hw410-01-unit 9 project Critical Issues in Stress Management and Prevention

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

K A P L A N U N I V E R S I T Y
Stress Management and Prevention
Program Resource Guide
By
Cynthia Grothe
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
1/14/2014

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
 What Is Stress?
 Types of Stress/ causes
 General Adaption Syndrome
Resources: Exercise: EXERCISE 1.6 The Wellness Paradigm Revisited
Tools: Journal Writing: EXERCISE 1.4 A Good Night’s Sleep
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
 Physiology of Stress
 Stress Related Disease
 Effects on Memory from Stress
Resources: EXERCISE 2.2 Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects
Tools: EXERCISE 3.3 My Health Profile
U N I T 3 P S Y C H O L O G Y O F S T R E S S
 Building Blocks of Psychological Stressors
 Subtleties of Predictability
 Subtleties of Control
Resources: EXERCISE 5.4 Anger: The Fight Response
Tools EXERCISE 4.1 The Psychology of Your Stress
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
 Stress Prone Personalities
 Stress Resistant Personalities
 Importance of Self-esteem
Resources: EXERCISE 7.5 Your Personal Value System
Tools: EXERCISE 6.1 Under the Gun: Stress and Personality

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
 Coping Strategies/Types
 Vulnerability to Learned Helplessness
 Applying the Principles of Coping to Psychological Stress.
Resources: None for this unit.
Tools: EXERCISE 15.1 The Time-Crunch Questionnaire
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
 Diaphragmatic Breathing
 Inclusive and Exclusive Meditation
 Mental Imagery vs. Visualization
Resources: EXERCISE 18.3 Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought
Tools: EXERCISE 17.1 Dolphin Breath Meditation
U N I T 7 S I G H T , S O U N D , A N D B O D Y W O R K
 Four Stress Domino Factors
 Effect of Stress on Eating Habits
 Foods that Trigger a Stress Response
Resources: None for this Unit
Tools: EXERCISE 27.1 Stress-Related Eating Behaviors
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
 Importance of Flushing Stress Hormones Out of the Body
 Specific Effects of Exercise on Stress
 The Mind/Body Connection
Resources: None for this unit
Tools: EXERCISE 28.2 My Body, My Physique
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 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
 Information Seeking- Promoting and Reducing Stress
 Hobbies as a Coping Mechanism
 Forgiveness as a Coping Mechanism

Tools: None for this Unit
U N I T 1 0 A P P L Y I N G S T R E S S : C R I T I C A L 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
 What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?
 Applying the Use of Guided Meditation.
 The Benefits of Journaling
Tools: Final Reflections
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N
(End of the Guide)

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Unit1: TheNatureofStress
InformationtoRemember:
 What Is Stress? Stress is the body’s reaction to any perceived threat, real or imagined, to our
mind, body, spirit or emotions. (Seward, B. 2009, pg. 3) Any time one is experiencing stress, it
triggers a psychological and physiological response causing one to go into fight or fight mode. If
not shut down in a timely manner, it can also affect the body in negative ways, sometimes leading
to fatal illnesses. Knowing and recognizing stress makes it possible to begin to implement a
change in reactions to stress, and helps to create a calmer approach to the stressor, as well as help
to boost self-esteem, and decreases the potential of developing illnesses that will shorten a
person’s life span.
 There are several types of stress in today’s society. Eustress is the good kind. It motivates a
person to optimal performance. Examples of this type include falling in love, the birth of a child,
or maybe finding a music album that is rare. Neustress is the stress that generally is dismissed as
inconsequential. Examples would include a tragic event in a part of the world that is removed
from a person and does into directly affect them. Distress is the stress that is response to a
negative event, and includes two additional types of stress: Acute and Chronic. Acute Stress is
intense but short in duration, say from getting pulled over and receiving a ticket. Chronic stress is
Unit
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prolonged stress that is not as intense. Examples of causes for this include financial worries, or
relationship problems.
 General Adaption Syndrome is in reaction to chronic stress and it includes: the alarm phase,
where the body prepares for flight or fight; the resistance stage in which the body attempts to
recover; and the exhaustion stage, when the body’s organs begin to fail. (Seward, pg. 13) In
knowing these stages, it makes it easier to identify what stage one is in and adjust treatment
accordingly.
Resources:Exercises:
 EXERCISE 1.6 The Wellness Paradigm Revisited- This exercise helped me to evaluate my own
opinion of wellness in my own life. I had to look at the things that caused stress in my life and
begin to define what I needed to change. In doing so, I began to assess how much stress I actually
deal with on a daily basis.
Tools:JournalWriting:
 EXERCISE 1.4 A Good Night’s Sleep – This section emphasizes the need for a good night’s sleep
and the effect of not getting enough on stress levels and on overall health. I include it here because I
had to examine my own sleeping habits (or lack of.) It made me realize how badly my body clock
is and got me thinking about what I would need to do in order to change it. The bottom line is that if
one does not get a good night’s sleep, it affects moods, stress levels go up and the body remains in
fight or flight until it has had a chance to relax. As a result, one is more susceptible to illness that is
stress related.

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Unit2:ThePhysiologyofStress
 Physiology of Stress: Stress affects several areas of the body, but most notably is the CNS, the
endocrine system and the immune system. The endocrine system releases signals to the central
nervous system to prepare the body for the fight or flight of a stressful situation. The endocrine
system includes the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, and the adrenal gland. (Seward, pgs. 41- 42)
When these are stimulated, they release Glucocorticoids, which are used as an energy supply. The
CNS is stimulated by the brain and will activate the nerves in preparation of flight or flight. With
the activation of these systems, the immune system will basically shut down until the perceived
threat is over, and will return to homeostasis once it is over. However, if the threat is continued,
through worry, or anger, the immune system will take longer to return to normal and leaves a body
susceptible to illness and disease.
 Stress Related Diseases: One of the biggest relatable diseases caused by stress is
Cardiovascular. As your body goes into fight or flight, the heart is required to divert blood to
the extremities in order to make flight possible. If, however, this continues on for a prolonged
time, the heart muscles will eventually wear out, causing heart attacks and stroke. (Sapolsky,
2004, pg. 41) Another disease related to stress is caused by not eating properly. The body needs
sugar, but if someone is eating out of comfort, chances are they are not eating healthy. They are
Unit
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grabbing food on the fly, and most fast foods are packed with sugars. Too much sugar in the
blood system causes diabetes. Combine this with lack of exercise in this mostly sedentary
world, and you have a recipe for disaster. The body is not able to properly process the sugars
and a build -up will cause other issues, such as a shut-down of the liver and kidneys. This can
lead to dialysis and possible death.
 Effects of stress on memory: A person will remember details of an excitable event easier than
one that is relatively dull and boring, however, they will only remember the stress-related part
of the event. This flashbulb memory is easily retrievable, but events leading up to it are not. The
brain will “Fill-in” the missing details of an event in order to create uniform memory. Also, if
one is stressed out enough, remembering important dates in the future is very hard, if not non-
existent. This is because the brain is trying to do too many things at the same time and some far
off future event is not as important as what is happening in the here and now. (Gilbert, Daniel,
2005, pgs.87-92)
 EXERCISE 2.2 Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects- This exercise helped me
to point out what the signs of a stressful situation are, and how to pinpoint an area that I might be
able to disengage the stressor. It required me to list all of the physiological signs of my stress
response for both short term and long term effects such as susceptibility to flu and acne. By looking
at this list, I can see when I am experiencing a stress response and think the situation through to
defuse the response before it turns into a long-term stressor.

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 EXERCISE 3.3 My Health Profile- I am including this for a couple of reasons. First, knowing
what areas need to be improved in order to help alleviate the physical stress. It also begins to point
me in the direction of my health prescription. By learning what changes I need to make, I can focus
on that area that causes stress in my own mind and can help me to improve my self-esteem.

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Unit3: PsychologyofStress
 The Building Blocks of Psychological Stressors- These include: outlets for frustration-maybe a
hobby, or taking a run. The idea is that it gives a person some place to focus their anger; Social
Support – where a person can go to talk out their feelings before they become overwhelming;
Predictability-knowing what to expect lessens the stress response; and Control- the belief that one
is in control of a situation gives them a sense of comfort(Sapolsky, 2004, pgs. 355-262). Using
these building blocks will help to lessen the stress felt by an individual.
 Subtleties of Predictability- “Knowing the stressor is inevitable; the warning cannot change that,
just the perception of it (Sapolsky, 2004, pg. 266).” However, knowing what is going to happen
does not always help to alleviate the stress that goes along with it. It can, in fact increase the stress
as the time gets closer to whatever the event is.
 Subtleties of control –This describes what happens to a person who think they are in control while
a situation is brewing, but when the situation explodes, they blame themselves. This also applies
to parents who have lost a child, they may not have foreseen that something terrible was about to
happen, but then afterwards, they blame themselves, saying things like “I should have done more,
If only I was a better parent, this would not have happened.”
Unit
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 EXERCISE 5.4 Anger: The Fight Response- in doing this exercise, I was able to really look at my
anger and how I tend to lash out when I am upset. I found that I classify as an exploder, where I
hold everything in and just explode all over the place, usually at people I am not really angry at.
Because of this exercise, I can start looking at ways to recognize hen this is happening and stop it
before it gets out of control.
 EXERCISE 4.1 The Psychology of Your Stress- This Journal exercise helped me to break down
my day to day stressors, I was required to list my top stressors as anger based or as fear based. As a
result, I can pinpoint the stressor and what is actually behind it and then deal accordingly with the
underlying emotion.

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Unit4: PersonalityTraitsandtheHumanSpirituality
 Stress Prone Personalities- The most recognizable of these personalities is the Type A
personality. They are associated with time urgency and unresolved anger issues, they engage in
multitasking, are ultra-competitive, have rapid speech patterns, are ego driven, and are hyper
aggressive. (Seaward, B., 2009, pgs. 135-136) The personality is the Type D personality. They
are associated with anxiety and depression. Then there are the codependents, which have a habit
of putting everyone else’s needs above their own (Seward, 2009, pgs. 136-140) The next is the
helpless-hopeless personality and is based on low self-esteem.
 The Stress Resistant Personality –The Hardy Personality leads this list. This personality type is
one who seems to be able to buffer against stressors. Their characteristics include Commitment,
control and challenge. The next would be the Survivor personality, who seems able to overcome
insurmountable odds to come out as the victor rather than as the victim. The next are the Type R
personalities, also known as the sensation seekers, who confront stress by calculating the risks in
extreme situations and then proceed with gusto. (Seward, 2009, pgs. 143 – 147)
 The Importance of Self-esteem- Low self-esteem can be seen in the stress-prone personalities, as
they are the most vulnerable to feeling negative emotions, and High self-esteem is prevalent in
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the stress resistant personalities, as they seem to be able to brush off stress and do whatever needs
to be done.(Seward, 2009, pgs. 147-150)
 EXERCISE 7.5 Your Personal Value System- This section had me describing my personal values.
This was a little difficult for me as I had to think about it hard. I don’t often do this type of personal
moral inventory unless I am preparing to make a major change to my life.
 EXERCISE 6.1 Under the Gun: Stress and Personality- For this Journal exercise, I had to describe
how I handle stress. Though I scored below the average for a co-dependent personality, I
discovered that the traits are still there.

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Unit5: DEALINGWITHSTRESS:COPING
STRATEGIES
 Coping Strategies/Types- Coping is “ the process of managing demands that are appraised as
taxing or exceeding the individual’s resources. (Seaward, 2009, pg. 196) This can take several
forms, such as: palliative coping, where one is increasingly aware of one’s surroundings;
Instrumental coping, where a series of behavioral changes accompany this awareness; and
self-efficacy, describing an inner sense of faith Culminating in a can do attitude. (Seaward,
2009, pg. 196) These strategies make it possible for a person to deal with stressors in a less
combative mode and help them to get through whatever the situation is calmly and
effectively.
 Vulnerability to Learned Helplessness – Some people are more resistant to learned helplessness
than other. Sapolsky talks about the one hostage out of ten who come out of captivity a mentally
healthier person than when they went in. (Sapolsky, 2004, pg. 392) It is this resistance to
helplessness that seems to define people with a Hardy Personality type.
 Applying the Principles of Coping to Psychological Stress – With practice, people can change
how they react to stress and stressful situation. In some personalities, it may require the additional
Unit
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assistance of a psychotherapist in order to recognize coping skills, but once it is learned, it will be
almost automatic.
 None for this unit.
 EXERCISE 15.1 The Time-Crunch Questionnaire- This section gave me a chance to evaluate
my time management skills. As this has always been an area that I have struggled with, it helped
me to see here I am already getting better and where I still need work. Time management has
always been a huge stressor for me and some days it seems as though there is not enough hours in
the day to accomplish what I need to.

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Unit6: RELAXATIONTECHNIQUES1:
BREATHING,MEDITATION,ANDMENTAL
IMAGERY
 Diaphragmatic Breathing- This is controlled deep breathing.(Seaward, 2009, pg. 344) This allows
the person to stop for a minute, take a deep breath and gain some control over them while in a
stressful situation. The breath is focused on expanding the lower abdomen rather than the chest.
This type of breathing is often used in Yoga and other types of meditation as a way to calm the
whole person down.
 Inclusive and Exclusive Meditation – Inclusive meditation is where thoughts are invited into
awareness without emotional evaluation or judgment. An example would be Zen Meditation.
(Seaward, 2009, pg. 355) Exclusive meditation involves the restriction of consciousness to
focus on a single thought. Examples would include focus on a mantra, or on a visualized
object, repeated sounds, physical repetitions, or tactile repetitions. (Seward, 2009, pgs. 355-
357)
 Mental Imagery vs. Visualization – Mental Imagery is used during meditation in order to put
someone into a state of calm. The teacher or guru will walk the person through the image
Unit
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construction and any environmental sounds. It has been used for pain management such as
Lamaze breathing during childbirth. Visualization is often used to help promote a winning
attitude about a situation. Athletes will use it to “psych” themselves up before a game or
competition. It puts them in a winning mood so they tend to play better.
 EXERCISE 18.3 Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought- This section helped me to analyze if I
was a right brain thinker or a left brain thinker. I discovered I am more of a right brained person
as I love academic pursuits, with left brain tendencies, as I enjoy the arts, being creative, music
and dance.
 EXERCISE 17.1 Dolphin Breath Meditation – This was an interesting meditation technique, as I
was calling up an image of my being a dolphin. I was required to allow air and light go into and
out of a hole in the top of my head, rather than through my mouth. It was a new experience for
me to meditate this way.

18
Unit7: NutritionandStress
 Four Stress Domino Factors- Domino one- Stress tends to deplete nutrients in the body.
Domino two- Current American lifestyles under stress do not promote or reinforce good
eating habits. Domino three- Some food substances are known to increase sympathetic drive
or other physiological response that keep the stress response elevated. Domino four- Many
processed foods contribute to a cumulative effect of toxins. (Seaward, 2009, pg. 489)
 Stress Effect on Healthy Eating Habits- Stress slows down digestion and absorption of foods
and the blood may be redirected to the large muscle groups in preparation for flight or fight.
Toxic residue may build up in the lining of the small intestine and colon, which inhibits the
digestion and absorption process. Stress also decreases vitamins and minerals from being
absorbed, thus leaving a body vulnerable to illness.(Seaward, 20, pgs. 493-495)
 Foods that Trigger a Stress Response – these would include carbohydrate rich foods, such as
sweets; High fat foods; an excess of simple sugars, such as white sugar and bleached flour; And
High levels of Caffeine, such as that found in coffee. (Seward, 2009, pgs. 496-497) Changing
eating habits will help, as well as learning other ways to cope with stress.
Unit
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Resources:
 EXERCISE 27.1 Stress-Related Eating Behaviors- I am including this one as it shows
my eating habits while I am stressed out or just in a hurry. I knew that I often skipped
meals but I wasn’t really all that aware of any other issues. Then again, I normally aren’t
until my blood sugar crashes.

20
Unit8: PhysicalExerciseandActivity
 Importance of Flushing Stress Hormones from the Body- The build-up of the stress hormone
cortisol from chronic stress and no activity can cause a person to gain weight. The Hormone is
used as energy during flight or fight and if a person does some sort of physical activity, the
hormone is flushed. But if the person does nothing except sit on the couch, the hormone is
redistributed to the body and turns into adipose tissue (fat). (Seaward, 2009, pg. 524)
 Specific Effects of Physical Exercise on Stress- Aerobic exercise burns off stress hormones. It
prepares the body for future stressful episodes. It can be used as preventive method because it
minimizes or neutralizes physical arousal to threats. It prolongs long-term efficient function of
several organ systems. (Seaward, 2009, pg. 516)
 The Mind/Body Connection to Physical Exercise – Exercise provides a wonderful catharsis of
emotional frustrations. It creates a balance between a calm mind and a healthy body. In doing
exercise, it burns off stress hormones that cause fat and decreases feeling of sluggishness.
(Seaward, 2009, pg.524)
 None for this Unit.
Unit
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 EXERCISE 28.2 My Body, My Physique - This exercise forced me to evaluate my body as
I see it. It helped me to pinpoint goals for my exercise program. As a result, I have a plan in
place to help me become more active.

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Unit9: Applying Stress:CriticalManagementto
yourProfessionalLife
 Information Seeking- Promoting and Reducing Stress – Too much information can cause an
overload, and stress. When you look something up you can scare yourself by focusing on the
worse case scenario. But Information can be helpful as well. It can answer unknowns and being
informed makes it easier to know what questions need to be asked. (Seaward. 2009, pg. 326)
 Hobbies as a Coping Mechanism- Hobbies can be used to help a person focus on something that
is constructive and pleasurable. In this way, they are not stuck in the quagmire. As a result, by
refocusing the mind elsewhere, the person can calm down and possibly come up with a solution.
(Seaward, 2009, pgs. 329-330)
 Forgiveness as a Coping Mechanism- Forgiveness Helps a person to rid themselves of toxic
emotions. It helps a person return to homeostasis because the fight or flight is dissolved. In this
way, a person’s emotional health can be maintained. (Seward, 2009, pg. 330)
 None for this Unit
Unit
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 None for this Unit

24
Unit10: Applying Stress:CriticalManagementto
yourPersonalLife
 What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation? – It is a progression of tensing and relaxing each part of
the body to achieve optimum relaxation. It is especially good for people who deal with a lot of
tension in the muscles as a result of stressful situations. (Seaward, 2009, p.456)
 Applying the Use of Guided Meditation- In this area, it helps to have someone who can guide you
into a restful visualization. By concentrating on the direction of the other person, it puts you into a
deep and relaxed trance like position. It also helps you take your mind off of whatever is causing
the stress so one can face it with a fresh prospective.
 The Benefits of Journaling – This technique give one a way to externalize emotion. One writes
down what the stressors are, and how they affect the emotions. It is another way to work through
the issue calmly.
Unit
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 After listening to the meditation cd, it helped to calm my mind enough to focus on things in my
life. I was able to put myself into relaxation and helped me to come up with ways to face my day
to day stressors without triggering my anxiety again. After all that I have had to deal with over the
last couple of weeks, that was important to me, and it helped by calming me down enough to not
have to deal with the emotions going haywire.

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Additional Information
Primary Sources:
Sapolsky, Robert M. (2004) Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, 3rd
Edition. New York, NY: St. Martin’s
Press.
Seward, Brian Luke, PhD. (202009) Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-
Being, 6th
Edition. Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Secondary Sources:
Ahsan, Tanya. (2008) The Brilliant Book of Calm. Oxford, OX, United Kingdom: Infinite Ideas
Limited.
Banning, Beth. (2013) How to Do Meditation for Beginners: Answers to Your Biggest Questions and
Five Easy Meditations. Published by Focused Attention, INC.
Betteridge, Adam. (n.d.) The Art of Meditation: A Beginners Guide. Published By Passive Perfection.
Gilbert, Daniel. (2005) Stumbling on Happiness. New York, NY: Random House.

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