Unit 9 Final

KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and

Prevention
Stress Management and

Prevention Program
Resource Guide
1
KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
Stress Management and Prevention

Program Resource Guide
By
Yuliana Osorno
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
20180305
Table of Contents
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UNI T 1 THE NATURE OF STRESS
Information to Remember ....................................................................................................4

Self-Assessment Exercises .....................................................................................................5
Journal Writing ........................................................................................................................5
UNI T 2 THE PHYSI OLOGY OF STRESS
Information to Remember ....................................................................................................7

Self-Assessment Exercises .....................................................................................................7
Journal Writing ........................................................................................................................8
UNI T 3 PSYCHOLOGY OF STRESS
Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 11

Self-Assessment Exercises .................................................................................................. 12
Journal Writing ..................................................................................................................... 12
UNI T 4 PERSONALI TY TRAI TS AND THE HUMAN
SPI RI TUALI TY

Journal Writing ..................................................................................................................... 15
UNI T 5 DEALI NG WI TH STRESS: COPI NG STRATEGI ES

Journal Writing ..................................................................................................................... 21
UNI T 6 RELAXATION TECHNI QUES 1: BREATHI NG,
MEDI TATI ON, AND MENTAL I MAGERY

Journal Writing ..................................................................................................................... 25
UNI T 7 NUTRI TI ON AND STRESS

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UNI T 8 PHYSI CAL EXERCI SE AND ACTI VI TY

Journal Writing ..................................................................................................................... 33
UNI T 9 APPLYI NG STRESS: CRI TICAL I SSUES FOR
MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTI ON TO YOUR PROFESSI ONAL
LI FE
ADDI TI ONAL I NFORMATI ON
REFERENCES
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1
Unit
Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:
Chronic Stress: Stress that stays for a prolonged period of time but it’s not always intense as a cute stress.
It can be caused by anything, horrible roommate that you have to put up with for months, being stuck
in a relationship, a boss making every day intolerable for you. This type of stressor is said to be the
worst and cause diseases because the body has an ongoing stressor being very dangerous for it.
Seaward, B. L. (2015). Managing Stress, 8th Edition. [Kaplan]. Retrieved from
https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284084603/
Types. Of stressors: There are different type of stressors the body can go through, eustress, neutress and
distress. Eustress is the good kind of stress, comes up when the person feels motivated or inspired,
falling in love is an example of this type of stress. Neustress isn’t considered good or bad for us, it has
sensory stimuli that has nonconsequential effect on us. An example of this is when there is an
earthquake in another part of the world. Distress is broken down into acute and chronic stress. This one
is known as the “bad” stress, acute stress is short lived. Chronic stress is prolonged and stays with the
person for a long period of time.
Mindfulness: Being fully aware of your surroundings and what is happening in the now. It tries to teach
the person to grow awareness of the mind and body, it started off as being a Buddhist meditative
discipline, but this is something everyone can benefit from. Physicians are helping others be able to
practice mindfulness, helping people to deal with pain, illness and stress.
Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.
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Self-Assessment Exercise:
Mental wellbeing is a big part of making sound decisions, especially if those sound decisions include others
and not just yourself. It is being able to gather information it, process it, recall and communicate that
information to others. Physical wellbeing, having a balance between the cardiovascular system, reproductive
and digestive system. Having these system go out of balance could be very detrimental to the body.
Emotional wellbeing is being able to express all of our emotions and not be controlled by them.
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Journal Writing:
Situation Start Midway End

Hostile/unwanted work environment created by my direct 9
supervisor
Body image 7
Picking up the rank 6
Running 7
Whether I am grasping all I’ve learned in school to be able 5
to apply it
What will happen after my 4 year tour in my current duty 3

station
How my work environment will change when my 3

supervisors change
Finances 6
Going into a new environment 5
Being able to adequately take care of my 2 dogs because of 4
work obligations
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Unit
Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress

Practicing Mindfulness: It has been proven to decrease obsessive compulsion disorder (OCD), anxiety
and chronic pain. You are able to start making changes if you start focusing on the here and now and
notice those tendencies throwing your body out of balance. Not being aware of how you react to
stress through your thoughts or emotions is an indicator that you are disconnected from yourself.
Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (n.d.). A Mindfullness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook.
Gerber Model: We have an energy field made up of different systems, is believed my Gerber. If one of the
system is not connecting to the others or it has fallen out of communication, it throws the system off
balance. This type of imbalance is capable of causing diseases within the human body.
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being.
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Stress and the Brain: Stressful encounters are etched into the memory, but repeated episodes of stressful
encounters start decreasing memory by weakening the hippocampal brain cells. The hormone cortisol,
aides when stress forms, which the hippocampus is highly sensitive to. There are two different types of
stressors, acute and chronic. Acute is something small and doesn’t last for too long. Chronic is an
ongoing stressor.
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Neuroscience is the focus on the brain and the different impacts it has on behaviors and our cognitive
functions. It’s the study of the nervous system is able to develop its structure and the functions of it. There
are three objectives when it comes to neuroscience. Understanding the functions of the human brain is the
first one. The second one is understanding and describing the central nervous system. Along with that, how it
develops matures and maintains itself. The last objective is understanding and analyzing neurological and
psychiatric disorders.
Nordqvist, C. (2017, May 23). What is neuroscience? Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248680.php
Center, P. C. (2017, October 03). What is Neuroscience? Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
https://www.psychologycareercenter.org/what-is-neuroscience.html
Journal Writing:
How is stress or anxiety about people affecting your life?
Anxiety about people affect my life because at times I don’t want to have to interact with
others. This doesn’t mean its certain people, I even feel this way when it comes to hanging out with
my friends. I think this is because part of me is an introvert and another part of me is an extrovert.
Once I am in a setting with others I tend to be more outgoing and the feeling of anxiety slips away.
Thinking of having to interact with others at times is an overwhelming feeling and all I want to do is
stay in the comfort of my own home. When it comes to my direct supervisor in particular and
knowing I will be seeing her sometime soon gives me anxiety. Having to work with her makes me
question why I decided to come back into the Corps and if it was even worth it. It diminishes my want
to come to work and I love coming in and helping others and knowing my Marines are there.
How is stress or anxiety about work affecting your life?
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When it comes to work, 100 percent of my attention is there. If I’m at work I am dealing with
my day to day tasks, making sure my Marines know where they are supposed to be and what they
need to be doing. I make sure all medical appointments are being dealt with, made and gone to. I tend
to all standards having being met and understood both by myself and my students. If I am not at work
I am thinking about it. My mind is on my Marines and if they are doing what needs to be done and not
getting into trouble. If I’m not worrying about them I am stressing about my own career. If I will be
able to run three miles in the time allotted or at my standard. I think about what I need to do next or if
I have missed anything before going home for the day or for the weekend. Whether I will be a good
Staff Sergeant or not. I stress about having to endure another week with my supervisor.
How is stress or anxiety about the world affecting your life?
It stresses me out to know there is so much cruelty in this world. I am a huge animal lover, and
it puts me to tears to know people abuse them or leave them out to die somewhere alone. I have two
dogs, and to think of them going through any of that pains me. These animals look to their person for
love and affection, they should not be subjected to the cruelty of some humans. Even human on
human, so many cases of mothers harming their children or people killing each other. I don’t
understand it, and to just think that one day my child will witness this and have to live in this world,
gets me thinking. I grew up knowing what love was and acceptance to all was as well. The media and
our surroundings have a weird way of influencing the young minds.
How is stress or anxiety about food and eating habits affecting your life?
I know at times I should be eating better when I am not as active in the gym but it doesn’t take
me away from eating my favorite foods. I think about the effect it’ll have on my body if I keep eating
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a certain way and not exercise. I tend to be health conscious for the most part, so it’s not something
high on my stress or anxiety levels.
How is stress or anxiety about sleep and sleeplessness affecting your life?
It doesn’t take me long to fall asleep after I have laid down, but when it comes to how much
sleep I am getting, I feel like I need more.
How is stress or anxiety about exercise or lack of physical activity affecting your life?
Running stresses me, just thinking about it gives me anxiety. I have never been a good runner
and running is a big thing for us. We run almost every day if it’s not too cold and we have a physical
fitness test every year that we need to pass. If we do not pass it, it could potentially hurt our career in
the long run or prevent us from getting selected for promotions. Other than running I maintain a very
active lifestyle. If I am not at the gym by myself I am with my Marines or I’m hiking.
After this exercise, I never realized I had so much stress all around me. When it is broken
down to me, even sleep is something I sometimes stress about because I haven’t had enough of it or
on slim occasions my brain decides to stay awake and think about a million things. There is also a
different range in my stress levels when it comes to different things, trying to bring those levels down
is the hard part at times.
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Unit
Unit 3: Psychology of Stress

Gender Differences: Social norms allow men to express the feeling of anger much different than
women do. Men are allotted the chance to show that anger in public areas, such as, showing
aggression through sports. It is much different when it comes to women, they need to be
happy, never angry or violent, especially not in public. It seen unflattering and unladylike by
men. In some cultures women have to keep their frustrations in.
Seaward, B. L. (2015). Managing Stress, 8th Edition. [Kaplan]. Retrieved
from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284084603/
Coping with Anger: Best way to get rid of anger is not by releasing to someone that had nothing
to do with causing it in the first place, but, by what or whom caused it. Focusing your anger
on the wrong objective will only give you instant gratification lasting for a little while.
Restoring self-control is a good way to resolve feelings of anger. Another way is doing it in a
way that the behavior will change and provide some insight.
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being.Burlington,
Communication: Technology has changed the way we communicate on a daily basis. There are
many avenues if approach when it comes to trying to talk to another person either in a personal
to professional relationship. It has not necessarily improved your communication, if anything
it has added stress. Some people prefer to communicate with a limited amount of characters
and other as a face to face interaction. A lot of miscommunication comes from two people
with different styles of communication interact.
Seaward, B. L. (2015). Managing stress: principles and strategies for health and wellbeing.
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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There are two different types of desires, there is the good and the bad. Wanting
to be happy or harmonious is the good type of desire. The bad type of desire
is within fear, expectations and conditions. It is known as “go” in the western
culture. Meditation is a way to be able to “tame” the desires, connecting the
smaller mind to the higher mind. Being able to balance each of them. The
mind is able to create many different strategies to deal with stress. The mind is
able to put up defenses in order to shield us from harm or pain.
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington, MA: Jones
& Bartlett Learning.
Journal Writing:
As I was going through the exercise I found myself visualizing the air as I exhaled and inhaled. It was as if I
was on the outside looking in, and only focusing on the nose and the air. I went down to my chest where I
could see it going up and down as the oxygen entered and exited my lungs. I couldn’t quite slow my breathing
down and it felt as though I was being constricted. I forgot I was focusing on my breathing when I realized I
was at the motor pool of my first unit on Camp Pendleton, California. I saw some people I used to work with
and their kids, they all had kids. As I was there, I didn’t really understand why I had reverted back to that place.
It was a place of growing, understanding, drama, heartache, happiness, friendships and difficult people. When
I came to, it was the guy on the CD again and I was back to focusing on my breathing. Still feeling a constraint
on my chest and visualizing, looking at myself breathe in and out. Focusing on my breathing was long gone
when I realized I was looking at myself once again, but this time I wasn’t in California, I was back here in
Virginia. I was looking at myself at work, seeing myself for the first time and noticing how others see me. It
was as though I was there but as someone else and not me. I didn’t feel much as I was going through this, my
heart seemed to be the same as when I started. What I did notice, was that I physically felt relaxed but at the
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4
Unit
same time I had been weighed down as I was seeing this play throughout my head. Emotionally, going back to
that unit was stressful, I didn’t understand why my mind would wonder to a place with so much negativity. As
soon as the guy talked again, it was like I had never been thinking of anything, never felt anything that had to
do with what I was seeing. I only felt relaxed when I “woke up”. It was hard to remember everything that I
had experienced when I did this exercise for the first time. The feeling of relaxation took over everything else
I felt throughout.
Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human

Spirituality
Self-Esteem: It is the way we view ourselves, either we have a high self-esteem or a low-esteem.
Having a high self-esteem means you see yourself as an independent, being to value yourself in a
higher manner, knowing their self-worth and with an alpha type personality. It is a big factor in
being resistant to stress, much higher than someone with low-esteem. They don't see their self-
worth, having lower respect and value for themselves.
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Seaward, Brian L. Managing Stress, 8th Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2015. [Kaplan].
Mindfulness Meditation: It helps with chronic pain, there are a few steps to takes when trying to apply
mindfulness meditation. Understanding your body and how it preserves stress and tension. The
second way is working with the different emotional reactions to tension and pain. The third involves
learning how to live in the here and now.
Seaward, Brian L. Managing Stress, 8th Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2015. [Kaplan].
Stress Resistant Personality: It acts as a buffer stress for an individual. Commitment, challenge and
control give the individual the control necessary to be able to cope with stress. Commitment, is the
dedication that you have for yourself. Control, being able to have control of your own life, not
becoming a victim of stress. Challenge in seeing the stressor and growing from it not seeing it as a
threat to one’s self.
Seaward, B. L. (2015). Managing Stress, 8th Edition. [Kaplan]. Retrieved
from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284084603/
When a person has a negative attitude it means they tend to have more stress than those that see things in a
clearer light. Meaningful purpose adds value of certain things, when you add stress to it, it diminishes the
value and meaning behind it all. Prochaska’s Stages of Change Model is a very good to tool to use when
you need to change something within yourself. For this exercise I used it for exercise as an example, but it
takes you through the different stages until you get to the ultimate goal, the change you wanted to see
within yourself. Going from being in denial of change, to seeking out information, determination, taking
action until you are able to maintain that change.
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington, MA:
Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Journal Writing:
Some of the words that jump out at me after reading this were, apprehension, anxiety,
nervousness, worry and feeling overwhelmed. Anxiety is the one that truly pops out at me,
anxiety is not something that is necessarily shown all of the time, most of the time I am
quietly dealing with it. I feel it from having to interact with people I don’t know or just going
out and being social with the people I do know. Different things come to mind, when I know I
will be put in a situation like that. I think of the possibility of not having anything to talk
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about, or I ask myself if they will like me or if I’ll like them. I start feeling my heart rate go
up, my chest cringing in an unexplainable manner. My body wants go out and have fun but
my brain says no and just wants to crawl into bed or stay home and binge watch a show. The
anxiety of wondering why I feel this way sets in as well. I don’t understand why I say no to
social gatherings when I know I’ve always had fun and these are my friends. Apprehension is
felt when I am scheduled to go to a course or when I have the choice of going to it or not. It’s
that fear of not knowing what will be going in the course, the fear or being able to pass it or
even if I’ll be able to retain all of the information or not. I get nervous, my heart rate goes up
and I feel dizzy sometimes. That’s when the feeling of being overwhelmed comes into play.
The feelings of doubt and fear and not knowing if I’ll be good enough are overwhelming to
the point of exhaustion.
Uncertainty is very relatable to me and my career. I first felt it when the day came I had
to go to boot camp. There was no sleeping, my heart would pound so fast I thought it would
leap right out of my chest, and I felt weak, confused and scared. I wondered constantly if I
had made the right choice or the next four years were going to be dreadful. Being in the career
field I am in after almost a decade, it has never been this bad but I still feel it when I have to
take a physical fitness test or the chain of command changes or when I get a new batch of
students. That uncertainty of knowing things might not go as planned. The feeling of chaos
was when I was in Afghanistan. The first week there was chaotic, getting used to the
environment, the schedule, and the idea of making it home alive might not be the case. At
times I felt like my brain was fogged over, my body felt exhausted thinking of the many
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things that needed to be done, mentally I was checked out and had to force myself to come
back. After that first week, there was no fear, no anxiety, and no uncertainty. My body
became numb to everything and I embraced the worst.
There are many times during the day I feel these different emotions of anger.
Aggravation leads me to thinking of my supervisor, she makes my blood boil sometimes, and
she makes me question coming to work. It’s a feeling of my body tensing up because I know I
have to go see her all over again on a Monday morning. The agitation of when she yells in my
ear at the junior Marines at five in the morning also makes me tense up. It’s a whole body
affect, my teeth clench, my brain instantly goes through ways of putting this overbearing,
hiding behind her rank, and woman in her place, at times needing to remove myself before I
feel or say anything else. Embarrassing as it might be for me, I feel envy, something I was
brought up to never feel like. Never envy something another has, always be happy and blessed
with what you do have, but I do envy those around me starting families and being pregnant. I
want a family of my own and I feel ready, but my partner doesn’t. It’s not something I bring
up because I respect the way he feels, but it makes me feel sad with a heavy feeling on my
chest. All that comes to mind is a made up mental image of myself with a belly
One of my best friends passed away seven years ago, I grieved for four years and I was
denial for three. I felt it mainly in my chest, there was so much weight and constriction I
thought the feeling of relief would never come. I don’t feel grief anymore I have come to
accept his passing, but his face is the first thing I think of when I see that word. Insecurity is
another word I am familiar with. As funny or weird as it may sound I feel it in my stomach,
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because that’s the place I am most insecure about. When I look at it, it’s as though I am
looking at one of those carnival mirrors. It looks bigger than it actually is and it makes me see
something that isn’t really there.
I recently felt embarrassment, my face felt red, my body felt hot and my heart beat fast.
I thought I was within the group of people getting looked at for promotion, turns out I am in
the below zone. Even though I can still get looked at, there is that chance I won’t. I didn’t
understand how the whole process worked since this is my first time, someone gave me
misinformation and I wasn’t in a place to question them. They had already been through this
process, they know. Everyone within my work space knows about, I feel dumb for not double
checking and doing research of my own.
All of these different words mean something to me, I think of my family and my other
half. Fondness reminds me of my mom, I see her face as soon as I read the word. I see
happiness and feel it as well. I picture everything she has ever done for me and for us.
Affection is what I get and what I give to my boyfriend. I picture him and all of the times he
has ever given me affection, whether it was because I was sad or upset or just happy. It makes
my heart “smile” and feel full of love. Caring is another big word for me, I picture my two
best friends, throughout the years that I have known them they have always been there for me
through thick and thin. I see their smiles, hear their laughs and the many nights we stayed up
talking to make each other feel better and whole for at least a few hours. It’s a feeling of being
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complete and happiness, feeling it mostly in my chest.
JOY: amusement, bliss, contentment, eagerness, elation, enjoyment, enthusiasm,
exhilaration, hope, optimism, pleasure, satisfaction.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of excitement is going camping, hiking
or being outside in general. I feel happy, content my heart rate goes up because of the
adrenaline of going on a new adventure. The excitement takes over and all that comes to mind
are new trails and sleeping underneath the stars. I think I have uttered the word “hope”
hundreds of times in my Marine Corps career. Always expecting the worst but hoping for the
best is a saying I got all too familiar with. Every time I was in a sticky situation or certain
things came down from higher there was always hope. Putting a few days of leave to go see
my family, I always hoped it would get approved. It’s a feeling of wanting or needing
something so bad and trying to disperse it through your whole body so it comes about.
There are many feeling that manifested throughout this exercise, there were a few that truly
popped out to me and instantly had me thinking of a certain time in my life. There are so many
different words that essentially mean the same thing but take a different route towards the
definition. Helps to understand where the anger comes from, or the love or shame.
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5
Unit
Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies

Attitudes: The perception on someone is conveyed through their attitudes. Our health is influences
through our mindset, it’s the way we respond to stressors, either in an optimistic manner or in a
pessimistic one. A pessimistic attitude is able to compromise our body’s health. Study done by Dr.
Leslie Kaymen identified that having an optimistic attitude towards lifes stressors helps with optimal
health.
Prochaska’s Model of Change: There are six different stages to the model of change. Precontemplation,
contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and relapse stage. The first stage is being in denial of
what you are doing and what needs to be done. Contemplation stage is where the person understand
what they are doing is wrong. The third stage the person is finally having the intent to stop doing
what is bad for them. Maintenance stage is when the individual is making an effort to do what they
told themselves they would start doing. The last stage doesn’t happen to all but it when the person
goes back to their old habits and has to start all over again.
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington, MA: Jones &
Bartlett Learning.
RAIN: when it comes to self-inquiry there are few steps to remember. Recognizing when a strong emotion
is present. Acknowledging the existence of that emotion. Investigate the body for a response, the
emotions and your thoughts. The last step is to not identifying with that present emotion.
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Journal Writing:
Throughout this exercise I felt relaxed, felt myself doze off a time or two and come back to, as I was
realizing where I was at and what I was doing. I started my exercise in a hospital, as I am waiting for
one of my Marines to get through his minor surgical procedure. The TV was on pretty loud, loud
enough I could hear it over my headphones. I felt myself start zoning it out, farther and farther it kept
going into the background as I dissolved myself into the chair and onto the track. I started to feel
everything in my body, I felt the heat coming off my two feet and the softness of my boots. I was
leaning my head to the left side, resting it on my hand, as I kept listening, and the more cramped up
my thumb felt. I had my left leg crossed over my right, while a small sharp pain came to my attention
on my right upper hip area. I could visually see every single section of my body as I kept focusing on
it. As I was trying to focus on the parts of my body that stood out to me the most, I heard a woman's
voice coming from behind me, the TV came up from just being background noise, I told myself to
drown both out, and suddenly they were non-existent. I focused on my breathing, as I exhaled my
chest and abdomen went down, as I inhaled I could visually see it in my mind go up. As I inhaled I
could my sweater slightly move up and down.
I started at my feet, I could see my red toe nails just freshly painted, I felt the warmth coming
from them because of my boots. As I moved up my legs, I saw how everything was connected, the
different bones, the muscles and each strand that was meshed together to be able to make one muscle.
I got to the thighs and felt the pressure above my right knee from the leg resting on it for a while. I felt
it slip off until my left leg touched the ground. Kept moving up towards my hips, pictured my
reproductive system, thought about how that will be home to my baby for nine months. The baby we
are finally ready to have. I reverted back to my breathing, how my abdomen kept growing and
expanding as I inhaled, how it’ll soon be a round belly. My spine was next, saw the vertebrae that
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made it so, saw the cartilage that helped it keep it together and in place. How amazing it felt when I
went to the chiropractor a few months ago. I stopped thinking about going up my spine and saw
myself in the chiropractor’s office, and all the things that were on the wall and the mounds of
information presented to the patients. As he kept going I found myself deeper and deeper into a
relaxed state of mind and body. I felt my head fall down twice, we ended up on the neck and
shoulders and down the fingertips. I felt a channeling feeling go down. All of a sudden, I wasn’t
thinking about my shoulders or arms, I found myself somewhere else, I don’t know where I was, as I
came to and realized he was talking it left as fast as it had come. I thought that if I kept taking a break
every few minutes I wouldn’t be able to go back to that state of relaxation, but it seems the more I
pause the faster I fall unto that deep relaxation state of mind, making it harder for me to come back to
reality. As I try to wake myself up fully, I feel so much weight trying to get back to, my eyes are so
heavy it seems almost impossible to open them back up. The first thought that pops up, is if I look like
I just woke up, I am in a public place, in a military hospital, I am so conditioned to never fall asleep in
a place like this because of training it has stuck with me. I have been in long enough to be at a decent
rank, where I don’t need to be worried about things like this. Who’s going to yell at me? I am in
civilian attire, they don’t know my rank, nor is my command anywhere near this place. I guess you
could say I am still brainwashed to an extent, the silly things that come to mind.
This last I time I decided to pause, it was harder for me to get into the relaxation mode. I kept
hearing the background noise louder than before, hearing the people pass by seemed as though I could
see every step they took with my eyes closed. I was finally in my mode, I drowned everything out
after a minute or so, I could hear him talking about my anxieties, but all I could see was being in a
building all alone. There were cars parked outside, weeds growing out from where they shouldn’t,
trash around and windows were broken. I was confused, wondering where everyone else was, but I
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Unit
kept walking towards the front entrance. As he kept going my location changed, it was as if I was in
one of those movies that had gone back in time for a memory, there was no noise, everything was
slow motion and all of a sudden I am floating on a river. It’s a cloudy day, I feel the warmth of the hot
summer Virginia day with the cool sensation of the river flow. At that moment I was free, there were
no worries, no anxiety, no stress. I was where I was supposed to be.
Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,

Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Meditation: There are different types of meditation. Exclusive meditation is restricting the consciousness
to only one thought. This single thought is used to be able to wipe everything else away. Insightful
meditation is, after wiping all other thoughts from the mind, focusing in on intuition, giving insight to
the person’s life. Inclusive meditation is also known as mindfulness. Where the mind is free to
wander through thoughts.
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Relaxation Response: It is achieved from meditation, helping to decrease metabolism, improves heart rate,
breathing and blood pressure lowers. Meditation has a way to ward off many illnesses and some
infections. It also help to reduce anxiety, fatigue and stress.
Self-compassion: When the person has self-compassion, they are likely to be more resilient, happy and
optimistic. When they lack this, they can be depressed, have anxiety and stress and pain. It is sometimes
difficult to be self-compassionate, but when you are you are more able to try and make a change when
you fail at sometimes, or find something you don’t like about yourself.
Diaphragmatic breathing is one of the fundamentals of T’ai chi ch’uan, leading them to higher consciousness
and spirituality. Being a simple technique it is incorporated into different techniques like autogenic training,
mental imagery and muscular relaxation. It can be done anywhere and at any time, where the person can
assume a comfortable position. The person has to be comfortable with being able to do this technique in
order for it to be affective. Ideally, they would want to lay down, putting their hands on top of the abdomen
and feeling the breath go in and out. Concentration is also part of the technique, prying yourself away from all
of the external noises.
Journal Writing:
I try not to be my own worst critique and tell myself I’m no good or that I am
worthless. It seems like when I have been fighting with my significant other it comes out the
22
most. At some point during our fight he says something that makes me feel like I am not
worth it. Whether he meant it in that way or not, I take it that way. I unravel it and tell myself
I’m not worth anything. I used to be in a very emotionally abusive relationship and these
thoughts and feeling revert back to how I used to feel. I look at myself and see something
disgusting looking back at me. In my very vulnerable state I say these comments to myself,
but there is a small part of me telling myself none of these comments are true. A small part of
me telling me stop and reminding me about how much I have to offer. For some reason the
negative part of me wins the battle every time. I would never talk to anyone the way I talk to
myself, it would destroy their sense of worth and self-esteem. These messages to myself do
increase my unhappiness and my anxiety as I tell myself these things. I physically feel myself
getting deeper and deeper into unhappiness, frustration and anxiety. My mind feels as if it fell
into a dark hole with no way out. My body just want to curl into fetal position and sink deep
into my thoughts. For some reason whenever I get into this mode my body feels tired, weak
and with the feeling of so much weight pressing down. Sometimes I fall asleep, seems like it’s
the only thing I can do to make everything go away for a while.
If I stopped watering my seeds with so much negativity I would love myself so much
more. I would look into the mirror, whether I was sad or happy and find a way to make myself
feel even more beautiful than before. I mean that in a way of feeling beautiful on the inside,
the outside can easily be a mask in front of others, hiding the truth about what’s being felt
inside. I have self-confidence, I show it and I feel it, it’s when I am down on myself that I
feel this way but if I stopped saying so many negative things to myself I would mitigate from
23
saying them to myself next time I was unhappy. My inner confidence and love for myself
would still be present even if I felt down.
Thinking back on someone I have had a rocky relationship with, it makes me think that
they are the way they are because of something that must have happened to her earlier on her
in her career, or as a child. It might also be tide to certain things that happen here at work,
with her current rank, some individuals that outrank her and the way she gets treated by them.
After knowing her for almost two years and behind her “tough” exterior she holds her family
and friends at a high regard. She’s the type that if someone needs help, she will stop what she
is doing and go to them. If she can’t, she will stay on the phone with them, talk them through
it or do what she can. She has a huge love for animals, she has a dog and two cats, which she
cares for very well. I think the reason she is loud, demanding and unapproachable, is because
she puts on a face so others don’t see her true self. She also takes her feelings out on others
that have nothing to do with the way she feels, simply because she can. When people that
outrank her speak to her a certain way she doesn’t like, or not include her in certain things that
sometimes pertain to her because of her job she feels a certain type of way. She doesn’t like it,
feels excluded and at times, belittled, but turns around and makes some people below her feel
the same way. It seems as though she craves that power and feeling of overpowering someone
without the after effects. She reacts this way towards me sometimes, but then at other times,
she acts as my friend. It has come to the point where I say what I need to say, do what I need
24
7
Unit
to do and be as professional as possible with her.
After going through this exercise, I need to be more kind to myself, I need to learn how to pick
myself up even from the lowest parts that I go through. What I say to myself I would never say to
another, reflect on that and ask myself why I would do it to myself. I am the one that is supposed to
love myself the most. The way people act at times is always because of something coming from their
inner selves. We all react to certain things a different way.
Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress

Domino Effect: According to Seaward there are four different domino effects of stress. The first one is,
stress having a way of depleting the nutrients from the body. The vitamins within our bodies are there
for energy to prepare us for the flight or fight response. The second domino effect is how our
American lifestyles under constant stress because of our unhealthy eating. The third is is some of the
25
food is adding to the added stress. The last effect is the accumulation of toxins in the body coming
from the pesticides that’s come from the food we consume.
Physical Exercise: There are a few ways we can conduct physical exercise. There is muscular strength,
exerting your maximum strength again a resistance, like lifting weights. Cardiovascular endurance,
when the heart, lungs and blood vessels combine together and supply oxygenated blood to the muscles.
This would include running or being on the elliptical. Flexibility is using a muscle group and being to
go the full range of motion.
Aerobic Activities: Running, swimming, being on the elliptical, dancing are all examples of aerobic
activities. Aerobic exercises are anything rhythmic or continuous in nature, involving a demand and
supply of oxygen to the muscles. It is considered done at a moderate type of intensity for a long period
of time. This type of exercise is considered the “flight” response, getting the energy primarily from the
fats.
It started off with trying to focus in on the tape that was playing and my breathing. The day I tried doing this
exercise I was at home with my boyfriend, as I was doing I was in bed and he was in and out of the room.
This time taking a bit longer to focus on my breathing, when I was able to, I went straight to my nose and
how my hairs swayed back and forth with the inhale and exhales. I drifted off into a memory from California
and both places I used to live in. I went in and out of as I went back to listening to the background noise and
then back to the CD. I drifted into a thought and scene of being within my brain and seeing all of my
thoughts swirling through.
Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA:
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
26
8
Unit
Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity

Yoga: Coming from the ancient Sanskrit, it mean “union”, the union between your mind, body and soul.
It was deeply rooted in spiritual enlightenment, as it came to the West, it turned more into flexibility
exercises to be done before or after a workout.
T’ai Chi Ch’uan: A technique of relaxation originating from the Chinese, involving a series of movement
that is supposed to bring the body into harmony. It is translated as the “supreme ultimate”, symbolizing
balance, enlightenment and power.
Work Environment: Creating an environment for employees to be both successful but also where they are
able to let of any stressors from work. Every company has a mission, with completing that mission we
need workers that are able to give it their all. Within the company, there needs to be a place where the
employees are bale to relax for a little bit and get away from the stress of work. The company can have
different
Self-Assessment Exercises:
“Stress in the workplace can build up quickly and can be very easy to ignore when there is so much to
be done within the workday. Stress can hinder mission accomplishment, stepping back and realizing,
27
both employees and employers need a break and relax. Having a time within the work day or the work
week, where coworkers can relieve stress through mind and body exercises, it can make the work
environment itself have a lighter aura to it. Spreading the word to all of the employees to let them
know there will be times within the week where they can take some yoga classes to destress and get
themselves balanced. It could be a trial type run to see how many positive or negative responses we
might get out of it. Within the week we can have set times where we can get together to practice yoga,
we can also extend out to be something that can be done during lunch times or right before work. This
way it could be in house and the employees are getting a fresh start to their day. A space within can be
found and used as a set place to practice yoga, materials can be found within the community.
Fundraisers can be held to raise money within the company, incentives as casual Fridays, pitching
three dollars to be able to come into work comfortable. Having a cook off, builds comradery, raises
morale and it could be used as a fundraiser as well. To enter the cook off they could pay a small
amount and have a prize at the end for the winner. The intent is to get them that full balance within,
lessening the stress within the workplace.” (Yuliana Osorno 2018)
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington, MA:
Jones & Bartlett Learning.
W. (2016, February 26). 10 Creative Ways to Help Employees Relieve Stress at Work. Retrieved February 27,
2018, from https://www.saba.com/blog/10-creative-ways-to-help-employees-relieve-stress-at-work
Yoga Accessories, Equipment, Props, Mats & Supplies | YOGA Accessories. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27,
2018, from https://www.yogaaccessories.com/
Portable Audio. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.samsclub.com/sams/audio-
28
home-
theater/1188.cp?pageView=grid&searchCategoryId=1188&xid=cat_sub&navAction=jump&ro
otDimension=product_type%3AHome Theater Systems%3AHome Speakers %26
Subwoofers&altQuery=100001_1086_1188&totalLimit=48&recordType=all
Journal Writing:
OPENESS: I close my eyes and visualize my other half in front me of me and as I see this word I see
how open he is with me with most things. We went through a time, like other couples, that we are
trying to figure each together out and we get to that point where things are out in the open. He is
frank, open and honest with me.
EMPATHY: Seeing this word I see my mom as a very empathetic type of woman. No matter the
situation she understands and feels the same as I. in a way where I think no one else can be with
another, I don’t have to say a word. Sometimes she sees it in my facial expressions or by the sound of
my breathing when I first call her. Not only to me is she sympathetic, she is the same way to others
just not at the same level she is towards me. She feels others pain and always nothing but the best for
others.
COMPASSION: Even though it’s sometimes in your job description, but my doctor is the one that
comes to mind when I think of compassion. She is one of the ones that truly cares for her patients and
what happens to others. She feels the pain of her patients and does what she needs to and within her
power to help us.
LOVING-KINDNESS: This is my mom, first person that came to mind as soon as I saw this phrase.
She will drop everything to help others. She is considerate towards others feelings and opinions. She
never wants to take too long at the grocery store to put her money away because she knows there is a
long line behind her.
29
SYMPATHETIC JOY: My friend and coworker has recently lost her grandfather to a medical
condition. She grieves his loss but it also happy that he no longer has to feel the pain he once did.
EQUANIMITY: My niece exhibits this trait, no matter what comes up, she handles it well and very
mature for her age. She’s very young, so she is still with her mom, she always yells about something
even at things that don’t matter. She calmly tells her the truth or why she did something a certain way.
She has been through a lot as a young woman, her composure is effortless it seems like.
A lot of people have these different traits. As I was going through them I kept thinking of one
person in particular, my mom. I figured I needed to expand my thoughts and think of others that also
displayed these traits.
30
9
Unit
Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Issues for

Management and Prevention to your
Professional Life
Forgiveness: An illusion of control is when a person has help onto a grudge for a long time towards
someone else or having feelings of resentment. Defensiveness will be caused by this and you will be
more vulnerable to stressors. Something that creeps up into all the areas of your life, being very
detrimental. The cycle of victimizing yourself and letting someone else control your life stops at
forgiveness.
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (8th ed.).
Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Hobbies: A healthy diversion is something the mind has the ability to focus on, offering it a way to escape
when overloaded with work occurs. Taking up a hobby could be great for the mind and clearing it out
of the stressors going on at work or certain aspects of your life. The change of scenario is a good mental
break. They have to do with our own identity and our self-esteem and character.
Eating: Mindful eating is truly paying attention to your own body, listening to it when you are
hungry or if you are just having a craving for something. If you are hungry, chose carefully in what
you decide to put in your body. Understanding why it is that you are eating is also very important.
Determining if it’s actual hunger or because of sadness, frustration or boredom. Tying self-inquiry
into this will help bring those emotions to life rather than digging yourself into junk food.
Stahl, B. & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
31
Additional Information
32
 Stahl, B. & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland,
CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc. :
 Nordqvist, C. (2017, May 23). What is neuroscience? Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
 W. (2016, February 26). 10 Creative Ways to Help Employees Relieve Stress at Work. Retrieved
February 27, 2018, from https://www.saba.com/blog/10-creative-ways-to-help-employees-relieve-
stress-at-work
 Yoga Accessories, Equipment, Props, Mats & Supplies | YOGA Accessories. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 27, 2018, from https://www.yogaaccessories.com/
 Home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2018, from https://insightcenter.org/
I chose the workbook because it was an essential part of learning how to connect to myself and let go of
everything around me. The next reference I chose because I wanted a more in depth explanation of what
neuroscience was and what and how it was used. The third reference was chosen because I had an idea of what
I wanted to do for my project in Unit 8, but I wanted to be able to have the option of another program. The
fourth website was one of the essential parts to trying to figure out how my budget was going to work out for
Unit 8. The last resource give the reader a large amount of information on mindfulness in medicine, society and
health care.
References
33
Center, P. C. (2017, October 03). What is Neuroscience? Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
https://www.psychologycareercenter.org/what-is-neuroscience.html
Nordqvist, C. (2017, May 23). What is neuroscience? Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
Portable Audio. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.samsclub.com/sams/audio-
home-
theater/1188.cp?pageView=grid&searchCategoryId=1188&xid=cat_sub&navAction=jump&ro
otDimension=product_type%3AHome Theater Systems%3AHome Speakers %26
Subwoofers&altQuery=100001_1086_1188&totalLimit=48&recordType=all
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
W. (2016, February 26). 10 Creative Ways to Help Employees Relieve Stress at Work. Retrieved February 27,
2018, from https://www.saba.com/blog/10-creative-ways-to-help-employees-relieve-stress-at-work
Yoga Accessories, Equipment, Props, Mats & Supplies | YOGA Accessories. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27,
2018, from https://www.yogaaccessories.com/
34

Unit 9 Final

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Unit 9 Final

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KAPLAN UNIVERSITY

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and

Stress Management and

Stress Management and Prevention

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Information to Remember ....................................................................................................4

UNI T 2 THE PHYSI OLOGY OF STRESS

Information to Remember ....................................................................................................7

UNI T 3 PSYCHOLOGY OF STRESS

Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 11

UNI T 4 PERSONALI TY TRAI TS AND THE HUMAN

Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 14

UNI T 5 DEALI NG WI TH STRESS: COPI NG STRATEGI ES

Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 20

UNI T 6 RELAXATION TECHNI QUES 1: BREATHI NG,

MEDI TATI ON, AND MENTAL I MAGERY

Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 24

UNI T 7 NUTRI TI ON AND STRESS

Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 29

Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 31

UNI T 9 APPLYI NG STRESS: CRI TICAL I SSUES FOR

MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTI ON TO YOUR PROFESSI ONAL

Information to Remember ................................................................................................. 35

ADDI TI ONAL I NFORMATI ON

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Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

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MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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Situation Start Midway End

What will happen after my 4 year tour in my current duty 3

How my work environment will change when my 3

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Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress

Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

How is stress or anxiety about work affecting your life?

How is stress or anxiety about the world affecting your life?

our surroundings have a weird way of influencing the young minds.

high on my stress or anxiety levels.

sleep I am getting, I feel like I need more.

is the hard part at times.

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Unit 3: Psychology of Stress

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Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human

the point of exhaustion.

became numb to everything and I embraced the worst.

something that isn’t really there.

checking and doing research of my own.

JOY: amusement, bliss, contentment, eagerness, elation, enjoyment, enthusiasm,

exhilaration, hope, optimism, pleasure, satisfaction.

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Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies

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could my sweater slightly move up and down.

no worries, no anxiety, no stress. I was where I was supposed to be.

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Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,

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the only thing I can do to make everything go away for a while.