sensory overload. When exposed to too much information, people become numb and walk around like zombies. A great solution to this is to practice meditation.

Unit

7

Unit 7: Sight, Sound and Body Work

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Sight, Sound and Body Work – Evaluate the use of mental imagery and visualization to manage and prevent stress. Imagery is using your imagination to picture thoughts that make you feel happy and relaxed. Mental imagery might involve imaging laying on the sand at the beach, hearing birds chirp, etc. Visualization is like mental imagery, but you focus on the outcome such as reaching a goal.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Sight, Sound and Body Work – Examine how the use of music therapy can help manage and prevent stress. Music therapy is used for things such as: cancer patients, ADD, pain management, and depression. Depending on the type of music, it can be used to create more concentration, or to calm the mind.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Sight, Sound and Body Work – Assess the role of massage therapy and bodywork in managing and preventing stress. Massage therapy helps to reduce stress and support the immune system. It allows the person to have time for themselves in a nurturing and relaxing environment. Often times aromatherapy is also used during the session.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Mandala of the Human Spirit – This self-awareness tool is used for reflecting on the human spirit. Each quadrant represents a direction in our life. It is nice to take the time out to reflect on our lives and our goals.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ The Rainbow Diet – The Rainbow diet is based on the belief that each color holds a specific energy vibration. Each of the body’s chakras is associated with a specific color. Eating right send healthy energy to a specific region of the body.

Unit

8

Unit 8: The Wellness Mandala

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Wellness Mandala – Evaluate the use of self-hypnosis and Autogenics as techniques to manage and prevent stress. Autogenics involves thinking consciously about making specific changes in the body such as feeling warm or heavy. Self-hypnosis is a way to relax deeply. Often affirmations are part of the self-hypnosis process.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Wellness Mandala – Examine how the eating habits contribute to or negate stress in the human body. Some people overeat when stressed while others may not eat enough. The stress hormone cortisol depletes blood sugar leading to craving bad carbohydrates. It is important to eat healthy foods frequently throughout the day.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about The Wellness Mandala – Assess the role of physical exercising in managing and preventing stress. Physical exercise help to rid our bodies of excessive stress hormones leaving us calmer and more relaxed. There is nothing like a good workout after a stressful day to get rid of all the anxiety that has built up.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ One Thousand Things Went Right Today – Too much time is spent focusing on the problems in our lives. This exercise focuses on thinking of all the positive things because positive thoughts attract more positivity into our lives.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Physical Exercise – This is my all-time favorite! I have always loved exercise for so many reasons. Exercise is my anti-depressant because it relieves stress and lifts my spirits. Physical exercise is also extremely important in preventing disease.

Unit

9

Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Management to your Professional Life

Information to Remember:

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Applying Stress: Critical Management to Your Professional Life – Evaluate the use of additional relaxation techniques such as Tai Chi in managing and preventing stress. Tai Chi is a graceful type of exercise that focuses on slow movements and deep breathing. It is low impact and keeps the body in a constant, flowing motion.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Applying Stress: Critical Management to Your Professional Life – Examine the role of progressive muscular relaxation as a supplementary relaxation technique in managing and preventing stress. Progressive muscular relaxation is a technique used to relax tense muscles. It consists of tensing and contracting muscles as much as possible, holding it, and then relaxing them. This allows for greater relaxation of the muscles and better stress reduction.

▪ Key learning point from the unit about Applying Stress: Critical Management to Your Professional Life – Assess the importance of clinical biofeedback as a resource for managing and preventing stress. Biofeedback is a method of using one’s own body signals to improve stress. It can help you change physiological activity such as breathing, muscle activity, and temperature to manage stress through relaxation techniques and mental exercises.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Behaviors I Would Like to Change – Everyone has behaviors they would like to change. Substituting a better behavior for the one we want to change can work well. Progress should be evaluated in order to make changes in the plan if necessary.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Reinventing Yourself (Again) – Reinventing yourself consists of building on your best qualities and leaving some of your less desired qualities behind. I have reinvented myself a couple times and now that both my boys will be out of high school it’s time to reinvent myself again.

Additional Information

Howard, Pierce J. (2006). The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. Austin, TX: Bard Press

I chose this book because not only does it address stress and burnout, it also addresses many other issues that affect our everyday lives.

Sapolsky, Robert M. (2004, 3rd ed.). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press

Seaward, B. L.  (2009, 6th ed.).  Managing Stress.   Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

health/stress-management/MY00435 This website has lots of information on stress management.

smpage.html This website is full of information on the cause and treatment of stress.

balance/video/reducing-stress This video shows ways to reduce stress.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download