Unit 7 Assignment - Stress Management

KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and
Prevention
StressManagementand
Prevention Program
ResourceGuide
1

K A P L A N U N I V E R S I T Y
Stress Management and Prevention
Program Resource Guide
By
Eileen Navarro
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
October 16, 2016

Table of Contents
U N I T 1 T H E N A T U R E O F S T R E S S
Information to Remember......................................................................................................4
Self-Assessment Exercises.......................................................................................................5
Journal Writing......................................................................................................................5-6
U N I T 2 T H E P H Y S I O L O G Y O F S T R E S S
Information to Remember......................................................................................................7
Self-Assessment Exercises...................................................................................................7-8
Journal Writing....................................................................................................................8-11
U N I T 3 P S Y C H O L O G Y O F S T R E S S
Information to Remember....................................................................................................12
Self-Assessment Exercises...............................................................................................12-13
Journal Writing..................................................................................................................13-15
U N I T 4 P E R S O N A L I T Y T R A I T S A N D T H E H U M A N S P I R I T U A L I T Y
Journal Writing..................................................................................................................18-21
U N I T 5 D E A L I N G W I T H S T R E S S : C O P I N G S T R A T E G I E S
Journal Writing..................................................................................................................22-24
U N I T 6 R E L A X A T I O N T E C H I Q U E S 1 : B R E A T H I N G , M E D I T A T I O N ,
A N D M E N T A L I M A G E R Y
Journal Writing..................................................................................................................26-29
U N I T 7 N U T R I T I O N A N D S T R E S S

U N I T 8 P H Y S I C A L E X E R C I S E A N D A C T I V I T Y
Journal Writing..................................................................................................................38-39
U N I T 9 A P P L Y I N G S T R E S S : C R I T I C A L I S S U E S F O R M A N A G E M E N T
A N D P R E V E N T I O N T O Y O U R P R O F E S S I O N A L L I F E
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N
R E F E R E N C E S
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Unit 1: The Nature of Stress
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: The word stress has grown to be a very common word in today’s day and age.
There are many types of stress and each have a degree and severity to them but it depends on the
individual. Stress is defined as, “The experience of a perceived threat (real or imagined) to one’s
mental, physical, or spiritual well-being, resulting from a series of physiological responses and
adaptations.” (Seaward, 2015. Page 3).
Key Learning Point: Statistics from the American Institute of Stress shows that 43% of all adults
suffer adverse health effects due to stress. A surprising 80% of all visits to a primary physician is due
to a stress related complaint or disorder. It is a known fact that stress has been linked to be the leading
cause of death for heart disease, cancer, and accidents. (Seaward, 2015. Page 3).
Key Learning Point: Walter Cannon was a Harvard physiologist who first coined the term fight-or-
flight response. This is a type of stress response that our body goes through when it feels threatened.
There are four stages to the fight-or-flight response. (Seaward, 2015. Page 6).
Self-Assessment Exercise:
Our exercise for this Unit was to create a mandala and emphasize the components of mental, spiritual,
physical and emotional well-being in the order of our preference.
Unit
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Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being.
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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Journal Writing:
Unit One Journal Writing
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: “How Stressed Are You?”
Directions are found on pages 11 and 12 of the Mindfulness workbook. List the
situation on the left. Use a rating scale of 1 through 10 for the start, midway,
and end. You will use this Journal Assignment as a way of mapping your stress
throughout the course. Keep it handy and refer back to it often.
Situation Start Midway End
When I have to wake up at 4:00am 6 2 0
When I am running late to anything 9 5 2
When I can’t work out because of physical limitations 10 5 0
When I don’t eat when I’m supposed to 10 4 0
When people don’t communicate appropriately 6 2 0
When I get rained on because my umbrella isn’t working 7 5 1
When people whine and complain about their situation 6 4 1
When people lie to my face 6 2 0
When I am cold, like cold to the bone 5 1 0
When people bully one another into getting what they
want
5 1 0
References
Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA:
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
(Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).
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Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress
Key Learning Point: There are three systems that are involved with the physiology of stress. They are
the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system. There are also three levels of the
human brain, vegetative, limbic, and neocortical. (Seaward, 2015. Page 47).
Key Learning Point: One of the primary factors associated with insomnia is stress. The adrenal gland
has two parts and they each have their own function. The cortex secrets cortisol and aldosterone. The
medulla secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine. (Seaward, 2015. Page 60).
Key Learning Point: According to Pelletier there is not enough data to substantiate a definitive stress-
disease model that will help in understanding the relationship between the two. Evidence shows that
the immune system is affected by prolonged bouts of stress. Disease is the disturbance in the human
energy field. (Seaward, 2015. Page 91).
In my opinion the most worrisome diseases in today’s world are Cancer, Coronary heart disease,
Diabetes (Type II), the common cold, and Rheumatoid arthritis. “The association between stress
and disease is considered extremely high as the disease and illness show up in the body and are
directly related to two physiological systems, the nervous system and the immune system,”
(Seaward, 2007. Page 3 of Lesson 3). Cancer is one of the fastest growing diseases of our time
and it affects nearly one out of three Americans and is an Immune system disorder. Our body
products abnormal cells every 6 hours according to Seaward and our natural fighting cells
usually search for these types of cells and destroys them. When our body is in constant stress
mode those additional hormones and chemicals our body has produced while in stress mode
Unit
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suppresses our natural immune system. When our immune system is suppressed this allows
those abnormal cells to become cancerous tumors.
Coronary heart disease is a nervous system disease that is high on the rise due to the
obesity epidemic. Having elevated blood pressure of hypertension is a huge risk factor for CHD
and it is believed that stress hormones are often responsible for the increase in blood pressure.
When the body is stressed it not only elevates your blood pressure but it pumps various types of
chemicals into the body that provides the body with the energy it needs for movement during
the “flight-fight” response. When pressure is increased in a closed system you run the risk of
causing damage to the vascular tissue; which in turn can appear as microtears in the lining of
the coronary heart vessels. The bodies natural instincts are to heal those tears by producing a
sticky substance called cholesterol which can eventually lead to clogged vessels and a heart
attack.
Journal Writing:
Unit Two Journal Writing Assignment
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled, Explore: How is stress or
anxiety affecting your life? Directions are found on pages 33 through 35 of the
Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of this Assignment, you will take the
first step toward greater well-being and become aware of how stress is
impacting your life. This should be a minimum of two full pages.
How is stress or anxiety about people affecting your life?
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I am a lover not a fighter so I usually try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I
generally like all people until you give me a reason to not like you. Most of the people I hang out
on a routine basis are people I choose to be around. I am a firm believer in choosing your circle
wisely, as you are the people you hang out with. With that said, most of my struggle, anxiety
and stress comes from the people I work with. To put it simply, those people are not my tribe,
they aren’t people that are within my circle so I tend to not share bits and pieces of my life with
them. I am sociable and friendly because I just don’t believe in being rude but I often times feel
like I am not me when I am at work. I feel like that I have to be a different person when I am
there and it stresses me out because I’m not happy there. Lately, I have found relief in solitude
because it allows me the time to do my work, get it done then I can concentrate on the things I
do love.
How is stress or anxiety about work affecting your life?
I am just going to be blunt and to the point with this question. I HATE my job and while I
know hate can be a bit harsh it is the truth. I am not challenged in my position and
unfortunately, I am at the top and can go no further unless I get a Master’s Degree in Health
Care Administration. While there was a time I loved my job, I am not at a place in my life where
I know what I am passionate about and I know what I want to do. Working where I am working
is not where I want to be a year from now. I know what I want and I am in the process of
getting all of that done so I can move into my passion and be doing what I love. The stress and
anxiety comes from the simple fact that my boss doesn’t challenge me, even when I have asked
her to give me things more challenging. The problem is that I am in an Administrative role and
unfortunately there is only so much you can do. While I do my job well, and my boss loves me it
isn’t something I am passionate about.
How is stress or anxiety about the world affecting your life?
I learned a long time ago that it isn’t healthy for you to stress over everything that goes
on in this world. As am empath I feel the discomfort, the injustice and cruelty without even being
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told about it but I know that I can’t control those situations. The only thing I have control over is
my part of this world. Do I get angry when people hate on other people, of course I do but I am
a firm believer in everyone having their own path and lessons in life? People think I’m strange
because I don’t watch the news but I find it easier for me to concentrate on me and my life then
worry about what goes on outside my door. I am happier and calmer with not feeding into the
drama of this world and to be honest I think we could all use some of that type of alone time.
How is stress or anxiety about food and eating habits affecting your life?
I actually don’t have any trouble with this area. To be honest I used to have a lot of
trouble with this area but I have gotten it under control. I like to focus my energy on one meal
at a time. I like to communicate with my body and I am very careful about what I give my body.
We aren’t perfect and we should never try to be because we would only be setting ourselves up
for failure. The choices I make when it comes to food is a lot healthier and cleaner than it used
to be but that is because I now make a conscious choice of what I want to use to fuel my body.
When it comes to this I live by this single motto, “One meal at a time, one bite at time.”
How is stress or anxiety about sleep and sleeplessness affecting your life?
I recently invested in this new amazing mattress called “The Ghost Bed” and all I can say
is, I no longer have issues with sleeping. I sleep like a baby and I make it a priority to get the
total amount of sleep I need to be functional. Yes, there are days I am still sleepy but it is a
reminder that I need to make sleep a priority in my life.
How is stress or anxiety about exercise or lack of physical activity affecting your life?
I work out nearly 4-6 days a week and it is good thing because I need the exercise to
help me relieve stress from my unhappiness in my job. I would say that the only time I stress
about the lack of exercise is when I can’t exercise because I am overbooked and something has
to take a back seat. This is something that has happened and that is because of school. Since I
work a full-time job I need time to do some school work as well so there are nights during the
week that I don’t get to work out because I am trying to play catch up. I would say that only
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happens once a week so for the most part I still make an effort to go and work out even if it is
just for 30 minutes.
Summary
It is pretty clear that the majority of my stress and anxiety comes from my work and the
people at my work. I would say that thankfully I am well aware of this and try my best to keep
my stress levels at work at bay by coloring in mandalas, or listening to meditative music. Since I
spend the majority of my time at work I know that getting out of there is going to be my top
priority which is why I am so thankful that I am close to graduation.
References
Unit 3: Psychology of Stress
Key Learning Point: According to Wayne Dyer stressors fall into two categories, guilt and worry.
They are emotional states the immobilize the through processes and distract us from the present
moment, which makes us unable to conquer stress and attain inner peace. (Seaward, 2015. Page 123).
Key Learning Point: Anger and fear are emotions that are triggered by stimuli that is perceived as a
threat from a physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual level. Anger initiates the fight-or-flight
Unit
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response. Both anger and fear are survival emotions and are often identifiable in the root chakra.
(Seaward, 2015. Page 142).
Key Learning Point: We live in a world where we are surrounded by the means to communicate in
many ways and forms, yet many of us lack the proper communication skills. Communication is
divided into both verbal and nonverbal forms. Because of our lack of communication, we often have
misunderstandings because we speak indirectly, and in consciously. (Seaward, 2015. Page 328).
Self-Assessment Assignment
In the Tibetan culture they believe that stress is a consequence of their strong desire and
attachment to something. The stress in and of itself is often referred to as their suffering
because the person’s desire comes from a negative perspective which is often identified as the
“self” or in our terms the ego. When the person’s desire is to help and build harmony or peace
then it is called the “Self” or higher-self. The best way to look at this is if you have desires and
expectations that are associated to goals for all of humanity then you are in connection with your
higher-self. If you have desires with attachments, this is what causes the stress and you are in
connection with your lower self the ego.
I personally believe that while all of the theorist had their own way of viewing things and
understanding the mind the one thing they all focused on was the mind and our ability to be self-
aware. Self-awareness is key to growth as we need it to know where we are in life to provide us
with an understanding of where we want to go. Many of us find it so much easier to play the
victim but placing blame on someone else for the misfortunes and stresses in your life doesn’t
help or solve the problem. Being self-aware is about taking ownership for the choices and
decisions you make in this life. Everything that has occurred up until the point you became
stressed was caused by the choices and decisions you made throughout your life. The second
thing that I feel they had in common was their willingness to spread love and their knowledge on
self-acceptance. How we see ourselves affects how we react in this world and if we suffer from
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low self-esteem or think poorly of ourselves then we won’t be able to see anything positive or be
self-aware of the choices we’ve made.
Journal Writing:
Unit Three Journal Writing Assignment
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Five-Minute Mindful Breathing
and Bringing the Eight Attitudes of Mindfulness into Your Life. Directions are
found on pages 45 and 46 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of
this Assignment, you will begin to understand the importance of making them a
part of your daily life. See what changes occur in relationships with yourself
and others around you. This should be a minimum of one full page.
Take some time to write about whatever you came up for you mentally, emotionally, and
physically when doing this practice for the first time.
Summary:
I have to be honest and say that I thoroughly enjoyed this exercise and assignment. In
all fairness I really hadn’t allowed myself the time in my busy schedule to do breathing
exercises. Usually I am so booked from morning till late evening with either work, dinner and
homework that I forget to set aside some time for me to just breath and allow my mind to relax.
When I first started the exercise and began breathing in and out I started mentally counting. I
find it easier to focus on the breathing when I first start so I can concentrate on the one task at
hand.
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After the third deep breath in I just breath in and out and allow myself to feel my chest
rise and fall with each breath. After doing this for a little bit of time I noticed that I started
mentally thinking about everything that still needed to be done but I allowed myself to re-focus
on my breathing and the mental thoughts stopped. As I continued to take in the deep breaths
with my chest rising and falling I could feel my heart center expand with gratitude. I also noticed
that the impending headache that was about to surface was slowly fading into the background
making it feel as if it were non-existent.
The ache in my neck from sitting at the computer for too long was starting to soften and
for the first time I could feel my stiff muscles on my neck and shoulders loosen. Each breath that
I took allowed me the pleasure of feeling some sort of relief that only made me want to deepen
my breaths. Mentally I was thinking about how I needed to do this more often as I could tell my
body missed the connection and relaxation. Emotionally I was feeling calm, centered and at
peace almost as if I had just woken up from a long night’s sleep. I had no concerns or worries
and I was trying to plan when I would be able to fit in another 5-minute breathing session in my
day before calling it a night.
I will be the first to admit that even as a life coach I am far from perfect. Sometimes the
advice I give to my clients is advice I need to start incorporating into my own day to day and
while I do on many occasions, some days it is just hard. I am going to try to make a big effort
these next few weeks and try my hardest to set aside at least 5 minutes of my day to just stop
and doing some breathing exercises.
References
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Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human
Spirituality
Key Learning Point: Personality comprises many traits such as characteristics, behaviors,
expressions, moods, and feelings perceived by other people. Personalities can be classified as stress
prone, or stress resistant. Self-esteem is considered to be a crucial cornerstone of personality.
Key Learning Point: The term spirituality has many meanings and can only be defined by the
individual. It is a word that is becoming more and more common in the Western world. Spirituality
and religion are related but have very different meanings. (Seaward, 2015. Page 204).
Key Learning Point: There are many ways to change behavior but it is important to note that you
need to make a conscious choice to make a change in your behavior. It is very common to follow a
behavior medication model which allows for a falling back into old habits or relapsing. (Seaward,
2015. Page 244).
Self-Assessment Assignment
Self-esteem is a word you hear very often in today’s society. For many of us having a positive,
encouraging, appreciative and loving outlook of ourselves is not easy. According to Seaward, self-esteem is
defined as, “the sense of underpinning self-values, self-acceptance, and self-love; thought to be a powerful
buffer against perceived threats,” (Seaward, 2013. Page 162). In my personal opinion I believe self-esteem is
Unit
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about knowing, accepting, and loving yourself just the way you are. Unfortunately, we live in a world where
many of us fear not being accepted because we might be different so we try to conform to be accepted.
In many cases, this is so evident with bullying in schools. People just want to be loved and accepted
for who they are without the fear of being ridiculed or judged. When a person is fearful of not being accepted
they can often times turn to substance abuse, or worse depression and suicide. Many of us live stressful lives
because we are trying to make other people happy, or we are trying to seek the approval of people we want to
like us. The truth and the reality of this is you don’t need anyone else’s approval in order to be happy and
content with your life. You have to find your own worth and value and stick up for yourself in order to truly be
happy.
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Journal Writing:
Unit Four Journal Writing Assignment
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Explore: Identifying Emotions
in the Body. Directions are found on pages 74 through 77 of the Mindfulness
workbook. Upon completion of this Assignment, practice taking a moment to
mindfully tune in to your body and discover any physical sensations
associated with strong emotions. This should be a minimum of three full
pages.
FEAR: apprehension, anxiety, distress, edginess, jumpiness, nervousness,
panic, tenseness, uneasiness, worry, fright, feeling overwhelmed.
This is felt strongly in my gut. When I am truly fearful I get anxious,
overwhelmed and upset to my stomach. When this emotion is running through
my body I simply can’t seem to sit still. Everything becomes too much and I
feel as if I will never calm down. My anxiety eventually leads to jumpiness and
then I begin to start hearing and seeing things.
CONFUSION: bewildered, uncertain, puzzled, mystified, perplexed, chaotic,
foggy, or unaware.
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Confusion is the type of emotion that always makes me feel as if I can’t
make a choice or a decision because everything sounds as if it would be the
right choice. The best way for me to describe this is a sense of fogginess.
Once I become confused I have no sense of knowing what is right and I then
move into fear of failure of making a bad choice.
ANGER: aggravation, agitation, annoyance, destructiveness, disgust, envy,
frustration, irritation, grouchiness, grumpiness, rage.
Anger is usually felt in my chest as when I am fully blown into this
emotion I usually fly off the handle. I get grumpy, frustrated and very irritated.
This happens to me most when I am Hangry, which I define as the moment the
hunger beast has been unleashed. Everything becomes a challenge and the
small, simple things that never bother me, all of a sudden now bother me. I
voice my frustration very often and usually yell at people and things.
SADNESS: alienation, anguish, despair, disappointment, gloom, grief,
hopelessness, insecurity, loneliness, misery, unhappiness, rejection.
Sadness is the worst for me as I tend to feel it all over my body. For me
the biggest things when it pertains to sadness is disappointment, and
rejection. Disappointment and rejection are two emotions I recently struggled
with but with lots of writing, talking with someone and working through my
own emotions I was able to overcome them.
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SHAME: guilt, embarrassment, humiliation, invalidation, regret, remorse,
mortification.
Shame has been another big emotion that I feel in my gut because to me
it felt big and powerful. Guilt, embarrassment, and regret are the three biggest
words that stand out to me the most when it pertains to shame. Usually when I
am in the midst of shame, I find it easier to hide and I stay in the shadows
because I am afraid of what people would think of me. The guilt can often times
be so overwhelming that I begin to blame myself for things I have no control
over, and when I see things for what they really are I regret not getting help
sooner.
LOVE: affection, arousal, attraction, caring, compassion, desire, fondness,
infatuation, kindness, liking, longing, warmth, sympathy, sentimentality.
Love is an emotion I am quite fond of and one I find myself gravitating
towards more often. I define myself as a compassionate, loving, affectionate
person who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. When I feel love I feel my
chest swell up and I often times have this sense of safety and security
surrounding me. I also tend to feel special when I hear people tell me they love
me because it makes me feel as if I belong somewhere.
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JOY: amusement, bliss, contentment, eagerness, elation, enjoyment,
enthusiasm, excitement, exhilaration, hope, optimism, pleasure,
satisfaction.
When I think of joy I envision pleasure, satisfaction, enjoyment and
excitement. When I am experiencing joy I am usually so excited I can hardly
contain myself. One of the greatest things I love about joy is that it can often
times spread to others just by observing someone else experience it. Joy is
something that is exhiliarting and exciting all at the same time. When I am
joyful nothing will ever bring me back down from the high.
Summary: There are so many emotions we can experience in one day. The problem is we never
truly take the time to mindfully be aware of the emotions we are experiencing on a day to day
basis. The interesting part of this entire assignment was realizing that for the majority of my
time is spent in a joyful state. I only move towards anger when I am hangry, or stressed but
those can be avoided if I am more aware of how I spend my time. As for the other emotions we
experience them all but only when they are triggered by a memory, an event or something or
someone triggers the emotion. I personally believe we have to be more aware of the types of
emotions we spend our time in, so we can have a better understanding of where we need to shift
our awareness.
References
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Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies
Key Learning Point: There are four-point plans to help you reconstruct negative thoughts. They are
awareness, reappraisal of the situation, adoption of a new frame of mind, and the evaluation of the
new mind frame. Negative thoughts are a conditioned response from early childhood which can come
from negative feedback from our parents. Negative thoughts can often be called toxic and it can
affect our immune system. (Seaward, 2015. Page 231).
Key Learning Point: Humor is not a positive emotion. It is a perception that can elicit many more
positive emotions. Research shows that humor promotes mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual
well-being. There are several different senses of humor; conventional, life of the party, creative and
good sport. (Seaward, 2015. Page 294).
Key Learning Point: It has been said that time and money are two of the primary causes of having a
stressful life. Time is a human made concept as it gives us the perception that we can manage it,
prioritize and schedule our responsibilities to our satisfaction. There are three methods of
prioritization, the ABC rank-order method, the Pareto principle, and the important-versus-urgent
method. (Seaward, 2015. Page 346).
Journal Writing:
Unit Five Journal Writing Assignment
Choose from either formal practice: Walking Meditation or Mindful Self-Inquiry for Stress and
Anxiety. Directions are found on either pages 58 through 60 or 119 through 121 of the
Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of either practice, take a moment to reflect on whatever
came up for you mentally, emotionally, and physically. This should be a minimum of two full
pages.
Unit
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Take some time to write about whatever came up for you mentally, emotionally and physically
when doing this practice for the first time.
For this particular assignment I decided to participate in the walking
meditation as it is something I rarely do. I decided to walk around my
neighborhood for this particular exercise and while I found it quite refreshing
to get outside for a bit, the results of what I discovered were interesting. When
my walk initially started I made sure to be mindful of my breathing. I started out
by taking in a few deep breaths while allowing myself the opportunity to just
breathe in the fresh air around me. As the walking started I noticed that
mentally my mind was racing and I wasn’t truly focusing on my walk or the
things around me. For the first two minutes or so of the walk I noticed that I
was mentally jotting down a to-do-list of the things I needed to accomplish
within the week to prepare me for my vacation. As each item got ticked and
jotted down mentally I began realizing that I just had way too much to do and
that eventually something was going to be left undone.
After a while when I realized that I wasn’t even focusing on my walk I made myself look
at actual objects along the way. Once I focused on the object I made myself mentally call out
the object. An example of this was when I walked by the community flower garden and I realized
that the home owner’s association had just planted in new fall colored flowers that would last a
bit longer. I mentally noted each color and decided that the yellow and orange ones were my
favorite. I wish I could say my mind didn’t wander back to the giant to-do-list I had waiting for
me but I’m not perfect. Emotionally, I noticed that whenever I concentrated on the many things
that had to be done I could feel my stress levels rising. Physically, my breathing would be
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labored and I knew it was due to the stress and anxiety I was feeling over not being able to
accomplish everything.
I’m sure it would have been easy to say that it was due to the physical activity but I work
out at least five days a week so getting exercise is not an issue for me. When I would force
myself to concentrate on objects during my walk, my breathing would get easier and more
relaxed. Emotionally I would feel calm and to be honest I simply had no care in the world. With
each object I identified during my walk I sort of found a sense of peace. It was almost as if I was
simply in the moment enjoying the walk and observing life around me. I could hear the birds
chirping in the trees as I walked by. Off in the distance I could hear the children playing on the
playground that was about four blocks away as well as the sound of the wind and the feel of the
light breeze as it brushed across my skin.
All in all, I can tell you that taking that walk, while inconvenient at the time was actually
quite refreshing and needed greatly. The walk itself only took away five minutes of my day and
when I got back to my house I was calm, peaceful and breathing more deeply than when I
started. Much to my surprise I found myself to be more productive once I returned because I
was able to focus on one task at a time. While I didn’t get everything done that I had hoped I
would I still accomplished more than I would have had I not taken the walk.
References
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Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,
Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Key Learning Point: Breathing is vital to relaxation and crucial to nearly every culture. It is a known
fact that diaphragmatic breathing is incorporated into all relaxation techniques. It is often known as
belly breathing and is the basic relaxation technique that is taught in childbirth classes. The average
number of breaths in a normal state of consciousness is 12-16 breaths. When you are in a relaxed
state the number can be reduced to as little as 3-4 breaths. (Seaward, 2015. Page 374).
Key Learning Point: There are two different types of mind cleansing methods, inclusive and
exclusive. The two most popular types in each method is Transcendental Meditation and Zen
Meditation. The practice of meditation is to get to an altered state of consciousness. Research shows
that meditation has many benefits and can have extensive physiological effects on the body.
Key Learning Point: Mental imagery is the ability of the unconscious mind to generate images that
are calming and healing to the body. Visualization is one aspect of mental imagery as is guided
mental imagery. It can be divided into three types such as peaceful natural scenes, images that place
one in a natural environment, behavioral changes or images that allow one to see and feel oneself
performing a different behavior, and internal body images. Freud and Jung reintroduced mental
imagery in the 20th
century. (Seaward, 2015. Page 432).
In this assignment I was write about the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing and why it is considered to be an
effective relaxation technique. I was to list the three steps on how to engage in diaphragmatic breathing. I was
to also discuss the effects meditation has on the body and mind, while also listing the ways imagery and
visualization can be useful for relaxation.
Unit
6
24

Journal Writing:
Unit Six Journal Writing Assignment
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Explore: Is Your Body-Mind Happy? Directions are
found on pages 151 through 153 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of this
Assignment, practice identifying unkind messages you send to yourself and turn it around with
positive affirmations. This should be a minimum of two full pages.
25

Mindful of how you interact with yourself?
26

I am all too familiar with this particular topic because I feel it is one I work
on all of the time. I will admit that I have gotten a lot better than how I used to
be in the past but I’m still not where I would like to be. In the past I was very
critical, negative and judgmental of myself. I guess in many ways you can say I
was downright mean to the point that it would almost sting just hearing the
things I would say. The funny thing about it, is it all seemed normal to me.
Talking to myself in that tone or manner was what came normally to me and in
the beginning it never truly phased me until a coach started making me say
them to myself while standing in front of the mirror. At that point it all became
clear on just how hurtful and critical I was being to myself. Now that I’ve had a
few years of being more loving and kind to myself I’ve gotten better but I can’t
say that I’m better 100% of the time. Since I’ve been on this massive weight
loss journey the one thing I’ve struggled with is in the time it takes me to lose a
certain amount of weight. I often times still call myself fat, pudgy, or make
negative comments about myself to help me come to terms with my progress.
The problem I face with that is that it negates all of my hard earned efforts. My
body image is the primary thing because in the beginning I couldn’t stand to
look at myself in the mirror. Now it has gotten better but there are still days
where I get discouraged or unhappy with what I see. It has become a habit of
mine to say a body affirmation that I have on my bathroom mirror and like
clockwork I say it every morning and every night.
27

Affirmation: I love my body. I love you body. Every inch of you is divine. I accept you
and love, just the way you are. Thank you for being my protection. You are perfect and
I am safe.
Seeds of suffering?
One of the biggest struggles I’ve recently had to face with my weight loss
was the willingness to believe in myself as well as let go of my old story.
Everyone has an old story they continue to tell themselves and in many ways I
think it is because it is what makes them feel safe. For me, staying big or
refusing to lose the weight was my safety zone or comfort zone as I like to call
it now. There were many reasons I used as to why I was the way I was but the
truth was I was too afraid to actually admit to myself that I was the main
reason. Staying where I was, was easier and safer because if I wasn’t
successful then I’d have a fall back. Recognizing and acknowledging that I was
the one holding myself back all of these years was hard to admit and accept.
Once reality hit, I knew what I had to do and I’ve been doing it ever since.
Affirmation: I am the creator of my own decisions in life. I hold the key, the answer
and the power to change.
Day-to-day life feelings of resentment?
28

For years I’ve held on to resentment when it comes to the relationship I
have with my mother. It isn’t the nicest relationship as there have been several
years of pain, hurt and suffering on both ends of the spectrum. For me, it was
about feeling sorry for myself and wishing that I had a better understanding of
why my mother did the things she did. For years I wanted her to be like other
mothers but to be honest I never truly gave her a chance. I never accepted her
for who she was and to be honest my expectations of her were skewed in many
ways. It wasn’t until one day when my therapist said, “Have you ever
considered that maybe what your mother gave you was all she could with what
she had.” That one statement alone changed everything for me because it
made me realize that I wasn’t appreciating what my mother had to offer. I’m so
glad that I now have a great relationship with my mom and those old wounds
are pretty much gone.
Affirmation: I forgive and forget in all directions of time. I love and accept my mother
exactly as she is. I cannot change another person. I let others be who they are, and I
simply love who I am.
Reflection on writing?
29

It is important to remember that we are not perfect. The hardest part is
admitting that we each have areas of our lives that we hide, or ignore out of
fear of what we might find. Admitting our hurts, wounds and feelings are
difficult but I have found it to be so therapeutic to let go of the things that hold
me back from enjoying the here and now. When we hold on to the fears,
resentments, anger or pain from the past it blocks us from enjoying all that
there is to enjoy in our present moment. I personally have transformed my life
in many ways and it is the main reason it has led me here to getting this
degree. My life is far from perfect but I have experience and knowledge on how
to help people overcome their fears and live that life they have always wanted
because of what I have achieved and learned in my own life.
References
30

Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress
Key Learning Point: Physical exercise is a form of stress that is an enactment of the physiological
system of the fight-or-flight response which triggers you for physical survival. Exercise is classified
as anaerobic, or aerobic. Anaerobic is a type of exercise without oxygen while the aerobic exercise is
with oxygen. It is said that aerobic exercise is better for promoting relaxation. (Seaward, 2015. Page
539).
Key Learning Point: To reap the full benefits of physical exercise you must meet the criteria for
intensity, duration, frequency of training and the mode of exercise. Use together they are often called
the all-or-none principle. It takes about 6-8 weeks to see significant benefits in the body from
physical exercise. (Seaward, 2015. Page 540).
Key Learning Point: You get the majority of your nutrients from food but if you are lacking the
proper nutrients you can be considered malnourished. A malnourished diet means that you are
deficient in essential amino acids, essential fats, vitamins and minerals; which is considered to be a
stressor on your body. Food not only affects the physical body, but the mental, emotional and
spiritual aspects as well. (Seaward, 2015. Page 540).
For this assignment I decided to do the sitting meditation for 30 minutes. I started by
getting comfortable in the chair that I was sitting in. I planted my feet firmly on the ground and
realized that I didn’t quite feel comfortable because of the arm rests on my chair. I then raised
the arm rests so that they were out of my way and I laid my hands in my lap. As I got
comfortable and the CD track began to play I brought my awareness to my breathing and took in
two big deep breaths.
When you first start doing any type of meditation it is normal to have your mind race and
I’ll be honest and say mine was racing at a pretty fast pace. All of the things that I still had left
Unit
7
31

to do was running through my mind distracting me from fully concentrating on my breath so I
decided to start counting my breaths. Once I got into a rhythm of counting my breaths I noticed
that the racing was pretty much gone. I was feeling more relaxed and calm making it easier to
just go with the flow. After about five minutes I noticed I was getting a pain in neck on the right
side and as I would take in some breaths the pain would dissipate but after I would exhale it
would return.
I got in only 15 minutes of the 30 I was set out to do and realized that maybe I just
needed to move out of the chair. So I then moved down to the floor up against the wall in hopes
that this would be a lot more comfortable. I tried the meditation on the floor for as long as I
could but was noticing my muscles beginning to ache as well as my neck. After that I decided
that doing the lying yoga meditation might be a better bet as it would allow me to stretch my
body instead of sitting stagnant. I started by lying flat on the floor in the supine position and just
lying there felt amazing.
I continued to follow the directions of the CD and did all of the poses and was quite
surprised at how invigorated and refreshed I felt afterwards. I was far from perfect on all of the
poses but I did them to the best of my ability. The most surprising thing about the yoga exercise
was the fact that it released whatever tension I had in my neck. I might even consider doing this
particular exercise more often as it might be helpful for me since I spend a lot of time in a chair
in front of a computer.
I will be the first to admit that when I am given an option of doing a sitting meditation
versus a few yoga poses I will always choose the sitting meditation. While I think that in some
cases this is effective, I think from now on, doing the yoga poses would serve me greater
purpose. I had much better mentally clarity and physically my muscles felt appreciative of the
stretch. The stretching itself allowed for better blood flow through my muscles instead of just
being stiff in a sitting position. This overall was a great exercise I am I am extremely grateful
that I chose a different option so now I can try something new the next time I need it.
32

References
Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity
Key Learning Point: Yoga means union and is a Sanskrit word. It is said that yoga is a union of the
mind, body and spirit. Hatha yoga is one of five types of yoga and it emphasizes physical balance.
Hatha translates to balance of the sun, and moon. The most practiced type of Yoga in the United
States is Hatha Yoga. (Seaward, 2015. Page 413).
Key Learning Point: According to the Chinese the word Chi represents the universal life energy that
surrounds and permeates everyone. T’ai Chi ch’uan is a form of exercise that helps regulate the flow
of universal energy. There are four principles in T’ai Chi and they are fasting the heart, returning to
nature, Wu-wei, and winning by losing. (Seaward, 2015. Page 484).
Key Learning Point: T’ai Chi is considered to be of the softest of the martial arts known as moving
meditation. The premise of this exercise is to move with, instead of against the flow of universal
energy. Research shows that the physiological effects of T’ai Chi is effective for promoting
relaxation. (Seaward, 2015. Page 484).
Self-Assessment Exercises:
Proposal for Health and Wellness Management
October 2016
Unit
8
33

This proposal is prepared for health and wellness management. The scope of the project outlined
includes vendors of national evidence-based products and services. To meet these needs, this proposal
offers consulting services to provide the following expertise: (a) rationale; (b) mind-body programs or
practices; (c) capital outlay; and (d) benefits.
RATIONALE
The workplace in today’s world is vastly different than it was fifty years ago. We now live in a
world where people multi-task in order to get more accomplished in an 8-hour work day. With so
many corporations adding more duties and assignments to people’s everyday workload it is no
wonder the workplace is considered to be stressful.
According to the American Institute of Stress it is estimated that nearly 80% of workers feel
stress on the job and need help in learning how to manage the stress, (AIS, 2016). It is well
known that being in a stressful environment can not only wreak havoc on your performance on
the job but it can affect your body and overall health and well-being. Some of the affects are
headaches, rapid breathing, and high blood pressure and in some severe cases heart attacks.
The employee health office is requesting the board of the organization to approve the
implementation of a Health and Wellness program. The purpose of this program is to provide the
employees of the organization tips, tools, information and resources on how to handle and
manage stress.
MINDBODY PROGRAMS/PRACTICES
We are proposing to hire a Wellness Coordinator that will with a degree in Health and Wellness
that can coordinate and facilitate the scheduling, of various events throughout the organization
that would offer employees information and resources on managing stress. As a Wellness
Coordinator this person will also partner with the Employee Health Department to provide the
employees well rounded access to not only health benefits but incorporate practices on overall
wellness. We would like to start the Health and Wellness program by offering weekly/monthly
events that employees can attend to learn tips, tricks or more information on the selected topic
34

of the month. Topics to be considered are mindfulness, stretches and exercises to do at the
computer, Yoga, Water drinking challenge and much more.
CAPITAL OUTLAY
There is no capital costs that are required to get the Health and Wellness Program up and
running as we would use conference rooms, and equipment already onsite for all of the program
needs.
BENEFITS
There are many benefits associated with implementing the Health and Wellness program into the
already existing Employee Health Department. The benefits for the employer is providing greater
incentives and benefits that will help employees with work/life balance. Employees will feel
appreciated and heard and will feel as if their employer is helping them achieve not only wellness
but success within the organization. The morale of the employees will increase, allowing them to
be more productive and efficient in their work. By incorporating this program into an already
existing department there is little cost to the employer and greater benefits to all involved.
TIMELINE
Ideally, the Health and Wellness Program can be started at the beginning of a new fiscal year to
allow time for hiring a Wellness Coordinator with the appropriate credentials and experience.
Currently, we would like to start the Wellness Program off with smaller items that can provide
the employer and employees fast, efficient benefits. This will allow the newly hired on Wellness
Coordinator time to partner with the Employee Health Department and survey employees on
what they would like to see incorporated into the program. It is the request of the Employee
Health Department that the Wellness Program grow with time and increase its function as the
organization and employees needs change.
PERSONNEL
35

The Employee Health Department would like to hire one Wellness Coordinator to add to their
staff that will help them build the Wellness Program. As the Wellness Program grows so will the
need to hire on more assistance.
TOTAL BUDGET
1 FTE – Wellness Coordinator $45k/yr. (Salary)
Total costs for the hiring of the employee with full benefits is $75k/yr.
PITCH
Our employee Health and Wellness program will offer the employees within the
organization an opportunity to utilize their services on a daily basis during lunch. Every
month the Health and Wellness Program will pick a specific type of focus that will be
offered one day a week for the entire month. An example of this is for the month of
October the Health and Wellness Program is offering a 1 hour free of charge beginner
Yoga session to all employees who wish to participate. Ideally, since the organization is
rather large there will be two times where this is offered for both day and night shift
employees. Employees will need to register with the Employee Wellness office to sign up
and they will pick a time slot of their choosing. (e.g. Beginner Yoga every Wednesday in
the month of October from 12:00pm - 1:00pm/ or 4:00pm - 5:00pm).
For the month of November the Employee Wellness office is offering brown sack lunch
sessions on the topic of Mindfulness and Meditation. Every Thursday from 12:00pm -
1:00pm a Life or Health Coach will speak to the employees on a specific topic regarding
mindfulness or Meditation.
Every month there will be a new theme and a new area of focus where employees can
benefit from the staff within the Employee Wellness office while making sure to
empower and encourage employees to be productive and stress free.
CLASSMATE FEEDBACK
36

The idea that you have for your program is great. I really like how you concentrate on a
different area each month. The fact that you change the area each month helps to make
the employees learn all of the valuable information that is available to them. It will help
to make them a better overall person, and improve their well-being. It gives them the
tools to help them keep it going outside of the job.
Although I think the pitch that you have is great I do have a few questions. Will there
be any consequences for the employees who choose not to participate in the programs?
Will there be perks for the employees who choose to participate in the programs? Do
you think the program would work better if you didn't do something new every month?
Instead give them the list of programs available and let them choose which one they
would like to take? All in all I think the idea that you have is a good one, and it will be
easy to implement into any organization who would think of using it. Thank you for
sharing this wonderful idea with me, and I know your paper is going to be an amazing
read.
SUMMARY
Overall, I feel that the implementation of the Wellness Program will be simple and easy to
incorporate into an already existing Employee Health Program it will provide the employees
greater benefits to overall well-being. I personally believe that creating the Wellness Program
will give the employees added benefits to their already existing Employee Health Program. It is
important to start off small and survey the employees to get a better idea of what is needed and
requested so the services can be fully utilized. Without proper feedback the Wellness Program
runs the risk of failing and not meeting the needs of what the employees want and/or need.
Since the organization encourages their employees to create work/life balance why not provide
them with the resources and tools necessary to make that work/life balance a reality. Most
37

people spend the majority of their time in the workplace and if stress is high in the workplace
then it is our duty to help our employees live healthier, stress free lives.
References
The American Institute of Stress, (2016). Retrieved online at http://www.stress.org/workplace-stress/
Journal Writing:
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Explore: Creating Connection. Directions are found on
pages 161 through 163 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of this Assignment,
practice developing these qualities in building stronger and healthier relationships.
This should be a minimum of one full page.
OPENNESS: For this quality I chose an individual in my life who at times can
try my patience. In the beginning of our relationship whenever we would
fight it was difficult for me to maintain an open mind. We would always
work things out but I always had doubts that he would return to his
original self and we would be back too square one. It took a lot of
forgiveness in not only myself but in him to truly be open with this
relationship.
EMPATHY: Empathy is not something I struggle with as I consider myself to be an empath. I can
always sense when someone is having a bad day or is in need of a hug. Being real empathetic all
of the time can be exhausting so I find it very helpful for me to set boundaries with myself to
38

make sure I am not giving of myself too much. I have to have an equal amount of balance in
order to be of service and help someone empathetically.
COMPASSION: Compassion I think is key in every type of relationship as I feel it is vital for the
relationship to be successful. The person I chose for this quality is a person that I struggled with
for years. When it came to this person in my life it was real difficult for me to see her with
compassion, but that was because I was only seeing my pain and hurt. What helped me find the
compassion was recognizing that she gave me all she could with what she had, nothing more
and nothing less.
LOVING-KINDNESS: I think we all have people in our lives that we find it very difficult to offer
them loving-kindness especially if they have wronged you in some way. For me I like to remind
myself that if all I ever want is for people to acknowledge me or show me affection it is because
I need to feel appreciated in some form or fashion. When offering loving-kindness, I like to
remember that everyone has challenging days but how you treat people makes all the difference
in the world. You can be the one person in their life that makes their day better, not bitter.
SYMPATHETIC JOY: I struggle with this quality when it comes to people I work with, especially
those that get acknowledged for efforts that were not completely theirs. I know that everyone in
life has their own path but the truth is there is no reason for me to not be happy for someone
else’s success. It is important to recognize that we all have our own time, our own moment to
shine and when our time comes we have to grab it while we can.
EQUANIMITY: This quality is the hardest for me when dealing with negative people. Often times I
just want to avoid them at all cost but the truth is, they are just as human as I am. If anything
they need more positivity in their life, a reason to smile, a reason to look forward to coming to
work or whatever the case may be. I strive to be that one person in their life who makes them
smile or laugh even if it is just for a moment.
Summary: I personally feel that these 6 qualities are important and vital to a successful
relationship. Every day is a struggle but all we can do is take it one day at a time and respond to
39

every situation/person in our life one at a time. I try to live by the motto, “Do unto others and
you would have them do unto you.”
References
Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Issues for
Management and Prevention to your
Professional Life
Key Learning Point: It is important to note that no one strategy works for everyone. Every person is
different and individual so finding what works for them when dealing with stress is important. In
order for coping techniques to be effective you must increase your awareness to the cause of the
stress, help process information about the stressor, and adjust your attitude and behavior towards a
peaceful solution. (Seaward, 2015. Page 360).
Key Learning Point: Forgiveness is a cognitive process and coping technique for anger related
stressors. It is key and vital to allowing yourself to shift in attitude and perception towards moving
forward. (Seaward, 2015. Page 355).
Key Learning Point: Some of the best suggestions you can ever have when it comes to creating a
stress-management program is to make a habit of spending quality time with yourself. Be honest with
who you are and allow yourself to be who you are. Be in check with your emotions. Recognize where
Unit
9
40

they are, and acknowledge them when necessary. My favorite is learning to practice the art of
unconditional love not only with yourself but with others. Allow yourself to be creative. Practice
creativity in whatever form feels best for you. Balance is key to having optimal well-being. Last but
not least learn to be like a child. Laugh, and play as well as not taking everything so personally.
Additional Information
The HeartMath Institute: Their mission is to bring people back in balance with the physical, mental and
emotional systems while aligning them with their heart’s intuitive guidance. (a biofeedback
program).http://www.heartmath.org
The Insight Center, P.C.: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness-based stress reduction services based on the MBSR program originally
developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
http://www.theinsightcenter.com/page4.html
The InVizion Process was created by Intuitive Colette Baron-Reid and the Master Intuitive
Coach® Institute.
http://micicoach.colettebaronreid.com/in-vizion-process
41

References
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.
42

Unit 7 Assignment - Stress Management

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