KAPLAN UNIVERSITY

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in

Management and Prevention

Stress
Management and
Prevention
1

Program Resource
Guide

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

Stress Management and Prevention

Program Resource Guide

By
Heather Alaboudi
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
Date of Assignment

Table of Contents
UNIT

THE

NATU RE

OF

STRESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNIT

THE

BO DY

AS

BATTL EF IEL D

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNIT

F EAST

OR

FAM IN INE

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNIT

ONE

PL ANET

UNDER

STRESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

UNDER

STRESS:

WHAT

NOW?

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

AGEL ESS

WISDOM

OF

M EDITATIO N

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

SIGHT,

SOUN D,

AND

Information to Remember

BO DY

WOR K

Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

THE

WEL L NESS

M ANDAL A

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

APPLYING

PREVEN TIO N

TO

STRESS:

YOUR

CRITICAL

PROF ESSI ONAL

M ANAGEM ENT

AND

L IF E

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

1 0

APPLYING

PREVEN TIO N

TO

STRESS:

YOUR

CRITICAL

PROF ESSI ONAL

M ANAGEM ENT
L IF E

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
ADDITI ONAL

INF ORM ATIO N

(End of the Guide)

AND

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1
Unit

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:

What is Stress? Stress is the experience of a perceived threat (real or

imagined) to one's mental, physical or spiritual well-being, resulting form a
series of physiological responses and adaptations (Seaward, 2009). Stress can
be good (Eustress) or it can be negative, and when it is negative it can effect
our help in many ways. Almost anything can be a stressor from a phone call in
the middle of the night, to financial troubles, to school work.

General adaptation theory was coined by Hans Selyne. It has three distinct
physiological phases in reaction to chronic stress: the alarm phase, the
resistance phase and the exhaustion phase (Seaward, 2009). Selye's general
adaption syndrome outlined the parameters of the physiological dangers of
stress(Seaward, 2009). His work laid foundation for the mind, body, spirit
attitude and the foundation for the utilization of relaxation techniques that
have the ability to intercept the stress response, thereby decreasing
susceptibility to illness and disease (Seaward, 2009).

Shelly Taylor hypothesized that men and women respond to stress differently.
She proposed the new theory for the female stress response, tend and
befriend. The tend and befriend theory states that women who experience
stress don't necessarily run or fight, but rather events and circumstances
(Seaward, 2009).

Resources: Exercises:

My Health Philosophy: My health philosophy has been molded and changed by

my education and my life experiences. But being in the field that I am and
being in the most important role of my life, mom, health has got to be a top
priority for me and my family. To me to be truly healthy you must be healthy in
all aspects, including, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

2
Unit

The Wellness Paradigm Revisited: Ageless wisdom tells us that the whole is
greater than the sum of the parts in terms of Health and Wellness, the whole is
made up of four components: mind, body, spirit, and emotions. Being a Health
and Wellness major this is an important issue for me that I truly take to heart.
I am trying hard to find balance again in my life. I have an amazing supportive
boyfriend and two great kids, but until my physical issues and pain are under
control I don't think I will find balance.

Tools: Journal Writing:

A Good Night's Sleep. Although eight hours a night of sleep is recommended,

it is not the norm. A poor nights sleep can lead to a poor waking day, and
overtime will affect all aspects of health. No one really knows why we sleep
and there is lack of evidence as to what goes on when we sleep, however, we
do know what happens when we don't get enough sleep. When we don't get
enough sleep memory and motor coordination fade rapidly, and performance,
in all aspects, is greatly compromised.

Are you stressed? This survey composed of 20 questions is to help determine

if you are stressed or burt out or just exactly how stressed you really are. I
scored a 12 on this questionnaire, putting me at a high level of personal stress.
I chose to include this because I knew I always felt stressed, and this was a
way to show that I really was. I need to learn how to deal with this so it
doesn't manifest into these physical issues.

Unit 2: The Body as Battlefield

Information to Remember:

The endocrine system consists of a series of glands located throughout the

body that regulate metabolic functions requiring endurance rather than speed
(Seaward, 2009). The endocrine system is a network of four components:
glands, hormones, circulation, and target organs (Seaward, 2009). The heart,
skeletal muscle, and arteries are among the organs most targeted by

hormones for metabolic change.(Seaward, 2009). The glands that are most
closely involved with the stress response are the pituitary, thyroid and the
adrenal glands (Seaward, 2009).

Psychosomatic is a term coined from Franz Alexander's term organ neurosis

used to describe a host of physical illnesses or diseases caused by the mind
and unresolved emotional issues (Seaward, 2009).
Fifty years would pass
before medical science took Alexander's theory seriously and another two
decades before the medical community would acknowledge the highly
sophisticated intricacies of mind, body, spirit, and emotions that can produce
not just a detrimental effect, but healing effect as well (Seaward, 2009). The
current focus on the stress-and-disease phenomenon is directed toward the
interactions of the immune system, and human consciousness (Seaward,
2009).

Research conducted by endocrinologist Bruce McEwen indicates that initially a stressful encounter is
etched into the memory bank (so as to avoid it down the road), but that repeated episodes of stress
decrease memory by weakening hippocampal brain cells (Seaward, 2009). Chronic stress is thought
to wither the fragile connection between neurons in this part of the brain, resulting in brain
shrinkage (Seaward, 2009). To date, six sets of findings in humans should raise some worries:
Cushing's syndrome, Post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, repeated jet lag, normative
aging and interactions between glucorcorticoids and neurological insults (Sapolsky, 2004).

Resources: Exercises:

Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects: The stress response

has immediate (seconds), intermediate (minutes to hours), and prolonged
(days) effect though which symptoms of physical stress can manifest. I have
noticed many immediate, and intermediate effects withing myself, but not as
many prolonged effects. However, I wonder if my endometriosis has a lot to do
with stress. That would be an interesting long-term effect.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Physical Symptoms Questionnaire: Over the past seven days I have had many
tension headaches, muscle tension (neck/shoulders), I don't have much of an
appetite, yet I feel bloated, my mind races all nights with thoughts of money
problems and things that need to be done leaving me with little sleep and my
waking hours I feel constantly fatigued. I have had many dizzy spells and have
been very clumsy. But my Health Profile shows that other than the stress that
I am currently under, I am healthy.

My Health Profile: Health is so much more than the optimal functioning of our
physical bodies. To fully understand the mind-body-spirit connection, you must

3
Unit

realize that the body is actually the endpoint where unresolved issues of mind
and spirit collect, not the beginning. I included my health profile because it
was a good way to kind of work backwards. See what was maybe visibly going
wrong and then see if I could connect the dots to what was going wrong
inside to cause the outside health issues.

Unit 3: Feast or Famine

Information to Remember:

Defense mechanisms, as described by Sigmund Freud, are unconscious

thinking patterns of the ego to either decrease pain or increase pleasure
(Seaward, 2009). An individual rarely uses just one defense mechanism;
rather, each person employs a variety of ego-protecting mechanisms (Seaward,
2009).
These mechanisms include denial, repression, projection,
rationalization, reaction formation, regression, displacement, sublimation, and
humor (Seaward, 2009).

The stress grieving process was outlined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross regarding

the mental preparation for death, including, denial, anger, bargaining,
depression, and acceptance (Seaward, 2009). Although these stages were
observed among dying cancer patients, the same stages apply to any type of
loss, including the death of unmet expectations (Seaward, 2009). Acceptance
is not giving in or giving up. A significant component of the stage of
acceptance is adaptation (Seaward, 2009).

The Jonah complex is a term coined by Abraham Maslow to illustrate the fear
of not maximizing one's potential (Seaward, 2009). When people perceive that
they have failed at something, their confidence, and thus their self-value and
self-acceptance, decrease (Seaward, 2009). This can be a cyclical process,
paving the way for repeated failures (Seaward, 2009). A bad experience in the
past inhibits a person from attempting an identical or similar task again,
example marriage (Seaward, 2009).

Resources: Exercises:

Anger: The Fight Response. Anger is a survival emotion, it's the fight
component of the fight-or-flight response. Although feeling angry is within the
normal limits of human emotions, anger is often mismanaged and misdirected.
As a result, anger either tears us apart from the inside (ulcers) or promotes
intermittent eruptions of verbal or physical violence. Of the four distinct ways
in which people mismanage their anger, I tend to be an underhander. I use a
lot of sarcasm and tend to make things a lot worse before they get better. To
vent my anger I usually use exercise. I like to punch and kick my heavy bag or
go for a run. If it is too late at night for that I will just write in a journal in my
phone.

Fear This! Fear, like anger, is a very normal human emotion. Fear tends to be
a difficult emotion to resolve. Feelings of anxiety or fear can trickle down from
the mind to the body and wreak physical havoc from head to toe. Some of the
fears that top my list of stressors are: larck of money, not being able to find a
job, and not being able to get my kids to where they need to be (failure to be a
good mom). Seeing the difference between the stress that is due to anger and
the stress that is due to fear has helped me to figure out how to deal with the
different underlying causes.

Tools: Journal Writing:

The Psychology of Your Stress: My most common defense mechanism to

protect my ego is displacement. I never remember any of my dreams, not
even bits and pieces. I can relate to Kubler-Rigg's stages of grieving to a lot of
things, but most recently to my father's COPD and how serious it is. I find that
most of my major stressors are fear based. I fear not having money, or being
there for my kids. My boyfriend is great, but I haven't quite figured out how to
fall back on him. It is really hard to be mom and dad.

4
Unit

Unit 4: One Planet Under Stress

Information to Remember:

Type A, Type D and Codependent personalities are stress-prone personalities.

A person with a a type A personality is more prone to sympathetic arousal,
hypertension, and elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, placing
them at a higher risk for several stress-related disorders, but especially
coronary heart disease (Seaward, 2009). Type A personality traits are, time
urgency, polyphasia (multitasking), ultra-competitiveness, rapid speech
patterns, manipulative control, hyperaggressiveness, and one factor all the
traits share is low self-esteem (Seaward, 2009).

Self-esteem is the sense of underpinning self-values, self-acceptance, and selflove; thought to be a powerful buffer against perceived threats (Seaward,
2009).
Low self-esteem is the common denominator in stress-prone
personalities (Seaward, 2009). When we place little or no value on our self, we
become quite vulnerable to the preceptors of stress (Seaward, 2009).

The Hero's Journey was Mythologist Joseph Campbell's classic template of the
human journey with three stages, departure, initiation and return (Seaward,
2009). Departure, the first step of any adventure is to leave your place of
origin (Seaward, 2009). Initiation, traveling down the road far away from
home, the hero is put to a test (Seaward, 2009). And return, at some point in
the journey, usually upon success with the initiation process, the hero must
return home (Seaward, 2009).

Resources: Exercises:

Distractions of the Human Path: Distractions can best be described as those

things that pull us off the spiritual path indefinitely. The human spirit, like
energy, must flow, never stagnate. Not always, but often attractions that
distractions have an addictive quality to them. Examples of my distractions
are my cell phone, chronic pain, candy crush, alcohol, and television.

5
Unit

Your Personal Value System: We all have a value system, a core pillar of the
human spirit that is constantly undergoing renovation. Figuring out what my
value system looked like took me a good part of the week. After much
consideration I realized that happiness was the at the core of my values and
everything else supported that . I liked this exercise and found it important
because it really made me focus on what was important to me.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Stress-Prone Personality Survey: A survey based on they traits of the

codependent personality. I scored 68, with a score of more than 30 points
indicating you most likely have traits associated with the codependent
personality, a personality style known to be stress-prone.

Under the Gun: Stress and Personality: I chose commitment in this exercise.
It was hard for me to sit back and realize that I do for everyone but me. I go,
go, go and when I do rest, my mind doesn't. My mind will start to worry as
soon as my body starts to rest. This shows me there are some things I need to
re-evaluate and work on.

Unit 5: Under Stress: What Now?

Information to Remember:

By some estimates, there are more that 300 strategies to changing one's
behavior from less desirable to more desirable ones (Seaward, 2009). In 1982,
James Prochaska, who studied behavior changes, resulted in what has become
regarded as one of the premier models of behavior modifications, called the
stages of change. (Seaward, 2009). Prochaska and his colleague, Carlo
Diclemente, observed that by and large behavior change (particularly for
behavior of an addictive nature) is not a singular event but a process, if not a
skill (much like an athletic skill) that may take months or longer to master
(Seaward, 2009). What makes this approach unique is that he acknowledges
the aspect of relapse as a common part of the process and not failure unto

itself (Seaward, 2009). The six steps of this model are: Precontemplation
Stage, Contemplative Stage, Determination Stage, Action Stage, Maintenance
Stage, and Relapse Stage (Seaward, 2009).

Humor Therapy: in the simplest terms, the use of humor is a defense

mechanism (Seaward, 2009). Yet, unlike other conscious defense strategies to
protect the ego humor seems to dissolve the walls of the ego rather then
intensify them (Seaward, 2009). Humor can increase pleasure, reduce pain,
diffuse anger and anxiety (Seaward, 2009). Humor's greatest asset is to
balance the emotional scale between positive and negative perceptions
(Seaward, 2009).

The relationship between finances and stress has always been a dubious one,
and with the advent of credit cards, it became all too easy to spend what you
don't have (Seaward, 2009). All this makes financial debt a very common
stressor. Tips for financial freedom are: Make and follow a budget, live a
sustainable lifestyle, freeze your credit cards, keep a spending journal, see
each purchase as an investment, consolidate your debt, consider opening a
401 (k) or Roth IRA (Seaward, 2009).

Tools: Journal Writing:

Reframing: Reframing is looking at the same situation from a new reference

or vantage point and finding some good aspect in it (Seaward, 2009). Finding
three stressors to include int his journal exercise was easy, the challenge was
figuring out a new perspective to view these challenges in. However, once I
really thought about them, I was able to see a good side to the situation. I
selected this pieces from the journal writings because it is something I am
hoping I can implement in more situations. I found it extremely useful and
could almost feel the stress lifting from my shoulders when I saw the more
positive side of the situation.

The Time-Crunch Questionnaire: This was a survey based on the traits of the
codependent personality.
I scored a 41, putting me in the fair time
management skills category. I included this journal because working, being a
mom, and a student requires me to have not good, but great time management
skills. This questionnaire showed be that I have room for improvement and
where to start improving.

6
Unit

Unit 6: Ageless Wisdom of

Meditation
Information to Remember:

Diaphragmatic breathing is the most basic relaxation technique; breathing

from the lower stomach or diaphragm rather than the thoracic area (Seaward,
2009).
There are three steps to diaphragmatic breathing:
assume a
comfortable position, concentration, and visualization (Seaward, 2009).
Diaphragmatic breathing is thought to be an effective relaxation technique
because physiologically speaking, when pressure resulting from the expansion
of the chest wall and muscular contraction is taken off the thoracic cavity,
sympathetic drive decreases (Seaward, 2009).
Parasympathetic drive
overrides the sympathetic system, and homeostasis results (Seaward, 2009).

Meditation is a practice of increased concentration that leads to increased

awareness; a solitary practice of reflection on internal rather than external
stimuli (Seaward, 2009). Technically speaking, meditation, is an increased
concentration and awareness; a process of living in the moment to produce
and enjoy a tranquil state of mind (Seaward, 2009). The practice of meditation
is the oldest recognized relaxation technique (Seaward, 2009). Meditation has
been integrated into virtually every relaxation technique known and practiced
today (Seaward, 2009).

Visualization is directed exercise in mental imagery, consciously creating

images of success, healing, or relaxation for the purpose of self-improvment
(Seaward, 2009). Patricia Norris describes visualization as a conscious
choice with intentional instructions (Seaward, 2009). Guided mental imagery
is an exercise in which one is guided through a series of suggestions provided
by an instructor, therapist, or counselor to enhance one's imagination
(Seaward, 2009).

Resources: Exercises:

Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought: Roger Sperry's research led to the

Nobel Prize in medicine and to the household expression right-brain thinking
and left-brain thinking.
Left-brain thinking skills are associated with
judgment,analysis, mathematical and verbal activity. Right-brain thinking is
associated with global thinking, holistic thinking, imagination, humor,
emotionality and intuition. Balance is something I have been striving for since
I started studying Health and Wellness. This exercise help to show me that not
only am I a right-brain thinker, but that there are ways for me to become intune with my left-brain thinking. Being able to determine weather I am being
right dominate or left-brain dominate will help me bring me balance.

Three Short Guided Visualizations: These three guided visualizations were

each very different and yet very similar. Visualization is something that I have
a hard time with and the A point of light in space visualization was by far the
hardest one of the three for me. I tried these exercises numerous times and
did find it easier when I recorded the instruction then when I was trying to
read them and do the exercise at the same time. I hope to keep working on
my visualization skills and get better at this.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Too Much Information: Now that we are in the information age, we are
drowning in information. This is known as information stress. There are many
ways we can decrease the quantity of information we are barraged with
everyday and this exercise really made me step back and think about that.

I Have a Vision: The Art of Visualization: Visualization can be used to heal the
body by using your imagination to create a vision of restored health of a
specific organ or region of the body. This is important to me and something I
would like to get better at because of the chronic pain I have been in for the
past two years. I had a very hard time with A Mountain Lake, but Rainbow
Meditation really relaxed me. I still had a hard time with the visualization, but
hopefully with practice I will get it.

7
Unit

Unit 7: Sight, Sound and Body Work

Information to Remember:

The relationship between nutrition, stress, and the immune system might be
best illustrated through the use of four dominos (Seaward, 2009). Domino 1:
Stress tends to deplete nutrients in the body (Seaward, 2009). Domino 2:
Current American lifestyles under stress do not promote or reinforce good
eating habits (Seaward, 2009). Domino 3: Some food substances are known
to increase sympathetic drive or other physiological responses that keep the
stress response elevated (Seaward, 2009). Domino 4: Many foods that are
processed contribute to cumulative effect of toxins (Seaward, 2009). The fall
of each domino increases the chance of health-related problems as a result of
the confluence of stress-prone eating habits (Seaward, 2009).

Under the most optimal conditions, stress can cause problems with the body's
ability to digest and absorb nutrients, thus impeding the availability of the
essential nutrients, particularly vitamins and minerals (Seaward, 2009). The
physiological system most seriously affected by a poor nutritional state is the
immune system (Seaward, 2009).
Under chronic stress conditions the
minerals chromium, copper, iron, and zinc become deficient (Seaward, 2009).
There are also four vitamins known to be greatly affected by chronic stress:
the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E and the vitamin B-complex (Seaward,
2009).

Stress increases the production of cortisol, which, in turn, increases the

production of the chemical neuropeptide Y (NYP) in the brain (Seaward,
2009). NYP is thought to be responsible for the cravings of carbohydrate-rich
foods, particularly sweets (Seaward, 2009). NYP levels are normally high in
the morning; this coupled with a stress-filled day, can create the urge for
sweets all day long (Seaward, 2009). This can account for stress eating and
weight gain.

8
Unit

Tools: Journal Writing:

Stress-Related Eating Behaviors: I scored a 31, which according to the scoring

key, indicates that my eating behaviors are not conductive to reducing stress.
When I go back and look at this I think it may have to do with my snacking, but
since I don't really eat large meals, with maybe the exception of dinner with
my family (which is still smaller than most Americans) I tend to snack
throughout the day on fresh fruit, vegetables, and nuts. Where I do see a big
problem is my beverages. I drink an excessive of coffee and my share of
alcohol. I grew up in house in a family that drank socially and then always
worked in restaurants, where every shift ended with a drink. I guess I still
haven't learned how to end my shift without a drink.

Self-Assessment: Nutritional Eating Habits. I really liked this assessment and

want to use it with my clients. It gets you to really think about what and when
you eat. I tend to really watch my salt and junk food intake. We are one of the
few families that eat almost all of our meals at home and consume very little
processed food. However, my alcohol consumption needs to be re-evaluated.

Unit 8: The Wellness Mandala

Information to Remember:

Although there are many kinds of exercise, exercise physiologists classify all
physical activity into two categories: anaerobic or aerobic (Seaward, 2009).
These two types of physical exertion nicely parallel the two aspects of the
fight-or-flight response as well as the emotions they elicit (Seaward, 2009).
Anaerobic exercise is defined as a physical motion intense in power and
strength, yet short in duration (Seaward, 2009). Theoretically speaking
anaerobic activity is the type of movement or exercise used in the fight
response (Seaward, 2009). Aerobic exercise is rhythmic physical work using

using a steady supply of oxygen delivered to working muscles for a continuous

period of not less than 20 minutes (Seaward, 2009). Aerobic exercise is the
flight of fight-or-flight response and its primary energy source consists of
fats (Seaward, 2009).

The following conclusions have been drawn regarding the immediate, shortterm and long-term effects of cardiovascular exercise as a relaxation technique
(Seaward, 2009). First, it appears that a single bout of aerobic exercise burns
off existing catecholamines and stress hormones by directing them toward
their intended metabolic function rather than allowing them to linger in the
body to undermine the integrity of vital organs and the immune system
(Seaward, 2009). Second, the training effect of aerobic exercise appears to
prepare the body for future stressful episodes by decreasing the level of
hormonal secretions when feeling of anger or fear manifest (Seaward, 2009).

Several long-distance runners interviewed stated that running heightened

mental receptivity, resulting in greater imagination and creativity to apply to
problem solving (Seaward, 2009). Between this discovery and the other
positive effects, psychologists took a new interest in cardiovascular exercise as
a coping technique to reduce the psychological fallout from stress (Seaward,
2009). The conclusion drawn from all the research is that athletic training or
exercise is viable as both a relaxation technique and a coping technique to
deal with stress (Seaward, 2009).
The following are the reported
psychological benefits of habitual exercise (particularly jogging), improved
self-esteem, improved sense of self-reliance & self-efficacy, improved mental
alertness, perception & information processing, increased perceptions of
acceptance by others, decreased feelings of depression and anxiety, decreased
overall sense of stress and tension.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Physical Exercise: As human beings we were never meant to sit behind a desk
for eight to ten hours a day. Human anatomy and physiology were designed to
find a balance between motion and stillness, stress and homeostasis, exercise
and relaxation. In this day and age, in which stress is at an all time high, our
bodies kick out several stress hormones, which if not used for their intended
purpose (to mobilize the body's systems for fight or flight), circulate
throughout the body and tend to wreak havoc on various organs and
constituents of the immune system. Physical exercise is considered the best
way to keep the physiological systems of the body in balance, from stress
hormones and adipose tissue to the integrity of bone cells and macrophage of

the immune system. Exercise is a big part of my life. I am a personal trainer

and would like to help more people as I continue with my education and my
career. I have the education and documentation to back up what exercise can
do for the heart, circulatory system, bones and overall health, but being able to
have this data to add to my extremely stressed clients (and myself) is priceless.
I will use this exercise with many of my clients, most likely along with their
Health Status Questionnaire.

My Body, My Physique: We receive hundreds of messages a day from the

media telling us that our physiques just aren't good enough. We spend hours
and hours and gobs of money altering, complementing, adding, shifting,
subtracting, and glamorizing various aspects of our bodies just to please other
people in the hopes that we too can be pleased. There is a strong connection
between self-esteem and body image. If your level of self-esteem is low, so too
will be your body image. This exercise made me take a step back and really
think. Am I happy with my physique? The answer is yes, and for most of my
life I have been happy or at least okay with how I look and who I am. There
have been people in my life who have tried very hard to knock down my selfesteem and change how I view my body image, but I know who I am and I
won't let anyone take that away from me. During this week I looked back at
past pictures of me, when things were different and exercise, nutrition and
health were not the center of my life and even though I am happier with my
physique now, I was happy with my physique then. There were reason I was
heavier when I was, but for the most part for the past 20 or so years exercise
has been important to me and that has a big impact on how I see myself. That
doesn't mean I don't want to see myself more defined abs or that I don't want
my arms to look defined, but those I consider my personal fitness goals to get
back to where I was prior to my surgeries. I got my timed mile and half back
to where I want it and the muscles just take time. I copied this part of the
journal to use with my clients. I can use this to see what areas of their body
we can work on and what I can point out to help try and boost their selfesteem. I find a lot of people have had or still do have people in their lives who
put them down and a lot of the time it is mothers putting down their
daughters or boyfriends/husbands that put them down. I like to help build it
back up.

9
Unit

Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical

Management to your Professional
Life
Information to Remember:

Several circumstances we encounter are perceived as threats because of our

lack of information about the event (Seaward, 2009). To conquer fear of the
unknown, gathering information about a specific circumstance becomes one of
the best defenses against stressors (Seaward, 2009). The three most common
references are people, books, and the Internet (Seaward, 2009). An individual
becomes a reference when he or she appears to be in the know about a
certain situation, either because of personal experience or the acquisition of
knowledge pertaining to your situation (Seaward, 2009). Usually when
information is disseminated though people, however, facts are intertwined
with emotional perception (Seaward, 2009). Information seeking can be a
liability as well as an asset. Too much information can be as detrimental as too
little because it can feed the imagination create worst-case scenarios, which
are then adopted as reality (Seaward, 2009).

Healthy diversions are any activities that offer a temporary escape from the
sensory overload that can produce or perpetrate the stress response
(Seaward, 2009). As with most strategies, diversions offer either positive or
negative repercussions (Seaward, 2009). Positive diversions are those in
which the individual takes an active role in the escape process (Seaward,
2009). Active escapes are those that contribute to one's identity, character,
and self-esteem (Seaward, 2009). The best temporary active escape is said to
be a hobby (Seaward, 2009). Many people find that their time spent in the
pursuit of hobbies transfers to solutions for major life problems (Seaward,
2009).

Forgiveness is a coping technique for anger-related stressors for which a shift

in attitude is adopted toward those against whom a grudge was previously
held (Seaward, 2009). When many people hear the work forgiveness, they
associate the process with condonement, absolution, and self-sacrifice, which
in the opinion of some, perpetuates the feelings of victimization (Seaward,
2009). Consequently, because of the emotional pain involved, forgiveness is
not initially looked upon as a viable option to reduce personal stress (Seaward,
2009). But, holding a grudge of feelings of resentment apperars to be a form
of control over the person or circumstance involved (Seaward, 2009). These
feelings are an illusion of control (Seaward, 2009).

Additional Resources
Pruter, I., & Heidenreich, P. (2009). Handbook of Stress : Causes, Effects and Control.
New York: Nova Science Publishers.
This book is a secondary source, it interprets and analyzes primary sources. It
goes in depth on the subject of stress and related topics such as eating
disorders, stress in athletes, stress from a developmental and vocational
perspective, reflective activity, stress in adolescence, caregiving stress, the
stress of poverty, emotional and behavioral problems after exposure to on going
terrorism and aerobic exercise as a relief to stress (Pruter & Heidenreich,
2009). Particular attention is focused on stress concepts and processes,
including stress exposure, stress generation, stress reactivity, and stress
sensitivity (Pruter & Heidenreich, 2009).
Babatunde, A. (2013). Occupational Stress: A Review on Conceptualisations, Causes and
Cure. Economic Insights - Trends & Challenges, 65(3), 73-80.
This article is a secondary source, it interprets and analyzes primary sources.
Given the complex nature of the concept occupational stress (also known as
work or job stress), it appears a daunting task reaching a unified definition of
work stress because of the acknowledged fact that a singular approach may not
be able to encompass the breadth of the phenomenon (Babatunde, 2013).

These stress sources are consequentially known to produce dire organizational

and extra-organizational outcomes such as low morale, poor performance,
career uncertainty, health problems, work-life conflict, turnover and other
reverses that undermine competitive objectives of business (Babatunde, 2013).
A solution, stress curative measures are discussed to assist managers to
understand the significance of providing effective stress management
interventions that can enhance employee well-being and organizational
productivity (Babatunde, 2013).

Smith, M., Segal, R., & Segal, J. (2013, November). Stress symptoms, signs and causes.
Retrieved
from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

This web page is a secondary source, it does a good job of interpreting and
analyzing primary sources. Stress is a normal response to events that make you
feel threatened or upset your balance in some way (Smith, Segal & Segal,
2013). This informative web page starts with what stress is and the fight-orflight response and goes into how you respond to stress. Psychologist Connie
Lillas uses driving analogy to describe the three most common ways people
respond when they are overwhelmed by stress: Foot on the Gas- An angry or
agitated stress response, Foot on the Brake- A withdrawn or depressed stress
response. Foot on Both- A tense and frozen stress response (Smith, Segal & Segal,
2013) . The table on stress warning signs and symptoms is particularly helpful, as
is the remainder of the page which deals with how much stress is too much:,
causes of stress, effects of chronic stress, and dealing with stress and its symptoms.

Smith, M., & Segal, R. (2013, November). Stress management. Retrieved from
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
This web page is a secondary source, it interprets and analyzes primary
sources. Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in
your life (Smith & Segal, 2013). To identify your true sources of stress, look
closely at your habits, attitudes, and excuses (Smith & Segal, 2013). Look at
how you currently cope with stress, start a stress journal. Take note of what
caused your stress, how you felt, both physically and emotionally, how you acted
in response, and what you did to make yourself feel better (Smith & Segal,
2013). There are healthier ways and unhealthy ways to deal with stress. This
web page gives some great healthier alternatives to dealing with stress.

Watchwellcast. (2013, May 23). Stress management strategies: Ways to unwind. Retrieved
from http://youtu.be/0fL-pn80s-c
This was a great short (about five minutes) animated video about strategies to
deal with stress management. This is a secondary source, it interprets and
analyzes primary sources. It has great quick stress management strategies like:
taking a hot shower, going for a run, having a treat (dark chocolate), or do some
cleaning (something small you can cross off your to-do-list). It gave some
techniques to relax before bed to help fall asleep and gave some breathing
techniques. It also suggested using smells such as a lavender candle or some
spearmint tea to calm down before bed. In short I think this was a great video.

Resources
Babatunde, A. (2013). Occupational Stress: A Review on Conceptualisations, Causes and
Cure. Economic Insights - Trends & Challenges, 65(3), 73-80.

Pruter, I., & Heidenreich, P. (2009). Handbook of Stress : Causes, Effects and Control.
New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Seaward, B. (2009). Managing stress principles and strategies for health and well-being.
(Sixth ed.). Sudburg, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Smith, M., & Segal, R. (2013, November). Stress management. Retrieved from
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

Smith, M., Segal, R., & Segal, J. (2013, November). Stress symptoms, signs and causes.
Retrieved

from

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

Watchwellcast. (2013, May 23). Stress management strategies: Ways to unwind. Retrieved
from

http://youtu.be/0fL-pn80s-c