Craig aronoff hw410 01 unit 9 resource guide project.doc

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

K A P L A N U NIV E R S ITY
Stress Management and Prevention
Program Resource Guide
By
Craig S Aronoff
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
9/23/11

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.........................................................................................3
Resources: Exercises……………………………………………………………….4
Tools: Journal Writing………………………………………………………………4
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......................................................................................... 5
Tools: Journal Writing……………………………………………...........................6
U N I T 3 T H E P S Y C H O L O G Y O F S T R E S S
Information to Remember………………………………………………………….7
Tools: Journal Writing………………………………………………………………8
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
Information to Remember……………………………………………………….....9
Resources: Exercises……………………………………………………………...10
Tools: Journal Writing…………………………………………………………….10
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
Information to Remember………………………………………………………...11
U N I T 6 R E L A X A T I O N T E C H N 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
Resources: Exercises………………………………………………………………14
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
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
Resources………………………………………………………………………21, 22

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Unit 1: The Nature of Stress
Information to Remember:
 Key learning point from the unit about The Nature of Stress:
The first key learning point is that stress is thought to be the inability to cope with a
perceived (real or imagined) threat to a person’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual
well-being. This results in a series of physiological responses and adaptations such as the
fight-or-flight response which is when the body prepares itself to fight some danger or to
run to safety. This stress response triggers the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine
to prepare various organs and tissues for fight-or-flight.
The second key learning point is that there are three kinds of stress: eustress, neustress,
and distress. Eustress is good stress and it comes about in any situation or circumstance in
which a person finds motivation or inspiration, and is usually enjoyable. Neustress
describes sensory stimuli that have no consequential effect; it is considered neither good
nor bad. The last type of stress, distress is considered to be a bad type of stress. There
are two kinds of distress: acute stress, which is short-term, is quite intense, and disappears
quickly. Chronic stress doesn’t appear quite so intense, yet it seems to linger for prolonged
periods of time.
The third key learning point is the general adaptation syndrome (GAS). This is a process
where the body tries to accommodate stress by adapting to it. There are three stages of
the general adaptation syndrome: Stage one is the Alarm reaction which is the fight-or-
flight response. Stage two is the Stage of resistance in which the body tries to turn back to
a state of homeostasis, by resisting the alarm. The perception of a threat still exists, so
complete homeostasis is never reached. Stage three is the Stage of exhaustion in which
one (or more) of the organs that are targeted by specific metabolic processes can no longer
meet the demands placed upon it and fails to function properly.
Unit
1

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Resources: Exercises:
 List the title of Exercise selected to include in the resource guide:
The title of my Exercise is “My Health Philosophy”. I selected this exercise because in it I
share what my concerns are about health. For example, my definition of health is when a
person is completely stable, that is, mentally stable, emotionally stable, and spiritually stable,
without any physical illnesses which would put them in a balanced state of homeostasis until
stress comes along to create an imbalance in the system. I also chose this exercise because I
know in order for people to live healthy lives they should follow some simple steps. They need
to eat right, exercise (get some physical activity), learn and use relaxation and stress reducing
techniques to handle stress when it arises.
Tools: Journal Writing:
 List the title of Journal Writing selected to include in the resource guide:
The title of my Journal Writing is “Are You Stressed”? I selected this journal writing because it is
a realistic survey to determine if a person is stressed out or not. It made me step back and take
a good look at my life to see the areas that need improvement regarding what stresses me out.
It points out in real terms many things that are stressors. I learned that I need to incorporate
meditation or centering time into my daily routine and that stress was bringing down my self-
esteem. Fortunately, there are many stress reducing techniques that could be employed to
bring it back to where it belongs.

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Unit 2: The Physiologyof Stress
 Key learning point from the unit about The Physiology of Stress:
The first key learning point is that the nervous system is comprised of two parts: the central
nervous system (CNS), which consists of the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous
system(PNS), which encompasses all the neural pathways to the extremities. The human brain
is made up of three levels: the vegetative level, the limbic system, and the neocortical level.
The lowest level of the brain consists of both the reticular formation and the brain stem. The
reticular formation, which is the fibers that make up the reticular activating system(RAS), is the
link connecting the brain to the spinal cord. Many stress physiologists believe that this is the
bridge which brings the mind (brain) and the body together as one unit; this particular organ
functions as a communications link between the mind and the body.
The second key learning point is that the second level of the brain is called the limbic
system, which is the emotional control center. There are many tissue centers in this level
which are directly responsible for the biochemical chain of events that constitute the stress
response. The third level of the brain is the neocortex which is the highest and most
sophisticated level of the brain. This level processes sensory information which is decoded
as a threat or a non threat and this is where cognition (thought processes) takes place.
The third key learning point is that there is a separate network of neural fibers that feed
into the CNS and work closely with it. This particular neural tract, the peripheral nervous
system (PNS), is made up of two individual networks. The first is the somatic network
which is a bidirectional circuit that is responsible for transmitting sensory messages along
the neural pathways between the five senses and the higher brain centers. T he second
branch of the PNS is called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS regulates
visceral activities and vital organs, including circulation, digestion, respiration, and
temperature regulation.
Unit
2

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The title of my Exercise is “Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects”. I selected
this exercise because it explains my understanding of these three phases of the physiological
process concerning stress. In the immediate phase, I sweat, have muscle tension, a rapid heart
rate, rapid breathing, have a rush of blood to my face and neck, and get a great burst of
energy. Of course, this is because of the fight-or-flight stress response. In the intermediate
phase, my neck and shoulders are tight and I get a strong sense of urgency. This makes me
feel more tension because the stressor hangs on for a while. In the prolonged phase, I feel
tension between my eyes, have a sore neck and shoulders, and also have other conditions that
are exacerbated. This is definitely the time to employ some type of stress reducing technique
to bring my body back into a state of homeostasis.
The title of my Journal Writing is “My Health Profile”. I selected this journal writing because it
made me become aware of my health status once again. It showed that I was overweight and
needed to lose about 50 lbs. This could be done by eating right and exercising. My total
cholesterol was a little on the high side. That could be corrected by eating a nutritionally
balanced diet and getting some type of physical activity on a daily basis. I also selected this
journal writing because it made me talk to my doctor about my other issues such as diabetes
and hypothyroidism and the leg issues I have been dealing with. I can manage all the stress
and anxiety that come with these issues by applying relaxation and stress reducing techniques
such as meditation which has helped me before. There are many other techniques I can use
but I am still a work in progress and will continue to seek more methods to use as time goes
on.

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Unit 3: The Psychologyof Stress
 Key learning point from the unit about The Psychology of Stress:
The first key learning point is that there is a certain level of innate tension, which can be
considered as psychic tension. This happens because of the language barrier between the
conscious and unconscious minds. This tension can be reduced when we go through a
process called individuation, which is a continual soul searching that builds a bridge of
understanding between the conscious and unconscious minds. Guilt and worry are two
emotional states that immobilize the thought processes. They distract a person from the
present moment, and this makes the person unable to conquer these stressors and attain
inner peace.
The second key learning point is that when it comes to human anger the thought is that it
consists of conscious thought, physiological changes, and some form of consequent
behavior. With anger there is a rush of adrenaline and with it a surge of energy. So then,
the most successful strategies to deal with anger should involve cognitive coping strategies,
relaxation techniques, and behavior modification to deal with these three components.
Anger definitely needs to be dealt with and reconciled. The best approach to this is for a
person to learn a variety of ways to deal with it so that one or more of them are available
when various situations trigger the anger response in them.
The third key learning point is that chronic anxiety produces physiological adaptations
which are manifested by the stress response, with a strong involvement of the immune
system. When there are repeated episodes of fear, this is thought to be associated with
colds, flus, warts, and impotence. According to some of the research, it is associated with
cancer also. Behavioral therapy is one of the methods that can be used to deal with fear
where a person engages in coping (cognitive reappraisal) and relaxation (mental imagery)
techniques to desensitize themself to their stressors.
Unit
3

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The title of my Exercise is “Emotional Well-Being”. I selected this exercise because it made me
look at my emotional well-being, which has taken some big hits in the last couple of years. It
made me realize again that I need to have the ability to feel and express all of the different
kinds of emotions that I have but in a controlled fashion. I also selected this exercise because
even though I deal with some health issues that do bring out all kinds of emotions at different
times I am always looking for different coping strategies to help me get through the rough
periods. As long as a person can find a coping strategy through relaxation and stress reducing
techniques they will be in much better shape to handle whatever stress comes their way.
The title of my Journal Writing is “The Psychology of Your Stress”. I selected this journal
writing because it discusses some different theories that can help me to be more aware of
my perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors concerning the times I am stressed. I would have
to say that I probably use repression and humor more than anything else because I
honestly don’t remember some things that people bring up to me. That’s where the humor
part comes in because I make a joke of it to avoid major embarrassment. I also use
defensiveness, but to a lesser degree. I also selected this journal writing because I usually
can’t remember having dreams but according to Carl Jung we are supposed to listen to the
wisdom of our dreams. I am attempting to be aware of dreams or any part of a dream that
may come to me and I believe it is just a matter of time before I am successful.

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Unit 4: PersonalityTraitsand the
Human Spirituality
 Key learning point from the unit about Personality Traits and the Human Spirituality:
The first key learning point is that there are certain personality traits which are stress-prone.
The Type A personality has traits that include a preoccupation with time urgency, multitasking,
being very competitive, and the usage of rapid speech patterns. They like to manipulate control
and are very aggressive and exhibit free-floating hostility. Codependency is when people are
dependent on making other people dependent on them as a way of validating themselves.
People with the Helpless-Hopeless personality have traits where repeated failure becomes a
learned response. All of these stress-prone personalities seem to show a low level of self-
esteem.
The second key learning point is that there are certain personality traits which are stress-
resistant. The Hardy personality has traits that include commitment, control, and challenge.
A person with a Survivor personality has traits that include acceptance (of the situation),
optimism, and creative problem solving. The Sensation Seeker has the trait of being
courageous when confronting stress by calculating their risks in extreme situations and
then proceeding with the activity. All of these stress-resistant personalities seem to show a
high level of self-esteem.
The third key learning point is that there are four processes that are involved in Human
Spirituality. They are like the changes in the cyclical seasons. The centering process
(autumn) involves deep reflection on a person’s real self. A continual emptying (winter) of
our consciousness allows spiritual growth to continue. In the grounding process (spring)
stage, the soul or spirit is filled with new insight. The strength of the connecting process
(summer) is related to the power of centering, emptying, and grounding of a person.
Unit
4

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The title of my Exercise is “Your Personal Value System”. I selected this exercise because it
made me look at what is important in my life and what my core values are. My six core values
are Spiritual: This means loving God and living right in His sight; Love: This is for family, friends
and my fellow man; Honesty: This should be absolutely in all things; Self-esteem: This needs to
ride on the higher side in order to get things accomplished; Health: Without this life is more of a
struggle; Finances: It is important to have these in order to keep things moving in life. Some of
my support values are going to church, helping the needy, caring for all people, trying not to
ever lie, getting high grades, working smart, completing my degree program, taking the lead
concerning my health, exercising, eating right, and keeping up with the finances in order to take
care of the home, and auto. Following this value system should help me in my journey through
life.
The title of my Journal Writing is “Under the Gun: Stress and Personality”. I selected this
journal writing because it made me look at how I deal with stress based on the concepts of
the hardy personality. The first thing I tell myself is that I have personal control over the
stressor. I try to cause the events in my life, not let the feelings of helplessness find their
way into my mind. I also employ self-control most of the time which helps me to overcome
any issues so that I do not feel stressed out. Commitment certainly helps bring down the
stress level when a person feels like they belong and knows that they are doing what they
are supposed to be doing. Completing my degree program can help me fulfill my life’s
purpose. As I am challenged, I have tried to see changes and different problems as
opportunities for new growth instead of looking at them as a threat to me. I am trying to
look at challenges as possible adventures into areas that I have never been to before.
Also, if I look at the challenges as an inspiration, I just might be able to enter other areas
of my life that I never knew existed but could possibly turn out to be a big help to many
people.

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Unit 5: Dealingwith Stress: Coping
Strategies
 Key learning point from the unit about Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies:
The first key learning point is that in order to break a self-defeating thought cycle, it is suggested
that we use the concept known as “reframing”. Reframing involves looking at the same situation
from a new perspective and finding some good aspect in it. The tools (coping strategies) that we
could use to start the process to dismantle any obstacles to reframing include the use of humor,
positive affirmations, and creativity. Positive affirmations are designed to bolster self-esteem.
There is confidence building through self-praise in the form of positive feedback.
The second key learning point is that there is a behavior modification model that has one
phase (denial) that is a precursor to the five distinct systematic stages. In the Awareness
stage, you realize that you actually think or behave in a certain way that is unhealthy. In
the Desire to change stage, many people know they practice unhealthy behaviors, but they
don’t care to change it. In the Cognitive restructuring stage, you see yourself in the act of
the undesirable behavior and think of a new and suitable alternative. In the Behavioral
substitution stage, an undesirable behavior is consciously replaced with a healthy or stress-
reducing behavior. In the Evaluation stage, when a substitution has been made, there
should be an analysis of whether the new behavior worked or not.
 The third key learning point is that Humor therapy is used at times as a coping technique.
The use of humor is a defense mechanism. Even though humor is unlike other conscious or
unconscious defense strategies that protect the ego, it seems to dissolve the walls of the
ego rather than intensify them. It is thought that humor is the one defense mechanism
that can increase pleasure and reduce pain at the same time. Many experts agree that
humor is an adaptive coping mechanism that liberates the ego.
Unit
5

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 List the title of Journal Writing (s) selected to include in the resource guide:
The title of my first Journal Writing is “Reframing: Seeing a Bigger, Clearer Perspective”. I
selected this journal writing because it showed me how to reframe my perspective from
threatening to nonthreatening when situations come along that try to stress me out. This is
how I reframed a certain situation with technostress: Situation: There seems to be an inherent
form of Technostress that occurs most of the time when I am in a hurry to finish the
assignments or quizzes for the week. Usually the computer will try to freeze up while I am
trying to move from one window to another or it won’t respond to my commands and closes
and drops out all of my windows. It becomes very stressful for me when I see that I may not be
able to get an assignment done in time because of that. Reframed Perspective: I know that
computers give people trouble all the time. I should be able to avoid getting stressed out and
being pressed for time by getting an earlier jump on the school work. That way it probably
wouldn’t matter if the computer was slow because I would have enough time left to complete
my assignments. Of course, cleaning out old files and having the right equipment would
alleviate that kind of stress, also. Last but not least, setting up a good time management
schedule can surely help to take the stress out of life.
 List the title of Journal Writing (s) selected to include in the resource guide:
The title of my second Journal Writing is “The Time-Crunch Questionnaire”. I selected this
journal writing because it was a survey that is based on the traits of the codependent
personality. It did show, however, that I do need to pull the reins in a bit with my time-
management skills. These are a few things that I think contributed to that assessment: My
bedtime varies depending on the workload I have each day, I tend to put work ahead of family
and friends, and what seems to be my biggest problem with time-management is prioritization.
I am a perfectionist when it comes to getting things done, I never seem to have enough time
for my personal life, and I just never have enough hours in the day to get the things done that I
need to. I am going to be completely honest and say that I tend to be a workaholic. All this will
improve as I set up a good time-management program and my health improves.

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Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1:
Breathing,Meditation, and Mental
Imagery
 Key learning point from the unit about Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing, Meditation, and
Mental Imagery:
The first key learning point is that diaphragmatic breathing is the easiest method of relaxation
and is known as controlled breathing. In diaphragmatic breathing, the movement of the lower
abdomen is involved. Yoga practitioners call this technique pranayama which is the restoration
of a person’s energy or life force. Diaphragmatic breathing is incorporated into other techniques
so that the person can get a combined relaxation effect.
Mental Imagery:
The second key learning point is that meditation is a solitary practice of reflection on stimuli that
is internal rather than external. Meditation is an increased concentration and awareness, a
process of living in the present moment in order to produce and enjoy a tranquil state of mind.
Meditation is used with virtually every relaxation technique known.
Mental Imagery:
The third key learning point is that mental imagery uses the imagination to observe, in the first
person, images that are created by the unconscious mind. Mental imagery falls into three
categories: (1) images that replicate peaceful scenes to promote relaxation, 2) images that
substitute a less desirable behavior with a healthier one, and (3) images that help to heal
damaged body tissue.
Unit
6

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The title of my Exercise is “Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought”. I selected this exercise
because it was talking about one of the basic themes of wellness, which is balance and in this
case, the balance of the right-brain and left-brain functions. This is a little about my skill in this
area: My dominant thinking skills are analytical skills, judgmental skills, time consciousness,
verbal acuity, math acuity, facts and detail oriented, with logical thought processes. As far as
non-dominating skills I would say that I have some synthesis skills, at times have an accepting,
receptive nature, a bit of intuition, some imagination, definitely music appreciation, and I have
used humor on different occasions. I can balance my patterns by bridging between the right
and left hemispheres of my brain by using meditation because of the role it plays in accessing
right-brain functions. Meditation tends to produce what is called an altered state of
consciousness. When we are in this altered state of consciousness, there is a shift in our
thought process, typically from left-brain to right brain thinking, and we become more aware
and receptive.
The title of my Journal Writing is “Too Much Information”. I selected this journal writing
because it talked about five things I can use to successfully decrease the quantity of information
that I am barraged with every day. Exclusive meditation is a form of meditation that has my
concentration focused on one object. This will help me to increase my self-awareness and
promote relaxation. Inclusive Meditation is a form of meditation where all of my thoughts are
welcomed into awareness. Active Meditation: This is the name of a meditation that is given to
a physical activity that promotes the cleansing of my mind through repetitive motion, for
example, walking or swimming. Zen Meditation: This is a form of meditation that I can learn to
detach from my emotional thoughts by becoming the observer of those thoughts. Insightful
Meditation is a name that is given to any type of meditation (inclusive or exclusive) that I can
use to expand my awareness to the intuition, or the deep-seated wisdom of the collective
unconscious, which will give me insight into my life.

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Unit 7: Nutritionand Stress
 Key learning point from the unit about Nutrition and Stress:
The first key learning point is that eating is surely a relaxation technique, because when
food enters the stomach, there is a sense of calm that comes about. As in many areas of
life, there are people who abuse eating as a coping technique. Stress depletes nutrients in
the body and those that get depleted under chronic stress do not get restored. There are
some known food substances that increase sympathetic drive or other physiological
responses which keep the stress response elevated. These include caffeine, processed
sugar, processed flour, and salt. Some people use alcohol to relax, but when it goes
beyond moderation, alcohol presents many problems. Many foods that are processed
contribute to a cumulative effect of toxins.
The second key learning point is that stress causes the depletion of minerals which
decreases the integrity of the immune system, making people more susceptible to disease
and illness. Magnesium, chromium, copper, iron, and zinc are some minerals that are
depleted under chronic stress. The antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E, and the vitamin B-
complex vitamins are also affected by chronic stress. When you don’t have enough of
these vitamins it may affect mental alertness and promote depression and insomnia.
Stress also depletes calcium and causes the inability of bones to absorb calcium properly.
When this happens it is very possible for the development of Osteoporosis.
The third key learning point is about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs involve
the DNA manipulation of foods where the gene from one species is spliced into the DNA of a
different species to enhance their quality or shelf life. One example of this would be taking
the genes from flounder and splicing them into the DNA of a tomato. In Europe, the name
Frankenfood was introduced to promote the hidden dangers of these genetically modified
organisms (GMOs). There is currently a ban on GMOs in Europe.
Unit
7

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 List the title (s) of Journal Writing (s) selected to include in the resource guide:
The title of my first Journal Writing is “Self-Assessment: Nutritional Eating Habits”. I selected
this journal writing because I got to see what some of my eating habits are that I practice daily.
Some of my eating habits and drinking habits are to drink between one and two cups of
caffeinated coffee daily, and have an ice cream sandwich most of the time after dinner. I take
vitamin supplements like vitamins C, D, E, the B-complex vitamins and a multivitamin. I really
don’t use table salt and don’t eat very many meals outside the home. I do not consume junk
food from vending machines or convenience stores. I do eat some cereals that contain sugar
but I don’t drink a lot of soft drinks. I do tend to eat more when I am stressed but when I am
angry I do not eat any more than usual. I do eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and
also foods (e.g., fish and nuts) with the essentials oils (omega-3 and omega-6). I do tend to
eat quickly most of the time and as a diabetic I rarely drink any alcohol. The bottom line to all
of this is to eat a balanced diet rich in nutrients and get some exercise to help you to be
healthy.
The title of my second Journal Writing is “The Rainbow Diet”. I selected this journal writing
because it taught me about the fact that food color is important . Each color holds a specific
vibration in the spectrumof light. When you combine the food color with the nutrient value of
food, it can help to enhance the health of the physical body. In the science of subtle energies,
each of the body’s primary chakras is associated with a specific color. The thought is that
eating fruits and vegetables associated with the color of various chakras provides healthy
energy to that specific region. Also, there is recent research that suggests the active
ingredients in fruits and vegetables that give them their color, called bioflavonoids, help to
prevent cancer. It does not matter if we are looking at Eastern philosophies or Western science;
the important thing is to eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables.

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Unit 8: PhysicalActivityand
Exercise
 Key learning point from the unit about Physical Activity and Exercise:
The first key learning point is that physical exercise is a form of stress. Physical exercise turns
on of all the physiological systems that the fight-or-flight response triggers for physical survival.
Physical exercise is classified as either anaerobic (fight) or aerobic (flight). Anaerobic means
without oxygen and is a short, intense, and powerful activity. Aerobic exercise means with
oxygen and is a moderately intense activity that is done for a prolonged period of time. Aerobic
exercise is the best type to promote relaxation. Physical exercise permits the body to use
stress hormones for their intended purposes, detoxifying the body of stress hormones by
utilizing them beneficially.
The second key learning point is that to get the benefits of physical exercise, there are four
criteria that must be met: intensity, duration, frequency of training, and mode of exercise.
Together they are called the all-or-none (F.I.T.T.) principle, which means that without
meeting all four of these requirements few if any benefits will be gained. It takes between 6
and 8 weeks to see significant benefits in the body.
The third key learning point is that the positive effects of physical exercise are lowering
resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, and muscle tension, and a multitude of other
functions that help maintain or regain physiological calmness. Exercise not only arouses
physiological changes but various psychological changes such as what is known as
“runner’s high” as well, again signifying that the mind and body act as one unit. Habitual
physical exercise produces both physiological homeostasis and mental homeostasis. People
who participate in regular physical exercise report higher levels of self-esteem and lower
incidences of depression and anxiety.
Unit
8

18
The title of my first Journal Writing is “Physical Exercise”. I selected this journal writing because
I was able to describe my exercise habits, including my formula for success (intensity,
frequency, and duration of exercise). At this point I am not doing any exercise because of leg
injuries sustained some months back. But if I was exercising I would be doing like I was before
the injuries. This means I would be walking twice a day, once in the morning and once in the
afternoon for 60 minutes each time. I would be walking just over two miles each time and at a
moderate intensity for most of the walk with some vigorous spurts mixed in at different points.
I would also be doing strength-training exercises like sit-ups and push-ups and/or lifting weights
at least two days of the week. I would do a 5-10 minute warm-up by either walking at a slow
pace to get the blood moving from the abdomen area to the muscles that I will be using in the
walk or by riding my exercise bike. Then I would stretch the muscle groups that I am going to
be working with and then do the walk. After that, I would do a 5-10 minute cool-down and
stretch again before being done.
The title of my second Journal Writing is “My Body, My Physique”. I selected this journal writing
because since I am trying to make the first change within, I was able to examine any
perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that I can begin to alter so that changes I do make to my
physique are long-lasting ones with which I can feel content. This is some of what I came up
with: Well, one of the first things that I need to alter is the perception of my self-esteem being
affected by my body image. I should be able to think I am alright whether I look good to
someone else or not. It may be just a matter of getting the ego out of the way. I need to
practice self affirmation because sometimes that’s the only place I am going to get it. I can
change my attitude from being down on myself because I am overweight to let’s get a program
set up to workout to lose the weight. I need to change from the belief of how am I going to
lose this weight to I am going to lose this weight and look good while getting my health back.
This should be able to be done through relaxation techniques to where I am in the altered state
of mind. This way I can get a vision of the finished product of my physique implanted and know
what I have to work towards in order for the changes to be long-lasting so that I can feel
content about myself.

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Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical
Issues for Management and
Prevention to Your ProfessionalLife
 Key learning point from the unit about Applying Stress: Critical Issues for Management and
Prevention to Your Professional Life:
The first key learning point is that information seeking, similar to other coping techniques,
can be a problem as well as an advantage. Too much information can be as damaging as
too little because it can feed the imagination to create worst-case scenarios, which are then
adopted as reality. Still, when you are threatened with a stressor that promotes fear of the
unknown, information seeking can be your best approach to begin to cope with this
problem.
The second key learning point is that hobbies help people to reduce stress. Using hobbies to
reduce stress has often been promoted as a top rated coping strategy. Good healthy hobbies
are any activities that offer a temporary therapeutic escape from the sensory overload that can
create or continue the stress response. Hobbies can offer the conscious mind a “change of
venue” to promote clear thinking.
 The third key learning point is that forgiveness is considered an effective coping style.
Forgiveness is an inner restorative process where self-esteem is reestablished through
“devictimization.” This is where contaminated thoughts and emotions are weakened and
released. At this stage people can begin to change their lives, not by just forgetting the past,
but by coming to terms with stressful issues that they may have in order to find peace.
Unit
9

20
 List the title (s) of Exercise (s) selected to include in the resource guide:
The title of my first Exercise is “Friends in Need”. I selected this exercise because it basically
asks for me to define what a friend is and what kind of social support I have. I would say that a
friend is someone with whom a person can share their precious moments and experiences with
in life. A friend is a person with whom I can reveal my personal thoughts and feelings. A friend
is someone to just be there when we need a helping hand or a comforting hug. Friends have all
these attributes and I am sure there are many more. We, as human beings are social by
nature. We need interactions with people who we are close with, our network of friends and
family. My social support group is my family and my close friends. There are other folks not in
those categories as well. They are very important to our health as safeguards and help to
neutralize the stress and tension we feel and they serve as an effective means to cope with
stress. As we develop in our own lives the relationships with our friends develop as well. The
ties we have with some people will continually strengthen over time and distance however
others seem to fray or fade away. When it comes to friendships, we need to take some time to
determine if they are really satisfying our needs.
 List the title (s) of Exercise (s) selected to include in the resource guide:
The title of my second Exercise is “The Healing Power of Prayer”. I selected this exercise
because I am very interested in how prayer works. Irrespective of a person’s religious beliefs,
prayer is a frequently used coping technique in times of duress. To look for help in times of
need is considered a practical approach for overcoming problems of any size or scope. While
prayer can be a very personal behavior, we now know that there are certain steps that we can
take to guarantee a clear communication for divine intervention. We should consider using the
following framework as a personal template to enhance the healing power of our prayers:
Intention: We have to have meaning and purpose behind our prayers.
1. Present Tense: State your prayerful intention in the present tense.
2. Focused Concentration: Clear your mind by writing down any distracting negative thoughts
as a means of releasing them.
3. Positive Thoughts and Intentions: State your intention in the most positive way.
4. Emotional Vibration: Call to mind the most favorable emotions you can feel.
5. Detached Outcomes: Write down any fears, anxieties, or desires that need to be released to
make the prayer fly.
6. Attitude of Gratitude: Take a moment to write a few words of thanks for that which you are
grateful.

21
AdditionalInformation
Resources
Books
Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Third Edition. New York, New York: Holt
Publishing.
The Sapolsky book was used as a secondary source. I selected this book to include in the
resource guide because it explained things about stress in a different way than the Ebook did.
Sapolsky took specific areas of stress and went into them in detail. Some of the topics that he
covered were Stress and Metabolism; Immunity, Stress, and Disease; Stress and Pain; Stress
and Memory; Stress and a Good Night’s Sleep, Why is Psychological Stress so Stressful; Stress
and Depression; Personality, Temperament, and Their Stress-related Consequences, and
Managing Stress.
Seaward, B. L. (2009). Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being,
6th Edition. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
The Seaward book is an [Ebook] that I used as a primary source of information on stress. I
selected this book to include in the resource guide because it covered many subjects such as the
Nature of Stress, the Physiology of Stress, Psychology of Stress, Personality Traits and the
Human Spirituality, Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies, Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,
Meditation, and Mental Imagery, Nutrition and Stress, Physical Exercise and Activity, and
Applying Stress: Critical Issues for Management and Prevention to Your Professional Life.
Seaward, B. L. (2008). The Art of Peace and Relaxation Workbook. Sudbury, Massachusetts:
Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
This workbook is an [Ebook] that I used as a primary source of information. I selected this book
to include in the resource guide because I was able to do the assigned Exercises and Journal
Writings from it. The assignments from this book were assessments of the different areas of
stress and how each of us is affected by them. T he book corresponds to the chapters of the
Managing Stress book so that while we were doing the assessments, we were able to learn
different coping strategies for the different stressors that come our way.
Article
Robinson, L., et al. (2011). Relaxation Techniques for Stress Relief: Finding the Relaxation
Exercises That Work for You. Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/Stress_
relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm#top
I selected this article as a secondary source because it enhanced my learning from the Managing
Stress Ebook. This article discusses six relaxation techniques such as Breathing, Meditation,
Progressive muscle relaxation, Body scan meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Visualization

22
meditation, and Yoga and Tai Chi. It goes into great detail about how to do each one of the
techniques and its gives other article sites and websites in case you want to follow up on this
article.
Website #1
http://www.nationaljewish.org/healthinfo/lifestyle/relax/visualization/
I selected this first website as a secondary source of information because it discusses
visualization that can help me reduce my stress, as well as enhancing my learning from the
Managing Stress Ebook. On this website it tells you that through visualization a person can
achieve a focused awareness while curtailing thoughts, emotions and physical pain. They also
tell you that it will be useful to tape each of the exercises, and play them back while you are
resting in a comfortable position.
Website #2
http://www.uccs.umn.edu/oldsite/lasc/handouts/relaxstrat.html
I selected this second website as a secondary source of information because it discusses stress
and relaxation strategies. It covers relaxation strategies such as Breathing, Muscle tension, and
Visualization. It has augmented my learning relating to the Managing Stress Ebook. This
website gives many other links in it for all kinds of areas of stress that you would like to follow
up on.
Video
Taiji 24 Forms by World's Champion
I selected this video as a secondary source of information because it showed me 24 different Tai
Chi forms to be able to practice. Tai Chi has been brought up in the coursework as a stress -
reducing technique so this actually details how to do it. You can see this video by going to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyiZe6oQBPA&feature=youtu.be
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations
I do want to add that all of the Microsoft PowerPoint presentations in Units 1-9 have improved
my learning as it relates to the Managing Stress Ebook. Therefore I would say they were a
secondary source of information for me.
Unit Lessons
I do also want to say that the Unit lessons from Units 1-9 have enhanced my learning concerning
stress from the different books that we used in this class. I would say that these were also
secondary sources of information for me.

Craig aronoff hw410 01 unit 9 resource guide project.doc

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