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
Connie L Ramon
Kaplan University
HW410
Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
20141117

Table of Contents

UNI T

THE

NATURE

OF

STRESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercise
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNI T

THE

PHYSI OLOGY

OF

ST RESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNI T

PSYCHOLOGY

OF

STRESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNI T

PERSONALI TYTRAI TS

AND

THE

HUMAN

SPI RI TUA LI TY

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T

DEALI NG

WI TH

STRESS :

COPI NG

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T

RELAXATION

TECHNI QUE S

1:

BREATHI NG,

I MAGERY

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T

NUTRI TI ON

AND

STRESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T

PHYSI CAL

EXERCI SE

AN D

ACTI VI TY

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing

MEDI TATI ON,

AND

MENTAL

UNI T

APPLYI NG

PROFESSI ONAL

STRESS:

CRI TICAL

MANAGEMENT

AND

PREVENTI ON

TO

LIFE

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T
YOUR

10

APPLYI NG

STRESS:

PROFESSI ONAL

CRI TICAL

MANAGEMENT

LI FE

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
ADDI TI ONAL

I NFORMATI ON

AND

PREVENTI ON

TO

YOUR

1
Unit

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: What is stress? Stress is a perceived threat whether real or imagines that not
only affects the mind, but also the body and a persons spirit. It can be anything from trauma,
anxiety, nervous tensions constant worry, or common hassles in life. Stress occurs when we no
longer know how to handle the emotion.

Key learning point 2: Types of stressors believe it or not that can be anything given the person.
Stressors are things that speed up the state of anxiety, tension, and worry; stressors can impact
humans as well as the environment.

Key learning point 3: Physical symptoms involved with stress these are things such as nausea,
headaches etc. It is how your body processes the stress and the results vary based off of the
individual. People can give off signs of stress without even knowing it whether it is irritability,
anger, others around you can tell when you are stressed.

Resources: Journal Writing:

Are You Stressed: I chose are you stressed as one of my first exercises, because I think what is
good about this exercise is it allows a person to sit back and truly think about are they stressed?
When doing the inventory it truly makes you look at the big picture as a whole and allows you to
see if you have the level of stress and whether you have good coping skills or not.

A Good Nights Sleep: The reason I chose a good nights sleep is because sleep plays a huge rule in
how you cope with stress. I am actually pretty lucky that I have a pretty sound and regular sleep
pattern. Sleep allows a person to wake recharged and ready to take on anything. It would be a
good toll to use for college kids who feel that if they just put in those last couple of hours of study
time they will be good, whereas they will actually not remember most of what they ready due to the
body and brain shutting down.

Unit

Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress

Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: Symptoms of Stress - indications, warning signs of anxiety, worry, nervous
tensions, trauma. When people are dealing with stressful situations they often put their bodies through
incredible things without knowing it.

Key learning point 2: Effects stress has on the memory the loss of memory if caused by the stress
hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). The parts of the brain that handle memory are the
hippocampus and the amygdala. Now the hippocampus and the amygdala come together and form
conscious emotional memory events. The hippocampus is also a very sensitive part of the brain and is
also sensitive to the stress hormone cortisol, which assists in memory formation of stress. It is said that
repeated exposure to the cortisol can not only accelerate the aging process of the hippocampus but also
may, in fact, damage or shrink brain cells. The less brain cells the less of a memory a person can keep.
Research by Sapolsky revealed that damage to brain cells (in animals) caused by chronic stress appears
to be irreversible.

Key learning point 3: Stress Management: - is the means of dealing with stress; physical and
psychological techniques. This technique is designed to enable people to cope with strain and anxiety.
Often times people get too worked up and forget to manage their stress which ultimately affects
everyone around them.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Stress Physiology Review: I chose the stress physiology review because this journal entry allowed me to
truly assess my stress levels but also learn what the effects are overtime if a person continues to stress.
Stress Physiology Review also shows the bodys physiology and how it works during times of stress which
augments your ability to promote a deeper sense of relaxation and healing. It is always important to know
how things affect the body but also over long term what can they do to a person.

Physical Symptoms Questionnaire: The questionnaire allowed me to assess my current stress levels based
off of how often, for how long and severity of them for instance do I get certain things I.e. headaches,
canker/cold sores. People often dont look at things going on with themselves being related to stress. This
questionnaire allows everyone to see if certain medical issues they are suffering from are related to stress.

Stress Physiology

ReviewUnit

Unit 3: Psychology of Stress

Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: Predictability is all about making something better. I chose predictability because
stress is bad enough on the body but lets say you had a detail or information prior to a situation being
presented to you how would you handle it? I can say I wouldnt stress about it at all. Being able to plan
ahead for events would allow smooth sailing as opposed to utter panic. Or even in the event the
information didnt make me feel good at all it would at least soften the blow for what was about to
occur.

Key learning point 2: Psychology: the scientific study of the human mind and mental states, and of
human and animal behavior; the characteristic temperament and associated behavior of a person or
group, or that exhibited by those engaged in an activity

Key learning point 3: Mind: seat of thought and memory, the center of consciousness that generates
thoughts, feelings, ideas, and perceptions, and stores knowledge and memories. The reason I chose
mind is because I think a lot of times people dont realize how much control the mind has on the body.
For instance if you believe you are sad or stressed you can cause your body to start breaking down. As
they always say a positive mind is a healthy body and soul.

Resources: Exercises:

Emotional Well-Being: I chose emotional well-being the ability to feel and express the entire range of
human emotions, and to control them, not be controlled by them. I know as human beings we often
allow the emotion and situation take a hold of us instead of u being in control of it.

Anger: The Fight Response: how a person manages their anger. I chose this one because of the fact
that most people dont know what type of a person they are, are they a Somatizers a person who never
shows any anger and just keeps it inside. It also breaks down the side effects the body can have by a
persons way of handling their angers. Self-punishers: People who neither repress their anger nor
explode, but rather deny themselves a proper outlet for anger because of guilty feelings (e.g., eating,
shopping).Exploders: Individuals who erupt like a volcano and spread their temper like hot lava,
destroying anyone and anything in their path with either verbal or physical abuse. Underhanders:

Individuals who sabotage others or seek revenge through somewhat socially acceptable behavior (e.g.,
sarcasm, appearing late for meetings). I chose to tell about all four to allow people to see as I did their
particular personality and how they can be seen by others around them.

4
Unit

Unit 4: Personality Traits and the

Human Spirituality
Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: Personality- The intricate of ones personality which is thought to be shaped by:
family dynamics, personal experiences, social influences of those around you, and genetic factors.
People often run what shapes their personality and I never realized myself that there were so many
things that played a role in my personality.

Key learning point 2: stress-resistant personalities are people that look at things in a way that they dont
allow it to stress them out. I have met a few people in my life that even if the sky is falling they are as
calm as a cucumber not as though they are oblivious to the situation they just chose to not overreact to
the situation at hand knowing it doesnt do any good to get worked up.

Key learning point 3: self-esteem is a persons overall opinion of themselves. The stronger the selfesteem the less a person will allow others around them to reflect how they feel about themselves. A
persons self-esteem will help a person promote and resolve stressful situations and events.

Resources: Exercises:

Your Meaningful Purpose in Life I chose this exercise because it truly helps a person reflect on what
their purpose in life is. It also allows a person to reflect on where they would like to be through each
decade of their life. Often times when a person has a chance to reflect they will see their life in a light
and change behaviors that may hinder them from achieving their end goal.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Under the Gun: Stress and Personality Unit What I liked about this Journal is it allowed me to
think of situations in my life and look at how they Control me, my Commitment in order to change
them, and the Challenge in which I know I will face however will overcome. I think that is what
people need a lot of times are to be able to reflect on certain situations in their lives and determine
how they will overcome them.

5
Unit

Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping

Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: Humor - The quality that makes something laughable or amusing; funniness; the
ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd, that which is
intended to induce laughter or amusement. People often times forget in life that when dealing with a
stressful situation if you find something humorous about it, it will often time make things better.
People need to find to always try to find a positive in a negative situation if possible because it will help
deal with it better.

Key learning point 2: Learned helplessness is when a person feels they no longer have control over a
situation. With this feeling people start behaving in a helpless manner this will often cause a person to
stop seeing or even looking for relief or change. Sapolsky even stated that for instance in the case of a
dog coming from the pound they will act differently in regards to research than those that were bred
strictly for science. He did state though that even in the event the dog is raised in labs there is still a
one-third that can be resistant to this. People need to realize in in the worst situations you can always
learn something and become stronger because of it.

Key learning point 3: Principles of coping with psychological stress change the way we cope with stress,
both physiologically and psychologically. As we are developing we are constantly adapting. If a person
learns to change the way they cope with stress using one of these principles then they may become less
stressful. Depending on the person they can learn to adapt to any situation they are placed in. Being
able to change the way we cope with stress is an important part of a persons health and well-being.
Less stress equals less chemicals being released into the body, reducing the chances of health problems
later on.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Reframing: Seeing a Bigger, Clearer Perspective- What I liked about this journal entry was getting to
take various situations and look at them through a new lens. Learning to reframe various situations. If
a person constantly sees the glass half full they will never enjoy anything in life. By taking three issues
that I normally get worked up about and reframing them taught me that situations arent always as bad
as they seem for instance Situation: Frustration over the time it takes to get packets approved in
AMEDD. Reframed Perspective: In the world of AMEDD recruiting realizing that any type of waiver

can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to get approved. Just go with it and not allow it to control
me.

Value Assessment and Clarification- Everyone holds values in their lives whether it is family, jobs,
money etc., and people put a value on everything. By looking at the value system people learn to reflect
on what truly makes them happy. Values influence your dominant thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs.
Self-reflection allows a person to relook at their values and in the event they are not what they would
like they have the option to change them.

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6
Unit

Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1:

Breathing, Meditation, and Mental
Imagery
Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: Diaphragmatic breathing -effective technique is because its the easiest method
known for relaxation. This is a form of deep breathing which in turn encourages the body to calm
down. This type of breathing that only uses the upper part of the lungs results in there being less
oxygen and nutrients transferred to the blood and more carbon dioxide remaining in our lungs. This
extra carbon dioxide sends a signal to our body and encourages an adrenalin reaction that increases
anxiety. When you breathe from the diaphragm involves the lower abdomen. Another great thing is
this can be done through lying or standing so even bed ridden individuals can practice this.

Key learning point 2: Inclusive and exclusive meditation - Inclusive is a form of meditation where all
thoughts are invited into awareness without any emotional evaluation, judgment, or analysis. Exclusive
meditation is a form of meditation where the concentration is focused on one object to the omission of
all other thoughts, this allows for increased self-awareness and promotion of relaxation.

Key learning point 3: Mental imagery - Mental imagery is when a person uses their imagination to
create mental images by ones unconsciousness. Some of the images the mind can create soothing
images of relaxation, healing for the body. Visualization is an exercise that controls the mental imagery
to promote health and healing. Visualization is broader than mental imagery because it can include the
other 5 senses and work together to produce a healthier you.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Too Much Information - Often times in life we allow ourselves to get caught up in everything
around us whether it involves us or not. Its getting emotionally attached when we have no reason
too. Also, what we listen to daily plays a role in our stress levels such as when we listen to or watch
the medias stories and become emotionally invested in them. Often times in life, its best just to
take a moment and shut off all information and just take in the world around them.

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I Have a Vision: The Art of Visualization Visualization can play such an important role in destressing ourselves. Mental Imagery allows a person to disconnect with the world around them and
visualize the most wonderful places in which when we are surrounded by them bring calmness and
serenity. My favorite exercise for this was taking the mountain journey between the calming words,
visualization and background sound I was able to disconnect with the world around me and
become completely consumed with calmness the calmness I have when I hike in the mountains
and just take in nature around me. No phones, or other electronic devices just the sound of nature
welcoming you into their home.

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7
Unit

Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress

Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: Eating habits and stress-stress increases the about of cortisol that our body
produces. This causes the chemical NPY (neuropeptide Y) to increase and is produced in the brain.
When NPY levels are high we crave sugars. By giving into these cravings causes the domino effect to
occur. Excessive alcohol consumption also has shown being related to stress as well and can affect our
eating habits.

Key learning point 2: Foods that trigger stress-Foods that trigger the stress response include
carbohydrates, alcohol, caffeine containing products, and processed foods. Carbohydrates especially in
excessive amounts can cause the body to stress when it tries to break them down. Caffeine causes the
body to produce more adrenaline, which speeds up the heart rate and can cause stress. Alcohol can
cause stress on the body and can cause the amount of insulin the body produces to be affected. Lastly,
processed foods contain so many different toxins that can trigger the stress response.

Key learning point 3: Stress domino factors-The four stress domino factors are: 1. Stress will normally
deplete the body of nutrients. Vitamins and essential minerals are used as fuel for the body which in
turn causes the production of the fight or flight response even when you arent in a harmful situation.
2. Current lifestyles under stress, especially those found in America do not reinforce or even promote
good eating habits. It has been found that nutrients get depleted when a person is stressed out. Those
depleted are never restored. It has been cited that this reason is the leading cause to obesity. The body
can only do so much before a persons overall health becomes threatened. 3. Sympathetic drive and
other physiological responses can be increased just by a person eating certain food substances. Now,
one has to remember when these two areas are increased this can cause the bodies stress levels to stay
elevated (which a person doesnt want to have happen). Those certain substances are things that we
normally ingest every day without thinking twice, things such as salt, processed sugar and flour, along
with caffeine. By a person also using alcohol to curb any needs can also lead to an increased domino
effect. 4. Some foods that are processed will contribute to the overall effect of toxins in the body.
Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides often found in many foods, cause a tweak in the way the immune
system does its job effectively. If a person continues to do this often times this can and will lead to
health issues such as diabetes, cancer, flues, colds etc.

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Tools: Journal Writing:

Stress-Related Eating Behaviors- I chose stress related eating because so many of us fall into when
we are stressed. Throwing full caution to the wind when we decide on the foods we eat. People
dont realize that when stressed often times they will eat just about anything no matter what it is or
what it contains. I find for instance when I am stressed I tend to reach for chocolate every time
even though I know how it will make me feel. Through exercise people can learn to see the signs
and make better food choices when they are stressed.

Self-Assessment: Nutritional Eating Habits- I liked this exercise because it makes you look at the
big picture how do you eat each day? Fast, slow, salt, no salt, healthy none healthy. What I realized
that I drink quite a bit of caffeine on occasions dont make the best food choices. I also realized I
need to add even more vitamin rich vegetables into my diet. This exercise allows a person to reflect
on their food choices and in how stress may be tied into their food choices.

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8
Unit

Unit 8: Physical Exercise and

Activity
Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: The importance of flushing stress hormones out of the body When the heart
rate increases the blood pressure redistributes the blood from the bodys abdominal region to the
larger muscle groups. With the increase allows the body to generate a greater amount of oxygen
supply to the working muscle groups. Physical exercise strengthens the integrity of the bodys
physiological system. .

Key learning point 2: Effects of physical exercise on managing and preventing stress-Regular exercise
maintains an elevated normal targeted heart rate for a set duration, and also acts as a buffer to both
physical and mental stress. When a person exercises this utilizes the stress hormones for their intended
purpose rather than allowing them to become a toxic hormone cocktail to the body. Exercise has more
benefits than anything else. In order to receive all of the benefits of exercise one needs to ensure four
areas are met: intensity, duration, frequency of training, and mode of exercise. Now, it is said that if a
person doesnt meet those requirements they will have in fact fewer benefits will be gained. It takes
about 6 and 8 weeks to see the benefits in the body. Exercise not only gives a person various
psychological changes such as a runners high, but also it is said that the body and mind act as one
entity. Continuous exercise of any kind produces both mental homeostasis and physiological
homeostasis.

Key learning point 3: Mind/Body Connection-When a person exercises it releases epinephrine and
nonpinephrine, the two most famous hormones that help increase heart rate and blood flow, allowing
the body to be ready for exercise. When a person completes an exercise, the body enters a phase of
parasympathetic rebound or a relaxation state. The combination of these two effects cause the body
not only to release stress but also strengthen the immune system over time as an individual continues to
exercise. Studies have shown that cardiovascular exercise improves cognitive function the areas of the
brain that are affected by aging.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Your Circadian Rhythms What I liked about this exercise is it a person to see if they keep a constant
schedule or are often changing it not realizing the more you change your routine the more stress you

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place on your body and over time this will cause the body to break down and become more susceptible
to infection and sickness. By a person doing this exercise it will allow them to see what areas they need
to tweak or at least change in order to get on a more consistent schedule.

My Body, My Physique - There is a strong connection between self-esteem and body image. The two
go hand in hand. If your level of self-esteem is low, so too will be your body image. How a person feels
about their body, and their physique plays a role in how they feel about themselves but also if they will
allow themselves to become depressed because of it. A person has to truly love themselves before they
can love others around them. When a person feels great not only does theyre stress levels dip low but
also they have more confidence than ever before.

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9
Unit

Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical

Management to your Professional
Life
Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: How Information seeking can both reduce and promote stress-Information
seeking is a coping mechanism for stress. Because we dont know everything in life often times
knowing very little about something can cause unwanted stress. Fear of the unknown can be a stressor
as well. When information is received it allows us to answer are own questions and not stress as much
as we would if we knew nothing about it. New Recruits to the military often feel this way due to lack
of information about basic training, and also fear of the unknown. However, too much information
can end up causing more stress.

Key learning point 2: Hobbies help one to reduce stress When a person has a hobby, you have
something to either distract you from stress or help you deal with stress. What a hobby does is give a
person a place or situation to feel good in and also a place to just decompress and relax. Stress occurs a
lot of times when a person no longer feels in control. By having a hobby you have a place to go. Some
carve wood others run. Whatever floats your boat and makes you happy is the most important thing,
because when you do something you love the happier of a person you are.

Key learning point 3: Forgiveness an effective coping skill - Forgiveness is actually involved in the body
and minds internal healing process. Through a person De-victimizing themselves allows all of the
harmful and toxic thoughts and emotions to be released allowing the body and mind to relax and the
person to be able to move ahead with their life. People often assume that by forgiving is forgetting yet
it isnt the case forgiving just allows the person to come to terms with the situation find peace and
move on. Forgiveness is a coping technique for anger. If not released it can be harmful to the body
and mind and allow the other person to have that control over you.

Resources: Exercises:

N/A

17

Tools: Journal Writing:

N/A

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10
Unit

Unit 10: Applying Stress: Critical

Management to your Personal Life
Information to Remember:

Key learning point 1: N/A

Key learning point 2: N/A

Key learning point 3: N/A

Resources: Exercises:

N/A

Tools: Journal Writing:

N/A

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Additional Information
Sapolsky, R. (2004). Why Zebras Dont Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, StressRelated Diseases, and Coping. 3rd Ed. Primary Source
Seaward, Brian Luke. MANAGING STRESS 6E VITALBOOKS, 6th Edition. Jones & Bartlett
Learning, 2008. VitalBook file. Primary Source
Seaward, Brian Luke. The Art of Peace and Relaxation Workbook, 7th Edition. Jones & Bartlett
Learning, 2011. VitalBook file. Primary Source

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