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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

Amy Summey

Kaplan University

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

March 2, 2012

Table of Contents

Unit 1 The nature of stress

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises: Exercises

Tools: JOURNAL EXERCISE 1.4 A Good Night’s Sleep

Unit 2 the Body as battlefield

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises: Exercises

Tools: Journal Writing: Journal EXERCISE 2.1 Stress Physiology Review

Unit 3 feast or faminine

Information to Remember

Resources: EXERCISE 5.4 Anger: The Fight Response

Tools: EXERCISE 5.7 Fear This!

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 EXERCISE 8.1 Reframing: Seeing a Bigger, Clearer Perspective

JOURNAL EXERCISE 15.1 The Time-Crunch Questionnaire

Unit 6 ageless wisdom of meditation

Information to Remember

Resources: EXERCISE 18.3 Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought

Tools: JOURNAL EXERCISE 20.1 I Have a Vision: The Art of Visualization

Unit 7 sight, sound, and body work

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises

Tools: JOURNAL EXERCISE 27.1 Stress-Related Eating Behaviors

Unit 8 the wellness mandala

Information to Remember

Resources: Exercises

Tools: JOURNAL EXERCISE 28.4 My Body’s Rhythms

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

Information to Remember

Resources: Discussion Post

Tools: Journal Writing

Additional Information

(End of the Guide)

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Unit

1

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:

• Assess your personal level of stress

• Identify areas of possible health risks related to stress

• Examine personal sleep habit behaviors that may related to health consequences of stress

My personal level of stress is pretty high right now because there is a lot going on in my life. Too much stress can lead to anxiety attacks, high blood pressure, and insomnia. Access stress also compromises the immune system, so that is more vulnerable to disease. When I am really stressed I find it much harder to go to sleep and stay asleep.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 1.1 Are You Stressed?

▪ I scored an 11 on the personal stress assessment, which means I have a high level of personal stress. I need to work on my self-esteem and devote some time to exercising and meditation.

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 1.4 A Good Night’s Sleep

▪ I learned that I don’t get enough sleep and I need to develop regular sleeping patterns. I also learned what happens when the body does not get enough sleep.

▪ “Memory and motor coordination fade rapidly, and performance, in all aspects, is greatly compromised (Seaward, 2009)”.

Unit

2

Unit 2: The Body as Battlefield

Information to Remember:

▪ Stress: pressure, strain, anxiety, constant worry, nervous tension, tension, trauma, hassle

▪ Stress Management: means of dealing with stress; physical and psychological techniques designed to enable people to cope with strain and anxiety.

▪ Fear Response: Something done in reaction to an unpleasant feeling of anxiety or apprehension caused by the presence or anticipation of danger

(Kaplan, unit 2 definitions)

It’s important for us to understand what stress is and how to manage stress in order to coach other people with stress management techniques. The fear response is a possible response to stress or danger.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Exercise 2.2 Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects

▪ This exercise helps people notice their body’s reaction to stress. We can see the connection between stress and physical symptoms and also understand the effects of prolonged stress on our immune system.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 2.1 Stress Physiology Review

▪ I leaned that serotonin is associated with mood and low serotonin is associated with depression. It’s important to understand how the body works.

▪ “Having this knowledge of how your body’s physiology works during times of stress augments your ability to promote a deeper sense of relaxation and healing. In this case, knowledge is power (Seaward, 2009).”

Unit

3

Unit 3: Feast or Famine

Information to Remember:

▪ Fear & Anger

▪ “Future tripping”

▪ Self Esteem

Fear and Anger are the two dominant emotions involved in stress. By learning how to manage our anger and our fears, we can manage our stress. “Future tripping” is when you are caught up in the “what if?” scenarios of life. Self-Esteem is a major factor in stress management. Low self-esteem makes people more vulnerable to stress. High self-esteem makes people more resistant to stress.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ EXERCISE 5.4 Anger: The Fight Response

▪ I learned there are positive ways to deal with my anger. I use my creative expression to help vent anger by singing and writing.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 5.7 Fear This!

▪ I leaned that one of my biggest fears is the fear of the unknown. I need to learn how to live in the present without worrying about the possibilities in the future. I need to get off the “future tripping” bus!

Unit

4

Unit 4: One Planet Under Stress

Information to Remember:

▪ Stress Prone Personalities

▪ Stress Resistant Personalities

▪ Human Spirituality

Some personalities are more prone to stress, for example the Codependent personality. Other personalities, such as the hardy personality are resistant to stress. By teaching people about their personality type, we can see which traits are contributing to their stress and which traits are beneficial. Human Spirituality is a very important part of healing and stress management. By learning that we are part of a bigger picture, we can learn to appreciate life and not sweat the small stresses in our life.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Exercise 7.5 Your Personal Value System

▪ This exercise is great for people to use to understand their values and for them to see if there is any conflict between their core values and their supporting values. It helps assess what is important in life so that we can make sure we are on a path of purpose and direction.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Journal Exercise 6.1 Under the Gun: Stress and Personality

▪ This journal gives the opportunity to list a stressor and map out how do deal with the stressor using control, commitment, and challenge. Those are important characteristics of the hardy personality.

Unit

5

Unit 5: Under Stress: What Now?

Information to Remember:

▪ Reframing

▪ Humor as a method of healing

▪ Affirmations to stay positive

Reframing is way to change your thinking from negative thoughts to positive thoughts. Humor provides a pleasant distraction from stress. Laughing releases endorphins that make you more relaxed and happy. Affirmations are positive statements that promote a positive outlook on life.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 8.1 Reframing: Seeing a Bigger, Clearer Perspective

The Reframing exercise taught me how to turn a negative situation into a positive opportunity. For example, a night of insomnia is not a waste of time but rather a quiet time of reflection to pray and meditate.

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 15.1 The Time-Crunch Questionnaire

The Time-Crunch Questionnaire taught me that I need to work on my time management skills. I have traits of a codependent personality type but it’s not carved in stone. I can take actions to manage my time. I need to reframe my thinking and build my self-esteem.

Unit

6

Unit 6: Ageless Wisdom of Meditation

Information to Remember:

▪ Physical exercise is healthy way to reduce stress

▪ Breathing exercises promote relaxation and focus

▪ Meditation and the art of visualization

Physical exercise produces endorphins that make the body feel good. Breathing exercises can be used to teach clients how to relax and focus. People that are anxious can reduce their stress and anxiety by learning how to slow down their breathing. Some clients do not like the breathing exercises. The art of visualization helps people learn to picture being in a happier, more peaceful place.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ EXERCISE 18.3 Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought

This exercise is great for people to learn about different thinking styles and which thinking style is their dominant style. It’s important to work to have balance in our thinking patterns.

“Although it is true that Western culture is left-brain dominant in thinking skills, the truth of the matter is that to be dominant in one style of thinking is actually considered lopsided and imbalanced (Seaward, 2009).”

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 20.1 I Have a Vision: The Art of Visualization

This exercise shows the steps to visualization and all of health benefits.

“The purpose of this exercise, then, is to sharpen your imagination and relaxation skills so that when you recognize your need to unwind you can escape, if only momentarily, to a place that gives you peace of mind. When drafting these images, give as much detail as possible so you can not only see them in your mind’s eye, but actually feel yourself there through all five senses (Seaward, 2009).”

Unit

7

Unit 7: Sight, Sound and Body Work

Information to Remember:

▪ Eating habits and the stress response

▪ “Stress Domino Factors”

▪ Music Therapy

"Some food substances are known to increase sympathetic drive or other physiological responses that keep the stress response elevated. These include caffeine, processed sugar, processed flour, and salt (Seaward 2009)."

Basically, junk food can actually make us more stressed out! That also relates to the domino factors. The Domino factors showed me how we don’t get the right nutrients and we end up in this downward spiral of bad eating habits. Music has been a very important part of my life in healing and dealing with stress. I hope to use music therapy to show people how to slow down and relax.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Discussion for Unit 7 about domino stress factors really made it clear to me that my dominos have fallen down and I need to focus on building them back up. Change is not easy but recognizing there is a problem is the first step to solving it.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Journal Exercise 27.1 Stress-Related Eating Behaviors

I learned that my eating habits may seriously be damaging my immune system and increasing my stress. I can be healthier and less stressed with some changes to my diet. For example, I need to eat fewer sweets and drink less soda. I need to drink more water and eat more fruits and vegetables.

Unit

8

Unit 8: The Wellness Mandala

Information to Remember:

▪ Physical Exercise and Stress

▪ Components of Fitness

▪ Psychological Benefits of Exercise

Physical Exercise helps reduce stress. There are 5 components of Fitness; 1. Cardio-Endurance 2. Muscular strength 3. Flexibility 4. Agility 5. Power and 6. Balance. The psychological effects of exercise are also known as the “runners high” or the Beta-Endorphin Rush. It’s important to be able to tell patients about the benefits of exercise. It will help motivate them to become physically active. The components of fitness will help them understand the different types of exercises to work on.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Discussion Question “What are the specific effects of physical exercise on managing and preventing stress?”

I have learned that I need to make myself be active even when I really do not feel like it. Staying active is very important to reduce my level of stress and stay focused.

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ Journal Exercise 28.4 My Body’s Rhythms

▪ This exercise shows the importance of getting our body’s rhythms in tune with nature. It’s also important to get on a regular eating and sleeping schedule.

“More likely than not, though, regular disruptions in the body’s rhythms will manifest quickly in various ways such as irritability, fatigue, lack of hunger, restless sleep and insomnia, low resistance to illness, and lowered mental capacities (Seaward, 2009).”

Unit

9

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

Information to Remember:

▪ Hobbies

▪ Information Seeking

▪ Forgiveness

It’s important for people to have activities they enjoy doing, or hobbies. Patients can deal with stress better if they have hobbies. The Arts of writing, acting and singing are some hobbies we could suggest for a creative outlet for stress. Information Seeking is important so that patients see their active role in their health. They can get questions answered about specific stressors in their lives. Sometimes the fear of the unknown is much harder to bare than dealing with the actual facts. Forgiveness is essential in healing. We need to practice forgiveness towards ourselves and others.

Resources: Exercises:

▪ Unit 9 Discussion Question number 2: How do hobbies help one to reduce stress?

▪ It’s important for patients to know the benefits of engaging in hobbies.

▪ “Healthy diversions are any activities that offer a temporary escape from the sensory overload that can produce or perpetuate the stress response. Diversions offer the conscious mind a “change of venue” to promote clear thinking (Seaward, 2009).”

Tools: Journal Writing:

▪ JOURNAL EXERCISE 16.5 SWEET FORGIVENESS

▪ This exercise teaches the importance of forgiveness and gives the opportunity to write about people we need to forgive. It’s crucial to be aware of negative feelings of pain and resentment so that we can forgive and learn to move forward.

Additional Information

Prayers of a Loyal Friend. Compiled by Criswell Freeman.

This book has inspirational quotes and bible verses for every emotion. For example, it has prayers for when you feel afraid or when you feel lonely. When I’m in need of some wise words, I turn to this book. It helps me have faith and put life in perspective. (Freeman, 2003)

Full Plate

This book/website helped me begin to learn about nutrition and the type of foods our bodies need to be healthy. It has lots of color pictures and simple explanations. You can even download it for free on the website. It would be great for teaching children or anyone about nutrition and the importance of a healthy diet.

My Pyramid Menu Planner.

This sight helps you plan meals that are nutritious and analyze what nutrients you are getting in your diet. You just select the foods and it provides you with all the information. You can track your progress, set physical fitness goals and use the many links on the site for more information.

Works Cited

Freeman, C. (2003). Prayers of A Loyal Friend . Nashville: Brighten Books.

Lifestyle center of America . (n.d.). Think about food in a whole different way with this inexpensive eating guide. Retrieved March 4, 2012, from Full Plate Diet :

Seaward, B. L. (2009). Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being.

USDA. (n.d.). My Pyramid Menu Planner. Retrieved Febrary 27, 2012, from My Pyramid Tracker:

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