KAPLAN UNIVERSITY

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in

Management and Prevention

Stress
Management and
Prevention
1

Program Resource
Guide

KA P L A N U N I V E R S I T Y

Stress Management and Prevention

Program Resource Guide

By
Stacey Pappas
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
2015

Table of Contents
UNIT

THE

NATU RE

OF

STRESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

THE

BO DY

AS

BATTL EF IEL D

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

F EAST

OR

FAM IN E

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

ONE

PL ANET

UNDER

STRESS

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

UNDER

STRESS:

WHAT

NOW?

Information to Remember
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

AGEL ESS

WISDOM

OF

M EDITATIO N

Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

SIGHT,

SOUN D,

AND

BO DY

Information to Remember
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

THE

WEL L NESS

M ANDAL A

WOR K

Information to Remember
Tools: Journal Writing
UNIT

APPLYING

PREVEN TIO N

TO

STRESS:

YOUR

CRITICAL

PROF ESSI ONAL

M ANAGEM ENT

AND

L IF E

Information to Remember
UNIT

1 0

APPLYING

PREVEN TIO N

TO

STRESS:

YOUR

CRITICAL

PROF ESSI ONAL

M ANAGEM ENT
L IF E

Information to Remember
ADDITI ONAL

INF ORM ATIO N

(End of the Guide)

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AND

1
Unit

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Generalized anxiety disorder or GAD is characterized by excessive,

exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events. People with
symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and
can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work or school. In people
with GAD, the worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation.
Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear and dread. Eventually, the
anxiety so dominates the person's thinking that it interferes with daily
functioning, including work, school, social activities and relationships.

General Adaption Syndrome (GAS)

Stage 1: Alarm Reaction the actual fight or flight response
Stage 2: Stage of resistance The body tries to maintain a sense of
homeostasis
Stage 3 Stage of exhaustion one or more organs fail due to lack of
homeostasis

Types of stressors
1. Bioecological stressors: sunlight (SAD), ELF s, air pollution, ect.

2. Psychointrapersonal stressors: perceptions we create in our own mind.

3. Social influences: Urban sprawl, traffic, political issues, major life
changes, ect.
These types of stressors are thought to be of the biggest concern
regarding ones health.

Resources: Exercises:
Exercise 1.2 My Health Philosophy
My health philosophy is that both health and wellness are necessary to
create the ideal package. One not only needs to be healthy from a medical
stand point (check-ups, labs, appearances) they must also be well
physically, mentally, and emotionally. In order to achieve this one should
stay current with their vaccinations, see their primary doctor for routine
check-ups, and listen to their body. If something seems out of balance talk
to your doctor. This is health. Being well versus just being healthy is staying
positive, exercising, staying focused.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 1.5 Personal stress inventory: Top ten stressors
Personal stressors are a challenge and I think they are one of things that
are ever changing. As a human we actively juggle these stressors and work
on ways to manage them.
My Top 7 Stressors:
1. Driving Jakob 20 minutes to school in the winter
2. Taking care of a home and 2 children while my fianc works 60+ hours a
week
3. My sons behavior (outbursts, respect, not listening)
4. The dynamic change in the home when step-children visit for the
weekend.
5. Paying bills and grocery shopping
6. Bedtime routines with little ones

7. Being a hockey mom

2
Unit

Unit 2: The Body as Battlefield

Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

The Chakra system and their associated aspects

First: Forehead (Root): security/safety issues
Second: Belly Button (Sacral): Control issues, sex, and self-worth
Third: Heimlich (Solar Plexus): Self-confidence and wisdom
Fourth: (Heart): Love and anger issues
Fifth: (Throat): Life purposes and life issues
Sixth: (Brow): Intuition
Seventh: (Crown): Spiritual aspects

The primary job of the immune system is to defend the body against
infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The process
is dauntingly complex. For one thing, the immune system must tell the
difference between cells that are normal parts of the body and cells that are
invadersin immunologic jargon, distinguishing between "self" and "nonself." Somehow, the immune system can remember what every cell in your

body looks like, and any cells that lack your distinctive cellular signature (for
example, bacteria) are attacked. Moreover, when your immune system does
encounter a novel invader, it can even form an immunologic memory of what
the infectious agent looks like, to better prepare for the next invasiona
process that is exploited when you are vaccinated with a mild version of an
infectious agent in order to prime your immune system for a real attack.

A COMPLETE HEALTH PROFILE CONSISTS OF:

1. Height
2. Weight
3. Age
4. Resting heart rate
5. Target heart rate
6. Maximal heart rate
7. Resting systolic blood pressure
8. Resting diastolic blood pressure
9. Total cholesterol
10. HDL level
11. LDL level
12. Vision status
13. Dental status
14. Hearing status
15. Skin condition
16. GI Tract
17. Tense muscular areas
18. Reproductive system

19. Sinuses

Resources: Exercises:
Exercise 2.2 Immediate, Intermediate, and prolonged stress effects
Stress phases and the physiological process are interesting. I knew my
body responded to stress however I did not think about the immediate,
intermediate, or prolonged affects. I need to remember that my body is not
only responding to the initial stressors, but it goes through a whole process
within me that continues past the direct contact. With continued stress my
body stays elevated to stress and makes things eternally worse on me. I
seriously respond like there is a lion in the room. I get anxiety. I feel tingling
sensations in my arms, I sweat, I hold my breath, I clench my jaw, my legs
feel funny and my heart rate accelerates
When the lion has left the room my neck aches and I feel like my shoulders
are touching my ears. My stomach feels yucky and my digestive system
responds. I obsess about what just took place and end up with a migraine
headache.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 3.3 My Health Profile
My health profile: Now this is something I should pick apart more often.
When I looked at my eating, my level of exercise, my mental state, my
weight and how I treat my body it made me a little nervous. I have been
blindly carrying on as if nothing would come of these behaviors. I now
recognize the changes I can make.

Unit 3: Feast or Famine

3
Unit

Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Emotional well-being can be described as the ability to feel and express

the entire range of human emotions, and to control them, not be controlled
by them. We also seem to be the only species on the planet that can become a slave in our emotions and spiritually immobilized in the process.

Anger: The Fight Emotion

Anger can manifest in a great many ways: impatience, frustration, jealously,
guilt, envy, indignation, rage and hostility. The average American gets angry
15-20 times a day!

Anger styles:
The Somatizer: keeps it all in
The self-punisher: Guilty feelings that turn into obsessive behavior.
The Exploder: rage, violence, F word
The Underhander: passive aggressive. Use of sarcasm or revenge.

Resources: Exercises:
Exercise 5.1 Anger Recognition Checklist

This anger recognition checklist included a lot of ways anger can surface. Out of
42 check points I hit 19.

4
Unit

Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 4.1 The psychology of my stress
It helps me laugh about how I made myself so mad. Humor helps me snap out of
it. My fianc is very good at teasing me. I do not always like this tactic because
sometimes I want to be mad about the subject. He just keeps teasing me and
then I have to let to go.

Unit 4: One Planet Under Stress

Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Effective time management includes: Prioritizing, scheduling, and execution

(action plan).

An ecosystem is the complete community of living organisms and the

nonliving materials of their surroundings. It therefore includes components
that represent the atmosphere, the hydrosphere (all of Earth's waters, except
for moisture in the atmosphere), the geosphere (the soil and extreme upper
portion of the continental crust), and the biosphere. The biosphere includes

all living things: plants (from algae and lichen to shrubs and trees);
mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, aquatic life, and insects as well as all
manner of microscopic forms, including bacteria and viruses. In addition, the
biosphere draws together all formerly living things that have not yet
decomposed. Stress and my personality

The components of the biosphere are united not only by the fact that all of
them are either living or recently living but also by the food web. The food
web, discussed in much detail within the context of Ecosystems, is a complex
network of feeding relationships and energy transfers between organisms. At
various levels and stages of the food web are plants; herbivores, or
planteating organisms; carnivores (meat-eating organisms); omnivores
(organisms that eat both meat and plants); and, finally, decomposers and
detritivores, which obtain their energy from the chemical breakdown of dead
organisms.

Resources: Exercises:
Exercise 7.5 My personal value system
Wealth I do not want to suffer financially. I want to be able to support myself
and take care of my children without any help from anyone else. I fear being
dependent
Love I desire being loved and showing love. My love language is quality time
and touch.
Trust It has become extremely important to be able to trust people. I want to
trust and be trusted.
Mental Health Maintaining my sanity is important.
Physical Health Eating right and exercise.
Education Having an education, being knowledgeable in many facets, having a
degree, and being able to teach others is very important to me.
Purity Getting away from all the toxins in the world is important me. I want to
keep my body and environment clean. This is difficult but I keep making
changes one at a time and keep my vision at the forefront.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 6.3 Stress-resistant personality survey

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This stress-resistant personality test was interesting. Almost all the answers for
me were sometimes. I got a 58 and this is above the 30. Meaning I most likely

5
Unit

have traits associated with the hardy, survivor, and calculated risk-taker
personalities. Well, I do not need a test to know I am a survivor. I have been
through enough and I know I am wise beyond my years. I am creative. I believe
in making your own destiny and that one person really can make a difference. I
will try almost anything new because I know I will learn something. I am very
optimistic and my friends would agree. When I get knocked down I always get
back up.

Unit 5: Under Stress: What Now?

Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but

reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or
happy - Norman Vincent

Humor is healthy

Healthy boundaries lower stress

Resources: Exercises:
N/A

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Tools: Journal Writing:

6
Unit

Exercise 8.1 Reframing: Seeing a bigger, clearer perspective

I adore reframing. I wish I had been introduced to this concept much earlier in
life. I use this tool to decrease my anxiety and my anger. When I started to be
more positive I felt how that changed me. It made it easier to find the ways to
reframe. Reframing can even tie into gratitude at times.
Exercise 15.1 The time crunch questionnaire
There is nothing like having a test to prove I often spread myself to thin. I enjoy
everything I do in my life however; it just seems my tasks increase more and
more. Ive allowed people to make me feel guilty for my disability. I had to prove
to them that although I struggle to work full-time, I am doing something
valuable with my time.

Unit 6: Ageless Wisdom of

Meditation
Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

The five senses: smell, taste, sight, touch, sound

Right brain functioning

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Types of meditation: exclusive, inclusive, mindfulness, and insightful

Resources: Exercises:
Exercise 18.3 Bridging the hemisphere of thought
I am a right sided brain thinker. I did not know this. Right brained thinking is
associated with global thinking, holistic thinking, imagination, humor,
emotionality, spatial orientation, receptivity, and intuition. This is super to cool
to know. I have always been the outside the box, go against the grain kind of
girl. I have always found it hard to find like-minded people. It seems I am
plagued by followers, those who stick with the mainstream. It is somewhat
disappointing because I find that I learn so much more within my interests
versus following everyone else.

Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 17.1 Dolphin breath meditations
Oh meditation how I love you so. I have learned different ways to meditate and
most importantly how powerful it is. I loved the lake mountain meditation we
got in this course. It was perfect for me because I could really picture myself in
the woods walking along a path of pine needles. It made it easy for me to sense
the fresh air and the sunshine. The sounds of the ground beneath me.
I also love the dolphin breath meditations. It makes a significant difference to
breath out of points in the body. By inhaling up and out of my head, like a
dolphin hole, it is much easier to relax and breathe deep. The rise of my rib cage
is calm. When I use to try deep breaths it was more like an expanding rib cage
and chest breaths. I also like breathing from my core and out of the bottoms of
my feet. I have leg pain so this helps relieve that. I have stomach pain and GI
issues. I like breathing and visualizing that I am wrapping my abdominals in a
parallel motion. It helps relieve the pain. Deep breaths are extremely powerful!

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Unit 7: Sight, Sound and Body Work

7
Unit

Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Visualization is conscious direction/intention of images.

Mental imagery is a series of images that bubble up spontaneously from the

unconscious mind.

The rainbow diet

1. Red (base of spine)
2. Orange (naval)
3. Yellow (spleen)
4. Green (heart)
5. Aqua-blue (throat)
6. Indigo-blue (forehead)
7. Violet (crown)

Resources: Exercises:
N/A

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Tools: Journal Writing:

8
Unit

Exercise 27.2 Self-assessment: Nutritional eating habits

I am fully aware that my eating habits vary depending on my mood and the time
I have to prepare meals. I have made certain changes over the last few years
that have stuck. What is important for me to remember is that anything that is
worth doing is not easy. I have to stay the course making little but important
changes as I go. I take supplements regularly.
Exercise 27.3 The Rainbow Diet
The rainbow diet is something I had never heard of. It is a very interesting
approach. I was surprised the heart is green. I thought for sure it would be red.
I guess thats the clique of red hearts on Valentines Day. I am extremely
interested in healing the body with food. The rainbow diet is a perfect place to
begin.

Unit 8: The Wellness Mandala

Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Components of Fitness
1. Cardio-Endurance

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2. Muscular strength
3. Flexibility
4. Agility
5. Power
6. Balance

Physical exercise burns off the stress hormones for their intended purpose of
keeping the body in balance.

Steps to initiate a fitness program

1. Start cautiously, and progress moderately
2. Pick an activity you REALLY enjoy
3. Select a time of day to exercise
4. Exercise using the right clothes and equipment
5. Initiate a strong support group to exercise with
6. Set personal fitness goals for yourself
7. Take caution to prevent athletic injuries

Pilates exercises have been proven to be quite effective for reducing chronic
pain associated with weak muscles and poor posture.

Resources: Exercises:
N/A

Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 28.1 Physical exercise
I enjoy running, yoga, Pilates, and free weights
Exercise 28.3 Your circadian rhythms

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My circadian rhythm seems pretty good. I learned a lot about sleep and the
importance of being on a schedule. Waking up at the same time on the

9
Unit

weekdays, and also on the weekends is ideal. I was told as long as I wake up
within an hour of that time I will not mess up my system. Since being told this I
follow this rule. I eat breakfast and dinner at the same times, but my lunch
varies if I am working.

Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical

Management to your Professional
Life
Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Tai Chi is called a moving meditation. It is includes a series of movements

that help regulate the flow of chi/energy. The practice of tai chi is said to
enhance ones health (mind, body, spirit, and emotions). Going with the flow
offers a metaphor for life. Purpose of tai-chi is to be in harmony with the
universal life flow of energy.

Progressive muscular relaxation is designed by an American physician. This

technique consists of a systematic series of muscle contractions to reduce
muscular tension. Some series divide the contractions 100%, 50%, and 5%
levels, so the person really becomes aware of levels of muscle tension. The

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10
Unit

purpose of PMR is to increase awareness of muscle tension and learn to

reduce ones stress levels.

Chemical Biofeedback is the use of machines to amplify various body

functions. These body functions are: heart rate (EKG), muscle tension (EMG),
and brain activity (EEG). There are different types of Biofeedback. The most
famous is galvanic skin response. The purpose of biofeedback is for the client
to gain better control of their physiology. In turn establishing homeostasis.

Unit 10: Applying Stress: Critical

Management to your Personal Life
Information to Remember:
(Seaward, 2009 and 2012)

Yin and yang of life

1. Yin: Moon, Autumn, winter, cold, coolness, inside, interior, water, rain,
night, the west and north, exhaustion, development, conservation,
contraction.
2. Yang: Heaven, masculine aspects, brightness, things large and
powerful, the upper part, movement, the left side, the back of the body,
clarity, aggressiveness.

Muscle contractions
1. Concentric: a muscle contraction during which the length of the
muscles shorten

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2. Eccentric: a muscle contraction during which the size of the muscle

lengthens
3. Isometric: a muscle contraction during which there is no visible change
in the length of muscle fibers

Residual Tension: A slight degree of muscle tension visible in some people

who think they are relaxed.

Zero firing threshold: A term to signify complete muscular relaxation with no

tension.

Mountain Lake meditation visually picturing oneself in an environment

Rainbow meditation visually pictures certain areas of the body with beams
of color

Additional Information
Seaward, L. (2012). The art of peace and relaxation workbook (7th ed.). Burlington: Jones and Bartlett
learning.
Seaward, L. (2009). Managing stress (6th ed.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett.

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