KAPLAN UNIVERSITY

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in

Management and Prevention

Stress
Management and
Prevention

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Program Resource
Guide

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 KA P L A N U N I V E R S I T Y

Stress Management and Prevention

Program Resource Guide

By

Jamie Gold

Kaplan University

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

September 3, 2016
Table of Contents
UNIT 1 THE NATU RE OF STRESS

Information to Remember........................................................................3
Self-Assessment Exercises.......................................................................4
Journal Writing.........................................................................................4

UNIT 2 THE PHYSIO LOGY OF STRESS

Information to Remember.....................................................................5-6
Self-Assessment Exercises.......................................................................6
Journal Writing......................................................................................7-8

UNIT 3 PSYCHOLOGY OF STRESS

Information to Remember...................................................................9-10
Self-Assessment Exercises.....................................................................10
Journal Writing..................................................................................10-11

UNIT 4 PERSONAL ITY TRAITS AND THE HUM AN SPIRITUAL ITY

Information to Remember.................................................................12-13
Self-Assessment Exercises.....................................................................13
Journal Writing..................................................................................13-17

UNIT 5 DEAL ING WITH STRESS: COPING STRATE GIES

Information to Remember.................................................................18-19
Summary................................................................................................19
Journal Writing..................................................................................19-20

UNIT 6 REL AXATIO N TECHI QUES 1 : BREATHI NG , M EDITATI ON,

AND M ENTAL IM AGE RY

Information to Remember......................................................................21
Self-Assessment Exercises.....................................................................22
Journal Writing..................................................................................22-24

UNIT 7 NUTRITI ON AND STRESS

Information to Remember......................................................................25
Self-Assessment Exercises.....................................................................26
Summary................................................................................................26
 Unit 8 PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND ACTIVITY
Information to Remember......................................................................27
Self-Assessment Exercises.....................................................................28
Journal Writing..................................................................................28-29

UNIT 9 APPLYING STRESS: CRITICAL ISSUES F OR M ANAGEM EN T

AND PREVE NTIO N TO YOUR PROF ESSI ONAL L IF E

Information to Remember.................................................................30-31

ADDITI ONAL INF ORM ATIO N 3 2

REF EREN CES 3 3

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Unit

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:
1. Not only does stress affect the mind and soul; it also takes a great toll on the body. Forty-three percent

of all adults suffer from stress related adverse health effects, and eighty percent of all doctors’ visits

are attributed to stress related complaints or disorders. Stress can also be linked to all the leading

causes of death. (Seaward, 2015).

2. During a perceived threat the body initiates the fight or flight response and physiologically prepares

to defend or flee. The body’s initial response to a perceived threat starts in the central nervous system

and is referred to as the stress response. Some may experience the freeze response in which one

freezes and neither fights nor flees (Seaward, 2015).

3. There are three types of stress: eustress, neustress, and distress. Eustress is considered a good stress

and occurs when a situation or event is motivating or inspiring, nuestress is neutral and occurs when

sensory stimuli has no consequential effect, distress is what we commonly refer to as stress, it is a

negative interpretation of a perceived threat which causes feelings of fear and anger. There are two

types of distress, acute and chronic stress. Acute stress is intense but lasts only for a short period of

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 time, chronic stress is not as intense but lasts a very long time and is the cause of stress related

diseases (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
Components of Wellness Paradigm

In this assessment we discussed the components of wellness paradigm. There are four components

to the wellness paradigm: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Physical wellbeing is

reached when the body’s systems are operating at their full, healthy potential, mental wellbeing is reached

when one is able to recall, gather, process, and communicate information effectively and properly,

emotional wellbeing is achieved when one is able to feel and express emotions, as well as to have control

over them, spiritual wellbeing is achieved when one has a higher consciousness of oneself and of others,

having a strong value system, and a meaningful purpose in life. I believe that keeping all four

components balanced is the key to maintaining proper homeostasis within the mind and body. (Seaward,

2015).

Journal Writing:
“How Stressed Are You?” (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Situation Start Midway End

Paying $600/mo. for my car 8
Working a job that is not in my field of interest 5
Restarting a relationship with my ex 6
Driving to places I am not familiar with 6
Driving the older kids to and from work daily 5
Making sure discussions are done by Saturday 4
Making sure assignments are done on time 4
Maintaining 4.0 GPA 5
Being able to afford much needed dental work 6
Financially being able to support the kids and grandchild 7
that live with me

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Unit

Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress

Information to Remember:
1. The autonomic nervous system (ANS), consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous

systems. Under stress, the sympathetic branch releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, which

immediately prepares the body for the flight or fight response. The parasympathetic branch calms the

body, it conserves energy and promotes relaxation, this is called anabolic functioning (Seaward,

2015).

2. Of all the glands found within the endocrine system, the adrenal gland may have the biggest impact

on the stress response, it is also referred to as the “stress gland”. The exterior of the adrenal gland is

called the adrenal cortex and secretes stress hormones such as cortisol and cortisone. The inside of the

gland is called the adrenal medulla and secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine (Seaward, 2015).

Cortisol and epinephrine are involved in the fight or flight response, producing and increase in energy

(Aronson, 2009).

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 3. The Borysenko Model is one theoretical model that explains the relationship between stress and

disease. Borysenko suggests that when there are too many stress hormones released by the ANS,

known as autonomic dysregulation, many physiological effects can occur, such as migraines, ulcers,

and hypertension. Immune dysregulation occurs when functions are suppressed and can lead to

infection, arthritis, and even cancer (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
In this exercise we discussed neuroscience, neuroplasticity, and diseases that occur when the nervous and

immune systems are affected by stress. Neuroscience is a field of science that studies the nervous

system, and neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to regenerate new connections to various brain

cells, use various brain tissue for a host of functions, and generate new cell growth. When the nervous

system is affected by stress, many diseases and disorders can occur, such as asthma, migraines,

temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). When the immune

system is affected by stress conditions such as ulcers and colitis can occur (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Explore: How is stress or anxiety affecting your life? (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

How is stress or anxiety about people affecting your life?

People in general do not stress me out or make me anxious anymore, I use to have social

anxiety which was almost debilitating, learning to stay focused on being present helped tremendously,

but I know that there are still certain people that use to be in my life that even the very thought of

them can cause very high anxiety, my heart races, stomach gets tight, and the internal tremors start.

How is stress or anxiety about work affecting your life?

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 My stress or anxiety about work is usually very low, the main work stressor comes about a

month before our peak season when I start to dread the upcoming 12 hour/7 days a week for 40 days’

straight shift. During the weeks before, I get very irritable and moody. Every year I say I will not do

another season, but here I am going into the 12th season in another couple months. During peak is also

very stressful, especially when I have classes to do as well, but there really isn’t time to pay attention

to it, I find the month prior to be the hardest, “the waiting period”.

How is stress or anxiety about the world affecting your life?

I have learned that I cannot fix the world, so I do not let it stress me out. Yes, I’ll occasionally

feel anxious after watching the news, but nothing to the point that it affects my life.

How is stress or anxiety about food and eating habits affecting your life?

My eating habits are a big stressor for me, although I know I do not eat properly, I have a hard

time changing my eating habits. As for how it affects my life, I find myself worrying or stressing

about not getting the calories or nutrition that I need, and yet I do not change, which then leads to me

being very disappointed in myself. So I go out spend a ton of money on “healthy” food, that goes to

waste then then I am kicking myself for wasting money. This is one area that I really need to work on

my self-discipline with or I need to accept it and stop beating myself up about it.

How is stress or anxiety about sleep and sleeplessness affecting your life?

Sleep or sleeplessness is one area that has never really been a stressor for me, if my body is

tired it’ll sleep. I have always kept the same sleeping schedule since I was little, of course there is the

occasional exception, but I have never stressed about lack of or too much sleep.

How is stress or anxiety about exercise or lack of physical activity affecting your life?

This is another high stress topic for me, and I think it is because, I know the health benefits but

lack the motivation. The stress of lack of physical activity affects my life in the same way that it does

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about food, I get very disappointed in myself, so I go spend a ton of money on exercise equipment, do

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Unit

not use it, and then get disappointed in myself again.

Summary

If I would have done this journal 2 years ago, my responses would have been totally different,

I was a very stressed person to the point of it affecting my health, I knew I had to make a change.

Over the last couple years, I have been studying mindfulness, being present, and becoming aware of

my thoughts, it is an ongoing learning process or as I look at it, an “unlearning” process, and also

yoga has been an excellent relaxer for me. I have found that thoughts cause most of the stress in our

lives rather than the actual situations, if we can learn to control how we react to our thoughts, we can

learn to control how they affect our lives, at least that is my perception of it.

Unit 3: Psychology of Stress

Information to Remember:
1. Sigmund Freud theorized that the mind’s defense system consists of defense mechanisms, which

Freud described as unconscious thinking patterns of the ego, to either decrease pain or increase

pleasure. He believed that all human behavior is defensive in nature. The most common mechanisms

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 used in the defense of stress-produced anxiety are: Denial, repression, projection, rationalization,

displacement, and humor. (Seaward, 2015).

2. Abraham Maslow placed emphasis on personality traits that help people cope with stress and become

psychologically healthy. His concept is referred to as the theory of motivation, and is based on his

theory of the hierarchy of needs. This theory consists of six tiers: Physiological needs, safety needs,

belongingness and love, need for self-esteem, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. Maslow

believed that in order to go to the next tier the prior had to be met (Seaward, 2015).

3. Those who mismanage their aggression far outnumber those who express it effectively. There are

four styles of anger mismanagement that most people fall into. The first being the somatizer, in which

one suppresses feelings of anger, only to have them resurface as disease or illnesses. Next is the self-

punisher, who channels their anger into guilt, and gets angry with themselves for being angry with

others. The third are the exploders, who explode and intimidate others as a means of control. The last

are the underhanders, who indirectly target the cause of the threat but in a way that they think is

socially acceptable. (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
In this exercise we discussed what can be learned from the Tibetan culture about the mind and

stress, what the views espoused by theorists have in common, ways to cope with manage and/or resolve

fear, and ways in which you can improve your communication style. One thing learned from the Tibetan

culture is that stress is a form of suffering that mainly originates from the attachment that we have to

things, expectations, and desires, that we use to satisfy the self, also known as the ego. The views

discussed by the theorists share a common belief that the ability to cope with and defend against stress,

comes from within. One way to cope with and manage fear and stress are through cognitive behavioral

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 therapy, in which one learns to replace negative thoughts with realistic thoughts along with learning

coping and relaxation skills. One can improve communication skills by turning off the cell phone during

face to face conversations, by making eye contact, and another improvememnt can come from learning to

use different communication medias, to make it easier for others to communicate with you (Seaward,

2015).

Journal Writing:
Five-Minute Mindful Breathing and Bringing the Eight Attitudes of Mindfulness into

Your Life (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

I began my formal meditation, on my yoga mat, in half lotus pose or the Sanskrit name for this

pose is “Ardha Padmasana” (YogaOutlet.com, 2016), as this is the most comfortable pose for me.

When I first began, I found myself analyzing my breathing, I was thinking, “am I breathing to fast”,

“to shallow”, etc. After a minute or so I was focusing on the breath and where it was coming from, it

started out shallow, but by the end of the meditation I was breathing deep, long, relaxed breaths, from

the abdomen, naturally. During the meditation, I was able to focus just on the breathing without

analyzing it, by repeating the words, “in” and “out” with each inhale and exhale, when I would stop

saying those words, my mind would wander, thinking of what I was going to write about or

wondering about how much time I had left. I also found the cd to be distracting at times, I would

finally get to the point of breathing with pretty much no thought whatsoever and then the guy on the

cd would start talking again, I think the cd is helpful in learning the practice of meditation, but I think

I would benefit more without it now that I have listened to it once. After the meditation, I did feel

more relaxed, and something that I was not expecting was that my lungs felt much clearer. I look

forward to trying the 15-minute Mindful Breathing meditation.

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 To sum it up, I found this practice very relaxing and I realized how much my mind wanders; if

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Unit

I pay attention to it, or become aware of it I am able to recognize it, let it go, and go back to breathing.

I look forward to practicing the “art” of meditation. I have tried in the past, but only halfheartedly. I

use to have the mindset, that I do not have time to meditate, but then I came across this quote which

makes me laugh because it is true, “You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day, unless

you are to busy; then you should sit for an hour”—Old Zen saying

Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human

Spirituality
Information to Remember:
1. Personalities can be classified as either stress prone or stress resistant. Stress prone personalities tend

to attract stress, and include the Type A personality, the codependent personality, and the helpless-

hopeless personality. Stress resistant personalities seem to buffer against stress and include the hardy

personality, the survivor personality, and the sensation seekers or Type R personality. Self-esteem

levels coincide with the personality types, a low self-esteem is a trait of stress prone personalities and

a high self-esteem is a trait of the stress resistant personalities (Seaward, 2015).

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 2. While spirituality cannot fall under any one definition, it includes “the aspects of higher

consciousness, transcendence, self-reliance, self-efficacy, self-actualization, love, faith,

enlightenment, mysticism, self-assertiveness, community, and bonding, as well as God, Allah, Jesus,

Buddha, and a multitude of other concepts” (Seaward, 2015). It may be easier to define what is not

human spirituality, and that would be it is not a religion. Spirituality and religions may hold common

grounds but they are not one in the same. In most cases, religion is used to enhance human spirituality

(Seaward, 2015).

3. There are four common processes that many of the spiritual paths share, they are centering,

emptying, grounding, and connecting. Centering involves deep reflection on one’s real self, which is

finding our purpose in life and finding out who we are. Emptying is the cleansing of our

consciousness, getting rid of negative thoughts and behaviors. Grounding is the stage in which the

soul is filled with new insight and knowledge, it is a time of revelation and resolution with regard to

life purpose. Connecting is the final stage, in which everything is connected, nothing is separate, this

is the idea of the principle of oneness (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
In this exercise we discussed what self-esteem is and what role it plays in promoting and resolving

stress, how relationships, values, and meaningful purpose in life are affected by stress, we discussed our

perspective on the differences between values, attitudes, and beliefs, and we took one lifestyle activity

through Prochaska’s Stages of Change Model. Self-esteem can be described as one’s perception of their

self-values, self-acceptance, and self-love, depending on if one has low or high self-esteem, will

determine how they are affected by stress. I believe values are the foundation, from the foundation we

build our attitudes and beliefs. The Prochaska’s Stages of Change Model includes the precontemplation

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 stage, the contemplative stage, the determination stage, action stage, maintenance stage, and the relapse

stage (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Explore: Identifying Emotions in the Body (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

FEAR: apprehension, anxiety, distress, edginess, jumpiness, nervousness, panic, tenseness,

uneasiness, worry, fright, feeling overwhelmed.

When thinking of fear, I am particularly familiar with apprehension, anxiety, nervousness,

panic, uneasiness, worry, and feeling overwhelmed. Fear had been a big problem of mine and is what

has manifested many, if not all, of my panic attacks. The first thing that comes to mind are the panic

attacks that I use to have, the overthinking of every situation, I get anxious just thinking about it. I

could physically feel these emotions through my whole body, I’m guessing the nervous system with

full body tremors, stiffness in my neck and shoulders, nauseous feeling in my stomach, and quick, but

shallow breathing. Fright is usually a quick response, like a jump or a flinch. Anxiety also gives me a

very rushed feeling.

CONFUSION: bewildered, uncertain, puzzled, mystified, perplexed, chaotic, foggy, or unaware.

When I read these emotion words, the only thing that comes to mind is the word confusion, I

do not really feel it within my body as of yet, except for the word chaotic, for me that brings a sense

of anxiety, a sense of being rushed, blood pressure rising type of feeling. I work best under chaotic

situations though, that is when I am able to get the most work done. Chaos is very draining on the

body.

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ANGER: aggravation, agitation, annoyance, destructiveness, disgust, envy, frustration, irritation,

grouchiness, grumpiness, rage.

I have never been a destructive or enraged person, but I can be easily agitated and I think that

manifests from a lack of patience, the same goes for annoyance. I get very fidgety, my jaw clenches

closed, blood pressure raises, I would get headaches, and as with the other emotions I would get the

feeling of high anxiety. Frustration is one that use to bring me to the point of tears, especially when I

am not able to get my point across in a way that someone understands what I am talking, this could

also be from lack of patience and also not knowing how to express it properly.

SADNESS: alienation, anguish, despair, disappointment, gloom, grief, hopelessness, insecurity,

loneliness, misery, unhappiness, rejection.

When I read these emotion words, I get a feeling of depression, a sense of wanting to help

anyone who is feeling these emotions. These words bring a very heavy feeling to my body and heart.

This is by far the worst set of emotion words for me, as I try to feel how sadness makes me feel, all I

can feel is how there are people out there with these feelings constantly, physically it has literally

brought me to tears.

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SHAME: guilt, embarrassment, humiliation, invalidation, regret, remorse, mortification.

With the emotion words embarrassment and humiliation, I may get red in the face but or

fidgety, but they have never been a big worry of mine, yes it causes some discomfort, but nothing that

I can really decipher. Guilt, on the other hand, has always had a negative effect on me, causing

headaches and shoulder tension. Everything I did for myself made me feel guilty, even still today, I

catch myself, now and then, getting that guilty feeling after taking a nap or doing something just for

me, but now I feel it, acknowledge it for what it is, and let it go.

LOVE: affection, arousal, attraction, caring, compassion, desire, fondness, infatuation, kindness,

liking, longing, warmth, sympathy, sentimentality.

Reading some of these emotion words, like affection, caring, compassion, fondness, kindness,

and warmth give me sense of relaxation, the muscles relax, almost like a sigh of relief, a sense of

peace, I have been able to take notice to these emotions more, after learning about self-love, I believe

it really is true, that until you learn to love yourself, you cannot truly love anyone else. Arousal and

attraction make feel more energetic, raising blood pressure, but not in a bad way. Desire, infatuation,

and longing gives me mixed feelings, sort of like wanting something you cannot have just yet, but

with the possibility of getting it sometime soon.

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JOY: amusement, bliss, contentment, eagerness, elation, enjoyment, enthusiasm, excitement,

exhilaration, hope, optimism, pleasure, satisfaction.

This is my favorite set of emotion words. Reading through them my first thoughts are of

happiness, aliveness, and excitement (although that is one of the emotion words, do not have another

word for it though). Physically these emotion words make me feel more energetic, I can feel a faster

breathing pattern, a want to get up and go.

Summary

This was a tough journal assignment for me, and I probably seem like an emotional wreck,

which I probably was at one point in my life. Emotions are the one thing I am still learning to

decipher, express, and feel. Until about a year ago, emotions, good and bad always caused me a lot of

anxiety, to the point of just ignoring them all together, just talking about how I was feeling would

bring me to tears, still to this day I do not know why. Now I am to the point of being able to feel

emotions, express them, and let them go, not all the time, but for the most part. As we learned about

self-esteem this week, I have come to realize that a low self-esteem can have a powerful and negative

effect on emotions and how we handle them. This journal exercise is something that I think could help

many people who have similar issues, like I had with expressing and acknowledging emotions. I look

forward to coming back to this exercise down the road to see how things progress.

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Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies

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Unit

Information to Remember:
1. Cognitive science scholars have developed a theory known as the information-processing model, in

an attempt to explain exactly how the mind processes information. The information-processing model

has three phases: Phase one is sensory input, phase two processes the input, phase three is the output,

which would be the action or behavior in response to the way the input was processed (Seaward,

2015).

2. Humor therapy is a coping technique in which humor and comic relief are used to alleviate and

reduce emotion stress. A study showed humor therapy was effective in coping with anxiety, in

children and their parents, who were getting ready to undergo surgery. It is also a therapy used in

many rehabilitation programs, including the treatment of physical trauma, alcoholism, and drug

addiction (Seaward, 2015).

3. Time and money are two main resources that are needed to make it through a stressful life, but people

tend squander them both away. Time management is part of a larger coping skill, known as social

orchestration, cognitive strategy used to help minimize stressors without avoiding them. Seaward

states that “Social orchestration involves analyzing a problem, creating a series of viable options, and

then choosing the best option to clear stress-prone obstacles out of the way” (Seaward, 2015).

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Summary:
Mind traps are mental habits that tend to make stress and pain worse than it needs to be. Negative

self-talk is one of these mind traps, and increases stress and anxiety. There are also several habitual

styles of thinking that can increase stress and anxiety, such as catastrophizing in which the thoughts

go directly to the worst case scenario. Mind reading is another habitual style of thinking, in which

you have the thought process ok thinking you know what someone is thinking or feeling, with no

actual proof. There is also blaming, which one places the blame for their own suffering on others, but

this can also be self-blame where one blames themselves for another person’s pain (Stahl &

Goldstein, 2010).

Journal Writing:
Walking Meditation (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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 The formal practice that I chose to do is the Walking Meditation (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010), I

chose this practice, because I have never done a walking meditation and I enjoy exercises that help

with being present. I first started this meditation in mountain pose, in the middle of my yoga “pit”, out

in my backyard. As I was looking around, taking everything in, the garden, the wildflowers, the

sounds of the cicadas, I felt an incredible wave gratitude, I immediately felt a lot of the day’s stress

dissipate. At this point I began the walking meditation, barefoot, on the block path going around the

yoga pit, turning around at the entrance path, and back around again. At first I realized I was telling

myself what to do with the feet and legs, rather than just feeling it, I did have to keep pulling my

attention back from wandering a few times. After a few minutes, I was able to become more mindful

of my walking, with my arms swinging, I could feel a tingling in my fingers, I was able to become

aware of every part of the foot as it touched the paving stone, I could feel the calf muscle as it

tightened, I could feel the shift of weight between the hips and knees. I walked for about ten minutes,

staying mindful most of the time, other than feeling a calmness, I had no other emotions or feelings

come up, just an awareness in what my body was doing at that very moment.

Summary:

I found the walking meditation to be very calming and it really did help with becoming mindful of

each step. I am normally a very fast walker, this exercise helped me realize that I have never paid

attention to a single step I have ever taken, yeah there are times when you are trying to walk carefully

across something, but to actually feel each step was very different. This is an excellent exercise to

help with being present, mindful, aware. As you are walking you are thinking of nothing more than

the step you are taking, you are not worried about what you have to do later, or what bothered you

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earlier, it brings you to the now, the present. I will definitely try the informal walking meditation

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Unit

practice, when I am out and about.

Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,

Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Information to Remember:
1. Diaphragmatic breathing is defined as breathing from the lower abdomen, rather than from the upper

chest. In yoga this technique is called pranayama, meaning breathing that restores one’s vital life

force of energy, when translated in Sanskrit. It is considered to be the easiest form of relaxation.

(Seaward, 2015).

2. With today’s technology and fast paced lifestyles, the mind does not get a chance to be free of

distractions as needed, there is a constant sensory overload. Meditation is an effective way to calm

and quiet the mind, and it also increases awareness. There are two distinct types of meditation,

restrictive meditation or opening-up meditation, and although both may be very different, they both

have the same end result, which is a cleansing of the mind that leads to inner peace (Seaward, 2015).

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 3. Mental imagery is a relaxation technique in which negative thoughts are replaced with peaceful

scenery. Just as negative thoughts can cause a stress response, visualizing peaceful, calm

environments can cause a relaxation response. Imagery is a constant flow of unconscious thoughts,

whereas visualization is guided conscious thoughts led by instruction (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
In this exercise we discussed diaphragmatic breathing as an effective relaxation technique and how

to engage in this technique, what effects that meditation has on the mind and the body, and ways that

imagery and visualization can be useful for relaxation. is thought to be an effective relaxation technique

because it interrupts the body’s “fight or flight” response and initiates the body’s normal relaxation

response, by maximizing the amount of oxygen that enters the blood stream (CHMC, n.d.), it also

decreases resting heart rate, decreases muscle tension, and improves mental clarity. To engage in this

technique, it is best to lay flat on back, in a quiet space, with hands on lower stomach so you can feel it

rise and lower, breath slowly and deeply, on the inhale your stomach should raise and on the exhale it

should lower. Meditation has many effects on the mind and body some being it lowers blood pressure,

relieves anxiety, and eases pain. Imagery and visualization are useful for relaxation because you can

imagine yourself anywhere you want to be (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Explore: Is Your Body-Mind Happy? (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010)
Mindful of how you interact with yourself?
We as humans, can be our own worst enemy. At one time or another, almost everyone has sent

themselves unkind messages, put themselves down, and/or had negative self-talk. Since I have been

practicing and learning about being mindful for a while, I do not do the unkind messages any longer,

occasionally I may give myself a “duh!” or “that was dumb”, but that is as critical as I get with myself,

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 anymore. A few years ago that was a different story, I was one that felt guilty for doing anything for

myself, and if I did, the negative self-talk was very mean. I had very little knowledge about what self-

love was. My anxiety levels were horrible, I was always tired, always had some kind of health ailment

going on, I had no idea how to express emotions, no emotional intelligence at all, to the point that I even

had a hard time giving my own children a hug without feeling embarrassed or shy, or just uncomfortable.

I attribute most of that to the degrading of myself, through negative self-talk. There is no way that I could

or ever would speak to someone the way that I spoke to myself. Even now, as I look back on it, I am

amazed at how far I have come, and happily, so are my children, whom I am very comfortable with now.

I could look back on the period of my and hate myself for it, but I have learned self-forgiveness is

essential in learning self-love.

Seeds of suffering?

It took a lot of time and a lot of mindful practice to stop “watering the seeds”. Once I did, it

was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, the anxiety slowly dissipated, my

relationship grew stronger than ever with all my children, I am better able to make decisions, I can

have meaningful relationships without feeling like I need to be anyone but myself. We never really

realize the damage that we cause ourselves with even trying. I can say this though, once it is realized

and looked at observantly, rather than judgmentally, that is when the change begins. Learning to be

present, even if for short periods at a time, has helped me the most in stopping the negative self-talk,

that, and learning to just be me, not who I thought people wanted me to be. Instead of beating myself

up about stressful situations I have learned to accept them and let them be or change them, depending

on the situation and options at the time.

Day-to-day life feelings of resentment?

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 I have a co-worker, that many people do not like, she can come off as being very bossy, says

what is on her mind, and she can be very annoying, I do talk to her and I’ll work in the same area with

her because no one else will, but it gets trying at times. I remind myself several times a day, that she

means no harm and is not intentionally trying to annoy anyone. She has a stressful life, as most of us

do, living pay check to pay check as a single mom of a 14-year-old boy, who is always in trouble, her

truck is always breaking down on her, she has a lot of stressors in her life. I just need keep in mind

that work may be the only place that she feels like she has any control, and that her ego needs that

control as some sort of security for its own identity. She has a good heart, she is a hard worker, very

intelligent, and has a great sense of humor, if given the chance to just be.

Reflection on writing?

This journal has been very therapeutic, as I have never been one to talk about myself or the

way I use to be, to be able to discuss it without getting mad at myself or embarrassed or even coming

to tears is a great accomplishment for me. It is almost like a validation that I truly forgiven myself and

that mindful practices really do work; I have run into quite a few people who will not even consider

trying it because they think that if it is not medically prescribed that it cannot work. I think if more

places started offering MBSR, it would be more widely accepted. After taking this class, I am

seriously interested in following a career path in MBSR, as I work towards my doctorate in

naturopathy.

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Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress

7
Unit

Information to Remember:
1. Nutrition and stress can be explained in a four domino scenario. The first being that stress depletes

the body of nutrients, the second is current lifestyles does not promote good eating habits, the third is

that certain food substances can increase the stress response, and the fourth domino is that many

processed foods contain toxins, which weaken the immune system. As each domino falls one’s health

falls with it (Seaward, 2015).

2. Under chronic stress, minerals are depleted, especially magnesium, chromium, copper, iron, and zinc.

Mineral level amongst people of all ages, has dropped about 33% in the past 20 years, weakening the

immune system and making people more susceptible to illness and disease. (Seaward, 2015).

3. Recommendations for eating a healthy diet include eating a well-balanced diet, eat a good breakfast,

and space meals out evenly throughout the day. Eat a diet high in vitamins and minerals, especially

those depleted during stress responses. Avoid caffeine especially when doing relaxation techniques.

(Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
During this exercise I did a Mindful Lying Yoga practice. The practice consisted of 9 yoga poses.

This exercise was to help develop self-awareness of stress reactions. Yoga is an excellent tool for

25
 developing self-awareness, when you are able to acknowledge what part of your body is being affected

8
Unit

by stress you can then take action to relieve that stress, yoga can help relieve that stress (Stahl &

Goldstein, 2010).

Summary:
Art and Music therapy are recognized tools for managing stress. Music has been used as a form of

relaxation for eons. Singing, chanting, playing an instrument are all effective relaxation techniques.

They all create vibrations, every cell in our bodies maintains a vibration, as do many organs such as

the brain and heart, which are detectable. “When there is harmony among all vibrations housed in the

human body, and this harmony is depicted as optimal health” (Seaward, 2007)

Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity

Information to Remember:
1. Hatha yoga is one of the five yoga paths, it is said to be the path of physical balance. Hatha yoga

focuses on physical postures with controlled breathing, or pranayama. Hatha yoga is considered a

suitable alternative healing option for many chronic health issues, as well as for stress management

(Seaward, 2015).

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 2. T’ai Chi ch’uan is a relaxation technique, that with movements brings the body in to harmony with

the universal energy. The definition for Chi is “the universal life force of subtle energy that surrounds

and permeates everything” (Seaward, 2015). T’ai Chi is also known as a walking meditation

(Seaward, 2015).

3. Cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, agility, power, and balance

are all components of fitness. For a fitness program to be effective it must utilize all six of these

components. There are many benefits to exercising, some of which are decreased blood pressure,

decreased muscle tension, better sleep quality, and increased resistance to colds and illnesses

(Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercises:
In this exercise we wrote a proposal for health and wellness management. Yoga and meditation

opportunities in the workplace is a very cost effective way to engage employees in healthy lifestyle

changes. Not only does it relieve and reduce stress for employees, it also save employers money in

healthcare cost, production rates increase, and workman comp cases decrease (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
OPENNESS: What came up for me with openness was that I realized that I hadn’t looked at this

person with a fresh open mind in a very long time. I just go about interacting as if I know what is

already going to be said, how I will respond, etc. With openness it really does give a freshness or

newness to the relationship.

EMPATHY: Being an empath, I am able to identify with other people’s feelings easily, usually to the

point that I have to remind myself that those are not my feelings that I am feeling.

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COMPASSION: When reflecting on this person and compassion, I know this person has been through

a lot and I do wish there was a way for me to comfort them and help them let go of the past.

LOVING-KINDNESS: With this particular person loving-kindness comes easy as there is an

unconditional love there, I always want the best for them.

SYMPATHETIC JOY: This is my favorite quality; when this person experiences joys and

accomplishments I can feel the joy with them.

EQUANIMITY: I try to teach this quality to my children, everyone should be treated equal, whether it

be the janitor at the school or the President of the United States, no one should be treated any less than

human, with loving-kindness.

Summary

After reading through all the qualities of interpersonal mindfulness, it gave me a better

understanding, not only of the person I was thinking of, but also people in general. We all have our

own way of being, our own perception on life, being mindful of other’s differences can be made

easier with these six qualities (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Issues for

9
Unit

Management and Prevention to your

Professional Life
Information to Remember:
1. There are no set guidelines on creating a stress management program, each person is different and has

different stressors, they react differently to stress, and not all techniques will work for everyone. It is

important to find what works for you as an individual. You must use you own inner resources, which

include, but are not limited to intuition, creativity, willpower, faith, humor, love, courage, self-

reliance, and optimism (Seaward, 2015).

2. Some suggestions from Seaward (2015) for making a personal stress management program include

making it a habit to spend quality time, daily to get to know yourself. learning to recognize your

feelings as they occur, practice unconditional love, nurture your creativity, balance all of the

components of your well-being and take care of them, and the last one is being like a child. (Seaward,

2015).

3. Hobbies are a great way to relieve stress, they offer a temporary escape from sensory overload. Most

hobbies involve creativity and the ability to make order out of chaos. Hobbies can increase self-

29
esteem, because they allow you to invest yourself in many areas, if something is causing negative

feelings, doing a hobby can help rid you of those negative feelings (Seaward, 2015).

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Additional Information
1. In our fast pace world, we have a hard time being present, most do not even know where to

begin. There are several videos, books, and websites that can teach mindfulness and the art of

being present. One particular video by Eckhart Tolle, explains very well, about being present

throughout a busy workday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCY8UnPNV1g (Tolle,

2013). (Secondary source)

2. The book, A New Earth, also by Eckhart Tolle (2005), teaches mindfulness and the art of being

present. This is a must read for learning self-awareness. (Primary Source).

3. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), has a website that discusses

exercise for stress and anxiety at https://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-

anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety (Secondary)

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 References

ADAA. (2014). Exercise for Stress and Anxiety. Retrieved from https://www.adaa.org/living-with-

anxiety/managing-anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety

Aronson, MS, RD, D. (2009). Cortisol — Its Role in Stress, Inflammation, and Indications for Diet

Therapy. Today’s Dietitian,11(11), 38. Retrieved from

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/111609p38.shtml

CHMC. (n.d.). Stress management and reduction: Training: Diaphragmatic Breathing. Retrieved

from https://cmhc.utexas.edu/stressrecess/Level_Two/breathing.html

Seaward, B. (2007). Essentials of managing stress. Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (8th ed.).

Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Stahl, B. & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New

Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Tolle, E. (2005). A new earth: Awakening to your life's purpose. New York, N.Y: Dutton/Penguin

Group.

Tolle, E. (2013). How to inhabit your body in a stressful environment [Video]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCY8UnPNV1g

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