HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in

Management and Prevention

Stress
Management and
Prevention

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Program Resource
Guide

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 Stress Management and Prevention
Program Resource Guide

By

Kendra Croom

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

12/17/2019

Table of Contents
UNIT 1 THE NATU RE OF STRESS

Information to Remember........................................................................4
Assignment...............................................................................................4
Journal......................................................................................................5

UNIT 2 THE PHYSI OL O GY OF STRESS

Information to Remember........................................................................6
Assignment...............................................................................................6
Journal......................................................................................................7

UNIT 3 PSYCHOL OGY OF STRESS

 Information to Remember........................................................................8
Assignment...............................................................................................8
Journal......................................................................................................9

UNIT 4 PERSONAL I TY TRAITS AND THE HUM AN SPIRIT UAL IT Y

Information to Remember......................................................................10
Assignment.............................................................................................10
Journal....................................................................................................12

UNIT 5 DEAL ING WITH STRESS: COPING STRATEGIE S

Information to Remember......................................................................13
Journal....................................................................................................14

UNIT 6 REL AXATIO N TECHI QUE S 1 : BREATH IN G, M EDITATIO N, AND MENTAL

IM AGERY

Information to Remember......................................................................15
Assignment.............................................................................................15
Journal....................................................................................................16

UNIT 7 NUTRITI ON AND STRESS

Information to Remember......................................................................17
Journal....................................................................................................18
UNIT 8 PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND ACTIVITY

Information to Remember......................................................................19
Assignment.............................................................................................20
Journal....................................................................................................20

UNIT 9 APPL YING STRESS: CRITICAL ISSUES F OR M ANAGEM EN T AND

PREVEN TIO N TO YOUR PROF ESSIO NAL L IF E

Information to Remember......................................................................21

ADDITI ON AL INF ORM AT IO N

REF EREN CES

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 1
Unit

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Stress is a strain on our mental and emotional health. Stress can be brought about by
our own negativity or by outside factors, but the way we deal with the stress is what truly matters.
Stress can seep into all aspects of our lives, but there are ways to help you not react negatively to it.
(Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Mindfulness is the practice of being in the moment. Often allow our minds to
wonder or dwell on negative thoughts. Being mindful allows us to stay present on focused on the life
we are living in the moment. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: A mandala is a cercal split into four sections. These sections are emotional-
wellbeing, physical wellbeing, intellectual wellbeing and spiritual wellbeing. The goal is to get to the
point where all your sections of the mandala are even. (Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
This assignment was to create our own mandalas. All aspects of the mandala are
important. For some people so parts are more important than others. My
mandala’s biggest section was emotional wellbeing. Then came physical,
intellectual and spiritual was the smallest. All though I did not put them at equal
importance they are all still important parts of me as a whole. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal:
Place a few raisins in your hand. If you don’t have raisins, any food will do. Imagine
that you have just come to Earth from a distant planet without such food. Now,
with this food in hand, you can begin to explore it with all of your senses. Focus
on one of the objects as if you’ve never seen anything like it before. Focus on
seeing this object. Scan it, exploring every part of it, as if you’ve never seen such
a thing before. Turn it around with your fingers and notice what color it is. Notice
the folds and where the surface reflects light or becomes darker. Next, explore
the texture, feeling any softness, hardness, coarseness, or smoothness. While

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 you’re doing this, if thoughts arise such as “Why am I doing this weird exercise?”
“How will this ever help me?” or “I hate these objects,” then just see if you can
acknowledge these thoughts, let them be, and then bring your awareness back to
the object. Take the object beneath your nose and carefully notice the smell of it.
Bring the object to one ear, squeeze it, roll it around, and hear if there is any
sound coming from it. Begin to slowly take the object to your mouth, noticing how
the arm knows exactly where to go and perhaps becoming aware of your mouth
watering. Gently place the object in your mouth, on your tongue, without biting it.
Simply explore the sensations of this object in your mouth. When you’re ready,
intentionally bite down on the object, maybe noticing how it automatically goes to
one side of the mouth versus the other. Also notice the tastes it releases. Slowly
chew this object. Be aware of the saliva in your mouth and how the object
changes in consistency as you chew. When you feel ready to swallow, consciously
notice the intention to swallow, then see if you can notice the sensations of
swallowing the raisin, sensing it moving down to your throat and into your
esophagus on its way to your stomach. Take a moment to congratulate yourself
for taking this time to experience mindful eating.
Mindful Eating Journal: What did you notice with the raisin (or whatever food) in
terms of sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste? Was anything surprising? Did any
thoughts or memories pop up while doing this practice? Take a few moments to
write down your reflections.
I do not have any raisins, so I have chosen to try something that I have never
tried before. My husband has a jar of caramels sitting on our desk. Bourbon
caramels to be specific. As I opened the jar, I noticed the smell of bourbon, but it
wasn’t strong like if you were to open an actual bottle of bourbon. It is the color of
caramel. I unwrapped it and noticed that it was smooth and sticky. It was soft and
easy to model. I did not notice a sound. It smelled like bourbon and caramel, but
the taste reminded me of sweet tea. It was sweet and stuck to my teeth. No
memories came to mind, just the thought “Wow this is very sweet!” (Stahl &
Goldstein, 2010).

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 2
Unit

Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Neuroscience is the study of the brain and how it impacts behavior, cognitive
function and the way people think. Neuroscience is very important in understanding the way our
brains function. Understand as much as we can about our brains can lead us to a better understanding
of stress and how it affects our brains. For example, too much stress can lead to the death of brain
cells and cause memory loss. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Neuroplasticity, in the simplest terms, is the “muscle building” part of the brain.
Throughout our lives our brains are changing. They are being molded by our experiences, stress
along with age can be a contributor in our cognitive functions. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: There can be many consequences from stress to your health. People who allow
stress to affect them may experience memory loss. Depression is a major side effect as well.
(Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
Stressful situations are imminent, but it is the way that we react to them that is the
key to our health. If we let the stress of everything going on in our lives consume
us and overrule our live, we could end up in poor health suffering from any one of
these illnesses or making current diseases worse. While we can’t control most
things in life, we must learn to manage our emotions and be more mindful of what
the true problem is in a stressful situation. We can take better care of ourselves
physically and mentally by letting go of some of the stress. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal
 How is stress or anxiety about people affecting your life?
 I believe I am considered an introvert. I do occasionally like to be around
people, but it isn’t something I want every day. When we have people coming
over to our house, I feel so stressed an anxious about cleaning and keeping the
kids calm that I do not get to really enjoy my time. When I meet new people, I am
very anxious and nervous that I’ll make a bad impression. The stress of it can be
overwhelming and I do not like that it causes me to not enjoy my time.

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 How is stress or anxiety about work affecting your life?
 I am currently a stay at home mother. I guess you could say that my job is
24/7. It never ends. I love my children more than anything, and my husband helps
when he can, but the stress of being a mother effects my life greatly. It’s my job to
keep three little humans alive, fed, educated and happy. Sometimes... honestly, all
the time, I feel like that is my only purpose.
 How is stress or anxiety about the world affecting your life?
 We live in a very scary world. It didn’t bother me so much until I had
children. Know every time we walk outside, I need to be on the lookout for bad
people, bad drivers, dangerous situations. The stress and anxiety of all that makes
it hard for me to live in the moment and play with my children when I am most
concerned for their safety.
 How is stress or anxiety about food and eating habits affecting your life?
 I am stress snacker. The stress of daily situations brings me to munching on
some chocolate. I want to be healthy. I want to eat well, and I want my children to
as well. The cost of food to feed a family of five trying to eat as healthy as we can
is outrageous so that effects my stress and anxiety leaves.
 How is stress or anxiety about sleep and sleeplessness affecting your life?
 All my children sleep through the night, FINALLY! But I never have time
alone in the day to do schoolwork. As soon as I get them to bed, I must stay up
and do homework. I am staring at the computer screen for a few hours. When I
go to lay down, I can’t fall asleep right away. I lay there thinking about all the
things I’ve done wrong during the day, the unnecessary yelling I did, the time I
spent folding clothes that I could have spent playing dress up with my girls. Then
I’m exhausted the next day. I am stressed an anxious and irritable.
 How is stress or anxiety about exercise or lack of physical activity affecting
your life?
 I was going to this gym called Burn Boot Camp. I made so much progress. I
felt good and I as proud of myself. We bought a house that was to far away from
the gym to justify spending that much money a month. Since I stopped going, I
just haven’t gotten back into working out and that makes me so sad. There is no
gym in my new town that has childcare. I try to incorporate little workouts into
my day, but you know how it goes. Once you start doing something the kids need
something. The fact that I just can’t seem to find the time for the type and amount
of physical activity I want is very depressing to me.
 Summary
Stress and anxiety can control my life. I know it. I see it. I am trying to push past
it and make changes. I know I need to for me and for my children. I want to be
able to let the stress go and just be happy and anxiety free. (Stahl & Goldstein,
2010).

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Unit

Unit 3: Psychology of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: There are many consequences to stress. Stress can affect your emotional wellbeing.
It can cause you to become irritable and depressed. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Stress can also affect your spiritual wellbeing. Spirituality is the connection on has
with themselves, their purpose and whatever higher power they believe in. Stress can cause you to
lose sight of those things. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Mindful meditation can help you to relive stress. Focusing on the moment rather
than the past or future has shown to help many people. Mindful meditation can be practice anywhere
and anytime. (Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
Communication is the key to any relationship, whether it be with friends, family, or
co-workers. There are situations where it can be hard to communicate, but one
way I feel that it is important to improve your communication style is by being a
good listener. You can take all day long, but really listening to what the other
person has to say and understanding their feelings and logic are an important
part of communication. Maintaining eye contact is another. When you are
speaking with someone you want to maintain eye contact to show that you are
listening to them. This is also a good way to get a read on the other persons
emotions. Paraphrasing what the other person is saying can help show that you
understand them as well. This shows that you are interested in what it is they
have to say. Waiting until it is your turn to take is important as well. It is rude to
take over people, even when you feel as though they are wrong you need to be
patient and wait until they are finished talking. Asking for clarification is another
way to improve communication skills. You may not understand something right
off the bat and asking for clarification can help. Lastly, always speak your
emotions. If the other person does not know how you are truly feeling, then they
will not know what it is you truly need. Communicating properly can help keep
stress in relationships at bay. (Seaward, 2015).

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Journal:
 As a mother, it took me awhile to find the time for a quiet meditation. I decided
to leave the house to pick up my oldest from pre-k early so the twins could take a
nap in the car. I drove around until they fell asleep, and then sat in the parking lot
at the school looking at my phone. I then thought now is the time. It is quiet, and I
didn’t have to go into the school to get Karoline for another 20 minutes.
 I closed my eyes and started focusing on my breathing. I noticed that I felt it
most in my chest. I noticed that I was still tense, so I relaxed my shoulders and
soften my face. I realized at sometimes I was breathing in deeper than other
times and tried to focus on taking normal breaths. These are the physical feelings
that came to my mind as I meditated.
 I am a day dreamer. My mind tends to wonder often. I think about the past,
random memories of things I could have done differently. I think and worry about
the future, money, etc. As I did this practice, I tried not to let this happen. When
my mind would begin to wonder I would draw my focus back to my breathing and
try to push other thoughts away. I did notice that, unfortunately, when my mind
did wonder it was negative, but drawing my focus back to my breathing helped
calm myself. I feel like I have a long way to go when it comes to the mental aspect
of meditation.
 Like I mentioned, when my mind did wonder, it was negative. I felt guilt
about meditating when I could have been planning dinner, paying bills or
cleaning the house. I have anxiety so these thought bombard me all the time.
While meditating I found that shifting my focused from these thoughts to my
breathing helped me remain calm. It gave me a since of emotional relief.
I am new to meditation, but I feel as though it is a good first step in calming
my anxiety, “mom guilt”, and stress. I know it is going to take time and practice,
but I think this could really help me become a healthier and happier person.
(Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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 4
Unit

Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human

Spirituality
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Self-esteem is the feeling of self-value. It is how we feel about ourselves, our worth
and our love for ourselves. Self-esteem is a buffer that can be used against stress. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Values are principles and integrity. Values are what a person deems right. Values
are morals and staying honest. Attitudes on the other hand, to me are more of a feeling. Your attitude
is how you feel and how you present to the rest of the world. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: A body scan is when you take the time to meditate and feel and focus on every part
of your body. This can help a person to get in touch with how they are really feeling. This can help
for a deeper connection with one’s self. (Seaward, 2015).
Total Points = 9

Assignment:
Stress can drive a wedge between us and those we love. It can drive a wedge
between the us and our coworkers. Allowing stress to take over you can be
harmful to your personal relationships. It can also be harmful to your relationship
with yourself and your higher power. Stress can affect us to our cores. It can
attack our mental health, our values, our physical health. My goal is stop letting it
in as much as I can. There is a long road to becoming a stress-resistant person,
but it is doable. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal:
 FEAR: apprehension, anxiety, distress, edginess, jumpiness, nervousness,
panic, tenseness, uneasiness, worry, fright, feeling overwhelmed.
 When first beginning this practice, I felt anxiety in my body. I am a regularly
anxious person. I am easily overwhelmed. These are things I can feel through my
whole body. I felt tenseness in why lower back and shoulders. I also felt tension in
my jaw. I tend to clench my jaw when I sleep and catch myself doing it

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throughout the day. Now that I have placed where all my tension lies, I can work
on those problem areas.
 CONFUSION: bewildered, uncertain, puzzled, mystified, perplexed, chaotic,
foggy, or unaware.
 I don’t think that I felt any kind of confusion during this body scan.
 ANGER: aggravation, agitation, annoyance, destructiveness, disgust, envy,
frustration, irritation, grouchiness, grumpiness, rage.
 When I shifted my focus towards my midsection, I felt all of these emotions. I
know why I felt this way. I felt this way because my stomach is not what I want it
to be. I know it is a shallow thought, but it is one of my areas in life that I am the
most disappointed in myself. I tried to push away these negative feelings because
my stomach has healed three beautiful girls and that brings me joy and love, but
the negative feelings are still there. This is something I need to work on.
 SADNESS: alienation, anguish, despair, disappointment, gloom, grief,
hopelessness, insecurity, loneliness, misery, unhappiness, rejection.
 I have felt many emotions when I shifted my focus to my whole body. One of
those feelings was disappointment. I felt this way I believe because I am not as
active as I would like to be. I also felt hopelessness and insecurity. I have always
been an insecure person. I believe I also felt sadness because I am not the person
I need to be. I felt sadness in my body because I need to find my purpose.
 SHAME: guilt, embarrassment, humiliation, invalidation, regret, remorse,
mortification.
 This is a big one. Though out my day I try my hardest to be the parent I want
to be, but I feel so stressed and overwhelmed that I end up being the opposite.
During this body scan I felt guilt, embarrassment and regret. I felt this because I
want to be better, and I don’t feel like I am doing enough.
 LOVE: affection, arousal, attraction, caring, compassion, desire, fondness,
infatuation, kindness, liking, longing, warmth, sympathy, sentimentality.
 While I felt so much negative, I also felt a lot of positive. My midsection brings
me disgust, but it also brings me love. I felt love there. That is where I kept my
girls safe. I also felt love in my chest, love for my girls in my heart and love in my
breast, which is what I used to feed them for the first bit of their lives. Also, even
though my knees ach, I strangely felt love there. I believe this is because this
aching comes from a time where I served my country and those were some great
times. I felt love in my lips. Along with many other emotions, I felt love in my
whole body.
 JOY: amusement, bliss, contentment, eagerness, elation, enjoyment,
enthusiasm, excitement, exhilaration, hope, optimism, pleasure, satisfaction.
 I felt joy and bliss in the same areas as I did love. I felt contentment in my
heart and in my chest when I breathed in. Even though I felt other emotions, I felt

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Unit

hope in my problem areas and optimism as well because I tried to push away the
negative.
 Summary
During this body scan I felt so many emotions. I felt sadness at the same
times as I felt love and joy. I did not know that it was possible to feel all of these
things at once. By doing this body scan I was able to pinpoint exactly where my
tension is. I now know what areas of my body need looked at. I know that my
emotion wellbeing could use some work, but by doing this scan I was able to feel
not only the negatives, but the positives of those parts of me. I can see know,
from meditating, that it is going to take persistence to get me to where and who I
want to be, but it is possible. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: It is important to maintain a positive outlook on life. This can lead to being happier
through your day. It can also better your health because if you are positive you are less stressed.
(Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Laughter is medicine. It has been shown that hummer can better your health. People
who laugh more are less stressed. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Walking meditation is a form of meditation. It is meditating mindfully while you
walk. Being mindful of your surroundings. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal:
 I have chosen to discuss the formal practice of walking meditation. This is a
form of meditation that you do as you walk. “Walking meditation involves noticing
the movement of each foot as you lift it, move it forward, and place it back down
with each step.”
 It took me awhile to find a time and place to practice my walking meditation. If
we were in the warmer months, I would not have found this problem. Fortunately,

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my daughter had dance class tonight. The gym at the church she does dance class
was very busy, but I was allowed to walk the rest of the church, so I did.
 I started by standing still with my hands on the double stroller and my feet
planted. I felt the connection between my body and the church floor. I closed my
eyes and took a few deep breaths. I felt my chest rise and my lungs fill. I began to
feel relaxed.
 I opened my eyes and noticed my surroundings. I looked down at the twins
napping in the stroller. I saw the pictures on the walls in the preschool area that
were drawn for the upcoming thanksgiving. I felt thankful to be a part of this
church for Karoline’s pre-K and dance. It smelled like lemon cleaning supplies
and coffee coming from the activities director’s office. I could hear the faint sound
of music and tap shoes coming from the dance room. I could hear the basketballs
from a distance in the gym. I could hear the twins taking their sleepy breaths.
 I then started to walk. I picked up my feet one at a time and set them back
down while pushing the stroller Infront of me. I noticed the physical feelings. My
body felt good to move in a way that wasn’t frantic. I noticed each step. I could
feel the frustration of the day slowly leaving my body. I noticed that my mind
would wonder, and I would have to pull myself back to the moment. I thought
“Today wouldn’t have been so bad if the twins would have napped earlier” and “I
hate being pigeon-toed” as I tried to straighten my feet. I observed those thoughts
and then let them be.
As I made my way through the church halls I would look around at my
surroundings and read signs that were on the walks, but I was sure to stay
focused on my own body. This walking meditation seemed to be relaxing. I feel
like I will continue to do this to let go of the negatives on stressful days. (Stahl &
Goldstein, 2010).

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 6
Unit

Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,

Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Diaphragmatic breathing is a very effective relaxation technique because it causes
you to shift the negative energy and feelings out of your body instead of holding them in. When I do
this type of breathing exercise, I can literally feel the negative energy leaving my body as I exhale. It
feels as though a weight has been lifted off my chest and my mind has cleared enough to make a
rational decision rather than react out of stress, fear or anger. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: There are three steps to engaging in diaphragmatic breathing. The first step is
finding a comfortable position. The next step is to concentrate. Step three is visualization (Seaward,
2015).
Key Learning Point: Meditation can also improve heart health. Studies show that people who meditate
are less likely to suffer from heart attacks or stroke. Muscle tension is also decreased when we
meditate which gives us a better since of relaxation. (Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
This assignment was on relaxation techniques. Breathing is one of the techniques I
use often. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal:
 Mindful of how you interact with yourself?
 I interact with myself in a very negative way most of the time. One of the many
things I am working on is the way that I talk to and about myself. I have always
had body image issues, so growing up, even at my thinnest, I remember looking
in the merroir and thinking I was fat. Now that I have aged and had three
children, I still do this. I can’t say for sure if I do it more or less than I used to. I
know I am much healthier than I was when I was younger, but I still have that
feeling of just not being good enough physically. I can saw some pretty negative
things to myself. I am raising three girls and it has become increasingly apparent

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to me that I need to stop this negative self-talk because I do not ever want my
children to feel the way I have felt or to say these things about themselves. I
would never say these things to someone else and I now know it is not healthy for
me to say these things to myself. It is not productive; it makes me depressed,
stressed and unhappy.

 Seeds of suffering?

 I have been watering the seeds of my own suffering. If I was to stop all of the
negative interactions with myself my life and my outlook on life would be much
better. I feel like if I were to stop saying negative things to and about myself, I
would just be much happier. If I were happier, I would probably be more
productive. Since I know this, I don’t know why it is so hard for me to stop the
negative interactions with myself.

 Day-to-day life feelings of resentment?
 I do not currently have anyone in my life that I resent, but I have been in
situations where I have. Just the persons whole attitude, speech and everything
would drive me up the wall. I know realize, like me, these people may be going
through difficult things in their own lives. They may have been struggling with
negative self-talk or other things. From now on it is important for me to keep that
in mind. I am going through many things emotionally I may not be too pleasant to
be around sometimes. I must remember that other people may be as well.

 Reflection on writing?
I have known for quite some time that I am very hard on myself. It does not make
me feel good. I used to think that being hard on myself would be motivating me to
do better, but it has done the opposite. I am less motivated than ever, and I feel
helpless through most of my days. It isn’t just my physical appearance that I am
hard on myself about: it is everything including how I raise my children. I feel
guilty about a lot of things and I feel like I am doing it all wrong. I realize know
that these thoughts, feelings and negative interactions with myself are
counterproductive and truly bringing me down. It is far past time for me to fix this
problem. I know that it is going to take to and some of these thoughts may never
change, but I need to try to stop being so hard on myself. I am proud of myself for
taking the time to realize this. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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 7
Unit

Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Music is a great way to let go of stress. Current types of music can help people to
relax. You should listen to music that makes you happy every day. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Getting a massage can help with stress. People carry a lot of tension when they are
stressed. Massages can help to get rid of that tension and release stress. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Nutrition is a big part of your health, but it can also affect and be affected by your
stress levels. If you are eating too much of the wrong thing s this can cause you to stress about your
weight. If you are too stressed to eat this can be damaging to your health. It is important to find
something that works for you to let go of the stress so that your nutrition is not affected. (Seaward,
2015).

Journal:
 I have chosen to practice mindful laying yoga. I picked the corpse pose. I laid
down on the floor and closed my eyes. I laughed out loud for a second because I
thought about my husband walking into the office and seeing me just lying there
and wondering what I was doing. I got back up. I text him in the other room and
told him to leave me be for 15-30 minutes so I could practice this mindful yoga. I
then turned my phone’s ringer on silent and laid back down on the floor.
 I felt kind of silly at first, but I allowed myself to relax and focus. I laid there
with my palms face up and my body straight but relaxed. I closed my eyes and
took a few deep breaths and then allowed my breathing to return to normal. I
started by focusing on my breathing. I felt the air enter and exit my lungs. I felt
my chest rise and fall. I then took notice of other things. I noticed my feet were
cold and wished I wore my fuzzy socks. I noticed my mind start to wonder where
my fuzzy socks were. I let that thought be and brought my focus back to the pose.
I noticed I could really feel the pinch I have in my lower back. I felt like I needed
my knees to pop and then I realized my body was becoming tense again, so I
brought my focus back to relaxing. I was very tired physically and mentally, but I
allowed myself to take this time to practice this mindful laying yoga pose and I
felt proud of myself for doing so. I also felt a little bit of guilt because for a
moment I felt as though I should be doing other things such as cleaning up the

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Unit

mess from dinner or folding laundry. I allowed myself to feel that guilt only for a
moment and then I let those thoughts be.
I have noticed that every time I do one of these poses or meditation practices, I
find my mind wondering a lot. I feel as though I am not doing them right or
concentrating hard enough in that moment, but I know that I am trying my best.
These things take practice and I would like to get to the point were my mind
doesn’t wonder so much. I think that if I allow myself the time to practice these
more that I will be more relaxed and not so stressed. I would like to do them in
the morning, but when I do it at night after a stressful day, I have noticed that
afterword’s I feel a lot better and calmer. I feel like meditation is something that I
need to make myself do now so that it becomes a habit and a part of my everyday
life. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Physical exercise can help to relive stress. When you work out you can experience
higher levels of energy and more positivity. Exercise does not have to be too much. Yoga is a good
form of stress reliving exercise. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: There are different mind-body practices to improve physiological and psychological
well-being. Music therapy is helpful. So is Tai chi. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: You can practice meditation anywhere. If you work, having a quit place to do that
could be beneficial. It could also be beneficial to the people you work for because you will be more
productive if you are less stressed. (Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
 This week’s assignment was to create a purpose for a health and wellness
program for a company to help their employees to let go of stress and be more
productive and happier. A lot of people feel overwhelmed, stressed or maybe even
irritable and angry at some point in their workday. I have been asked to create a

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 wellness program for a company. My thoughts are simple, yet effective. I would
like to start with a large room. In this room there will be comfortable seating. We
all need a little comfort in our lives to get to a relaxed state. There will also be
breathing exercises, mindful meditation practices, and yoga possess posted on
the walls. There will be an oil diffuser in the room with calming and relaxing
smells. The idea is to create a space where individuals can go to recharge, relax
and get back into the right state of mind before returning to their daily ditties.

 The benefits to doing breathing exercises in the workplace are that breathing
exercises give you energy, reduce stress, and even improve poster which is
important if you are sitting at a computer for most of your day. The benefits of
meditation are similar. It can lower stress, improve attention, and help to get rid
of any negative feelings you may be having. Yoga is also a stress reveler. It can
improve your mode, flexibility and energy.

The cost would be minimal. All that would be needed are comfortable seating,
posters of breathing exercises, mindful meditation practices, and yoga possess.
The company could provide a few yoga mats and people could bring their own if
they’d like. An oil diffuser along with oils would be needed for people to choose
from. I would also like for there to be a CD player with peaceful sounds and music
to choose from. All who choose to use the room are responsible for cleanup.
(Seaward, 2015).

Journal:
 OPENNESS: My husband and I have been together for 7 years. In that time,
we have gotten married and had three kids. It is hard to imagine our relationship
as new because, even though we have been together for what may seem like a
short time, we have been through a lot. As I close my eyes, I think about the first
judgment that comes to mind is that people may have thought we moved to fast
or had kids too soon. I feel like I may be misunderstanding openness.
 EMPATHY: I started by closing my eyes and assessing my feelings. Things
have felt different since we’ve had kids. This made me a little sad. But I also felt
hopeful that there will come a time soon that we can spend some much-needed
time together. As I stepped into his shoes emotionally, I felt frustration, which I
understand completely.
 COMPASSION: Josh has been through a lot. We were both in the Marine
Corps, but he has a lot more under his belt than I do. As I imagine this scenario, I
feel as though I could just give him the biggest hug to ease his pain. For me a
strong, emotional embrace is very powerful and can do wonders to make me feel
better. I feel like it works for others as well.
 LOVING-KINDNESS: I would tell him that I am proud of him and that I believe
in him. I wish him the best in everything he does.

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 9
Unit

 SYMPATHETIC JOY: Josh works so hard, and even though he is often

frustrated due to lack of support at work, he is happy to do his job and loves the
work he does. I am a stay at home mom and sometimes wish I had more of a
purpose. As I close my eyes and think about sympathetic joy, I feel happy for him
that he can do the meaningful work that he does.
 EQUANIMITY: When I am so focused on the children, sometimes I can forget
that he needs attention to. I can imagine how that must feel.
Summary: I enjoyed putting myself in his shoes and I have opened up more to his
feelings (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Issues for

Management and Prevention to your
Professional Life
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Having a hobby is a good way to cope with stress. It is not about running or hiding
from a problem. Having a hobby can help you to relax and express yourself in something you love
doing. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Practicing forgiveness is important to help you relive stress. Forgiving yourself for
mistakes you made can help you to be happier. Forgiving other people can help you let go of
unnecessary negative energy. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: It is important to make the time every day to get to know yourself better. We cannot
truly be happy if we don’t know and love ourselves. To lessen the stress, we put on ourselves we
must try to know ourselves. (Seaward, 2015).

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Additional Information
Breath, Mama, Breath by Shonda Moralis, MSW, LCSW

Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation Is Good for Your Health by Jill Suttie

Good Days Start With Gratitude: A 52 Week Guide To Cultivate An Attitude Of Gratitude:
Gratitude Journal

Harvard Medical School. Mindfulness meditation may ease anxiety, mental stress. (2014) Julie
Corliss. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-may-ease-
anxiety-mental-stress-201401086967

Mayo Clinic. Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior. (2019) Retrieved from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-
20050987

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 References

Seaward, B. (2017). 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.

WebMD. How Stress Affects Rheumatoid Arthritis (2019) Retrieved from

https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/ra-stress-response#1

BrainWorks. WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY? (2019) Retrieved from

https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/what-neuroplasticity

Medical News Today. What is neuroscience? Yvette Brazier (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248680.php

Life Hack. Zoe B. (2019) 5 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills. Retrieved from

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/improve-communication-skills.html

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