Stress Busters and Pleasure Seekers

Controlling Stress in Your Life and Finding Pleasure Along the Way!

Submitted to Michael Olpin, Ph.D., CHES To partially fulfill the requirements for Health 3200 Methods of Health Education By Candace Jenkins Major: Health Promotion Weber State University, 2010

Table of Contents
Overview4 Course Focus and Lesson Plans.5 Goals and Objectives...6 Lesson One: Stress and You....7 Activity 1: Perceived Stress Scale...8 Activity 2: Icebreaker Whos in the Class.....8 Activity 3: Fish Bowl Method.9 Activity 4: Nominal Group...9 Activity 5: Stress Diary....10 Relaxation Technique: Passive Progressive Relaxation.10 References...11 Lesson Two: Goal Setting...12 Activity 1: Follow Up.13 Activity 2: Icebreaker Rope Course.13 Activity 3: Group Discussion...14 Activity 4: Brainstorming...14 Relaxation Technique: Guided Imagery..15 References...15 Lesson Three: Time Management.16 Activity 1: Follow Up.17 Activity 2: Icebreaker Relay Race....17 Activity 3: Firing Line Balancing Life.....18 Activity 4: Brainstorming...18 Activity 5: Jigsaw Method Time Management...19 Relaxation Technique: Autogenics....19 References...20 Lesson Four: Health Living....21 Activity 1: Follow Up.22 Activity 2: Icebreaker The Great Wind Blows....22

Activity 3: Small Group Method...23 Activity 4: Dear Abby Dominal..23 Relaxation Technique: Restful Breathing...24 References...24 Lesson Five: Seeking Pleasure....25 Activity 1: Follow Up.26 Activity 2: Icebreaker Snowball Activity....26 Activity 3: Pleasure Quiz....27 Activity 4: Pleasure Pie...27 Activity 5: Self-Evaluation.28 References...28 Appendix.29 A..30 B..31 C..32 D..34 E..37 F..41 G..45 H..46 I...49 J...50

Overview
Stress is an everyday part of life. Some is good and some is not so good. When we feel stressed, it affects every aspect of our lives: our health, our relationships, our work, even how we drive. Stress, if not controlled, can lead to many other problems in our lives, emotionally, physically, and mentally. The purpose of this unit plan is to teach students that they have control over stress. They have the ability and strength to reduce the stress in their lives and even prevent most of it. All they need is a little push in the right direction. We know that stress affects people in a variety of ways, as do the techniques used to manage it. Many different ways can be used to handle many different kinds of stress. This unit plan is designed to be a 5 week course, each class meeting once a week with assignments in between. It is important for the teacher and the students to understand the different kind of stresses each person faces, how it affects them and start to explore ways to reduce and prevent the stress. The first class will determine the topics for the rest of the course. However, for this unit plan, I have given examples of what the topics will be. The topics will be goal setting, time management, and healthy living. The last class of the course will always include the topic of finding pleasure in everyday life. Many different experiential learning techniques will be used in order for the students to not only understand about stress, but to also apply the techniques learned in order to live more stress-free lives. Each course will be different. But the goal is the same: to help the students realize that you can control stress; it doesnt have to control you.

Course Focus and Lesson Plans

Within this unit plan, different stresses and the tools needed to reduce and prevent stress will be explored. These tools include: goals setting, time management, healthy living, pleasure finding, and relaxation techniques. Each lesson was created with the intent of developing a sense of self-efficacy in the students lives by becoming aware of their ability to control the stresses in their lives. All the lessons will include interactive activities that combine information along with raising awareness, self-evaluation, making commitments, and fostering helping relationships to take the first steps to control stress. The class is very limited in lecture and more promoting in listening and learning from each other. The lesson plans are designed for a class of 10 to 20 students and each lesson will last 50-60 minutes.

Course:
Stress Busters and Pleasure Seekers: Controlling Stress in Your Life and Finding Pleasure Along the Way!

Target Audience:
20-30 year old individuals

Lesson Plans:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Stress and You Goal Setting Time Management Healthy Living Pleasure Seeking

Goals and Objectives

Course Goal:
To help students recognize what causes stress in their lives, how it affects different aspects of their lives and learn techniques about how to reduce and prevent stress.

Course Objectives:
1. By the end of this 5 week course, students will understand how stress affects them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Each student will also learn different stressreducing techniques. 2. By the end of this 5 week course, each student will recognize when they are feeling stressed and feel the benefits of stress management in their lives. 3. By the end of this 5 week course, each student will be able to apply different stressreducing strategies.

Lesson One:

Stress and You

Lesson Plan 1: Stress and You

Goal: To help students learn what stress means to them and how it affects them. Objectives: Cognitive: Students will learn what stress there is in their lives and the difference between good and bad stress. Affective: Students will recognize the affect stress has on their health and lives. Behavioral: Students will record stressors in their lives and their perceived level of stress.

Overall Materials Needed: Perceived Stress Scale for each student (See Appendix A) Page with 10 descriptive statements for each student (See Appendix B) Paper and Pencils Whiteboard/Chalkboard Small Notebook for each student Passive Progressive Relaxation Script: Body Scan (See Appendix C)

Activities: 1. Introduction: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (5 minutes) Purpose: to help students recognize their level of perceived stress Materials Needed: Perceived Stress Scale for each student (See Appendix A)

Description: As the students walk in, hand them the PSS and tell them to fill it out. Explain that this is an assessment of where they believe they are, stress-wise. The assessment will be taken again at the end of the course as a self-evaluation. Have the students turn in at the end of class. The teacher will keep these until the last class. Evaluation: When all the PSS papers are turned in, ask the students if they felt they are more or less stressed than they thought.

2. Icebreaker: Whos in the Class (10 minutes) Purpose: to introduce the class to each other and to get to know them Materials Needed: Page with 10 descriptive statements for each student (See Appendix B)

Description: Distribute the statements to students and give the following instructions:

This activity is like a scavenger hunt, except that you are looking for people instead of objects. When I say begin, circulate around the room looking for people who match these statements. You can use each person for only one statement, even if he matches more than one. When you have found a match, write down the persons first name. When most of the class has finished, call a stop to the hunt and reconvene the full class. Evaluation: Observe the students talking to each other. Once the class has reconvened, ask the class which people they found for each statement. 3. Fishbowl Method (15 minutes) Purpose: to discuss different aspects of stress in their lives Description: Have the students sit in a circle. Count them off by threes. All the ones will sit in the middle. For 3 minutes, the students sitting in the middle will answer the first question. After 3 minutes, those sitting on the outside will have one minute to make any other comments. Next, the twos sit in the middle and the second question is asked with the same process being repeated. Finally, the threes will sit in the middle and the third question will be asked with the same process repeated. Questions: What does stress mean to you? What affect does stress have on health? Are there differences between good and bad stress? If so, what are they?

Evaluation: Observe each student as they participate in each discussion. Get the class back on track if they go off topic. 4. Nominal Group (10 minutes) Purpose: to decide the biggest stresses the class faces and determine the topics for the rest of the course Materials Needed: Paper and pencils Whiteboard/Chalkboard

Description: Divide the class into three groups. For 2 minutes, have each student write down the top 10 biggest stressors in their lives. When time is up, have the students discuss in their own groups what the top 10 biggest stressors are in their lives. Have them write them down on the board. Once each group is done, the students will vote on the top 5 stressors in their lives. Each student is allowed 2 votes. Once chosen, the students will vote on the top 3 stressors, again allowing each student 2 votes. Evaluation: Observe each student individually and in their groups. The voting will determine the topics for the next 3 courses. 5. Stress Diary (5 minutes) Purpose: for students to become aware of their stress levels during the duration of the course. Materials Needed:

Small notebook for each student

Description: Give each student a small notebook. Explain to them that every day, they will write about any and all of the stressful situations that occurred during the course of the day. For each event, answer the following questions: Evaluation: When all the PSS papers are turned in, ask the students if they felt they are more or less stressed than they thought.