Manage

Stress
workbook

This book was adapted from Penn State and

the Veterans Health Administration.
This workbook was based largely on The
Contents
Manage Stress Workbook developed by the
Stress Goal 1
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Veterans Health Administration's National
Center for Health Promotion and Disease Keys to Managing Your Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Prevention (NCP). The materials were Tools for Managing Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
adapted for a student population. This Mindfulness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
workbook will guide you through steps to Other Factors for Managing Stress . . . . . . . . . . 13
identify and track your stress, and practice
Appendix A: My Health Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
a variety of strategies that have been
Appendix B: Pleasant Activities Tip Sheet . . . . . . 17
shown to counteract stress.

It goes without saying that you have probably

depression, aggressive behavior, and low energy
experienced periods of high stress. You
are other common symptoms.
probably are well acquainted with the
‘fight or flight’ feeling that often occurs in such You can learn specific techniques for managing
situations. This heightened feeling occurs when your stress more effectively. These techniques
our bodies release stress hormones in response can help you lower your stress and improve
to the stress. The hormones keep us alert and your readiness to respond in stressful
ready to deal with whatever is happening or is situations. You’ll also deal more easily with
about to happen. stress when it comes up.
While this natural response serves us well in It’s important to remember that you cannot
the short term, our bodies need time to recover. always control the causes of your stress, but you
Prolonged, high stress can cause high blood can control the way you react to the stress.
pressure, a weakened immune system, heart
disease, and digestive problems. Headaches,

Stress Management Goal

This workbook is designed for you to use on your own. However, if you feel stuck, or would like
help with this, feel free to ask the Purdue Wellness Office, who is experienced in helping with
this kind of goal-setting.

Be sure that the goal you set is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic,
Time-based). You may find the My Health Choices worksheet in Appendix A helpful.

Suggested goal: On a scale of 0–10, where 0 means not bothersome, 5 means somewhat
bothersome, and 10 means very bothersome, my goal is to have my average stress level be
below for days a week.

My stress management goal is:

·1·
 Keys to Managing Your Stress

➊ Track Your Stress Activity:

Stress affects everybody differently. By regularly monitoring Track your stress levels
and tracking your stress, you raise your awareness of the using the Stress Tracker
way you experience stress and get a better sense of your on page 4.
natural stress level. Knowing how your body reacts to stress
will help alert you when your stress level is rising.

➋ Identify the Sources of Your Stress Activity:

Make a list of the things
Knowing the sources of your stress is critical. After you have that cause your stress
a good idea of the things that cause your stress, you can Use the Identifying Your
develop a plan for dealing with each of them. Stressors Worksheet on
page 5 for ideas.

➌ Practice Mindfulness Regularly

Mindfulness is a way to be fully aware in the present
Activity:
moment of physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts,
Review the Stress
but without judging them. Regular daily practice of stress
Symptoms Checklist
management techniques will allow you to deal with your
on page 6. Explore the
stress in a healthier way.
MBSR Techniques on
page 7 to determine
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques
which are most effective
have been proven to reduce stress and stress-related
for managing the stress
conditions. They can reduce anxiety, improve attention
symptoms you identified.
and memory, and help manage chronic pain. These
techniques center on being fully aware in the present
moment without judgment.

➍ Be Physically Active
Fact:
Physical activity is one of the most effective stress Regular physical activity
management techniques. Physical activity increases can improve mood,
endorphins, improves sleep, raises self-esteem, and releases reduce stress, and
muscle tension. decrease health risks.

While moderate physical activity is good for stress Explore ways you can be
management, overly vigorous activity can actually physically active by
contribute to stress levels. If you are going to exercise visiting purdue.edu/
to help relieve stress, do so at an intensity level that is recwell
comfortable for you.
·2·
➎ Practice Deep Breathing Activity:
The next time you rate
It’s one of the fastest ways to deal with stress in the
your stress level to be
moment. Use deep breathing to gain control over stress,
a 7 or higher, practice
anxiety, and panic. It is also effective for managing
deep breathing to
depression and emotional responses, and can even be
immediately lower
helpful for some medical conditions.
your stress level.
The more you practice, the better you will become at
managing stressful situations.

➏ Plan Pleasant Activities Activity:

Research has shown that the things we do affect the way Actions affect emotions
we feel. When you spend time in activities that you find Plan a pleasant activity
relaxing, enjoyable, or just plain fun, you tend to feel less using the Pleasant
distressed and happier. Activities Tip Sheet in
Appendix B for ideas.
For many people, life demands seem to replace pleasant
activities. If you notice this happening to you, it’s time to
plan for positive time.

Deep Breathing Exercise

Deep breathing is one of the fastest ways that you can regain control over stress.

1 Start by sitting down in a comfortable place 3 Now hold your breath for 5 seconds after you
that’s free from distraction. Uncross your legs, inhale, and for another 5 seconds after you
put both feet on the floor, and rest your exhale. Continue breathing in this rhythm
hands in your lap. Pay attention to how this for a few moments.
position feels and let your mind and body just
“be” for a few moments. 4 Breathe naturally for a moment. Now place
both of your hands on top of your stomach
2 Close your eyes and notice the pattern of your and try to notice how your belly rises with
breath as you inhale and exhale. It may be each inhale and falls with each exhale. Notice
soft or loud, slow or quick, or shallow or your breath moving in and out again from your
deep. Make a mental note of your breath belly, to your chest, and gently out through
before you start relaxing with deep your mouth. Continue breathing naturally.
breathing. Just breathe naturally for a few
5 This time say, “Relax” silently or aloud after
moments, taking slow and deep breaths in
each time you exhale.
through your nose and then breathing out
through your mouth. 6 Repeat this exercise for 1 to 5 minutes.

·3·
 Tools for Managing Stress

STRESS TRACKER
Rate your stress level regularly by choosing a number between o-10, where
1 means not bothersome, 5 means somewhat bothersome, and 10 means
extremely bothersome. Tracking your stress will help you identify patterns in
your stress.

Stress RULER
“On a scale of 0 – 10, how bothersome has your stress been?”

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Not at All A Little Somewhat Very Extremely

Bothersome Bothersome Bothersome Bothersome Bothersome

When you notice your stress rising, you should practice your favorite
stress management techniques before your stress levels get too high.

Stress Level
Date & Time What was I doing? What was I thinking?
(0–10)

·4·
 IDENTIFYING YOUR STRESSORS worksheet
Use this tool to list your stressors. For each item on the list, mark whether or not it is long-term or
short-term and whether or not you have control over it.

You might also try to avoid these stressors or limit exposure to them. If you can’t avoid dealing with
them, practicing deep breathing when you interact with them might limit your stress response.

Adjusting to College Life Money Worries Travel/Vacation/Holidays

Conflict With Family/Friend Pain/Fatigue Time Management

Keeping Healthy Academic Performance Interviewing

Preparing for Life After Public Speaking Intimate Relationships

Graduation Loneliness Roommate Issues

Lack of Confidence Other:

Now, review your list of stressors and, for each one, ask:
• Is this long or short-term?
• Is this under my control?

List each of your stressors in the appropriate box below:

Long-Term Short-Term

Control

Do Not
Control

• When possible, let go of the stressors that you identified as uncontrollable. They aren’t worth
the stress they cause. This is not always possible with major stressors, but making the choice to
accept that some things are uncontrollable can help reduce the stress they cause.
• Take some time to address those stressors that you feel are under your control.
• Practice stress management techniques for the stressors that are uncontrollable. You might also
avoid these stressors or limit exposure to them when possible.
·5·
 STRESS SYMPTOMS checklist
When you know how your body responds to stressors, you can focus your
attention on finding the best stress management technique for each one. Check
off the symptoms you experience when you’re feeling a lot of stress.

Backache Muscle Cramps/Spasms Lack of Motivation

Change in Sex Drive Neck & Shoulder Pain Loneliness

Chest Pain Pain Sadness or Depression

Chest Tightness Sleep Problems Crying

Digestive Issues Smoking Eating When Not Hungry

General Muscle Tension Teeth Grinding Frustration

Headache Upset Stomach/Nausea Irritability/Anger

Heart Palpitations Blaming Restlessness

Fatigue Depression/Anxiety Worrying

Lack of Energy Forgetfulness Alcohol Use

Other:

NOTE: Some of these symptoms can indicate a medical problem rather than
stress. If you are experiencing any unusual symptoms or symptoms that are
severe enough to prevent you from engaging in your daily activities,
contact your healthcare provider right away.

·6·
 Mindfulness

Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction Techniques
Mindfulness Meditation
• Mindfulness Meditation
The intention of Mindfulness Meditation is To anchor yourself in the present, focus
to be fully aware of what is going on in the on your breath as you inhale and exhale.
present moment without any judgment. Breathing mindfully does not involve a
conscious changing of your breath.
• Compassion Meditation
1. Set aside a 1 to 5 minute period of time, and
This meditation can lower stress and stress
tell yourself that you will not engage your
hormone levels and raise self-esteem. You
thoughts during that time. As thoughts pop
can improve self-compassion by working
up, just notice them and let them go.
on unhelpful thoughts and by practicing
this meditation. 2. As you notice your mind thinking about
things, try to let those thoughts go without
• Body Scan Meditation judging them and return your attention to
This meditation is deeply relaxing and can the experience of breathing. The point is
help you become more accepting of areas of not to stop having thoughts. The point of
pain or discomfort. this meditation is to become more aware
of your thoughts without automatically
• Mindful Eating Exercise engaging them.
This exercise helps you to practice
mindfulness with something you do every If focusing on your breath does not work to
day: eating. You will learn how to increase bring you into the present moment, you can
your awareness while eating, which can focus on anything in the present, such as
increase mindfulness and improve your sounds, a picture you like, or a candle flame,
eating habits overall. so long as you don’t have to think about it.

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation

This exercise can help you become aware of Resource:
muscle tension, so you can release it when If you need additional help
needed. managing your stress, schedule
an appointment with Counseling
• Mindfulness Circle & Psychological Services (CAPS)
This image will help you return to mindful by calling 765-494-6995.
awareness throughout your day.
See https://www.purdue.edu/
If you find these techniques helpful, you can caps for more information
speak with the Wellness Office to find stress about CAPS.
management resources that are available to
you.

·7·
 Compassion Meditation Body Scan Meditation
1. First, take a few deep, cleansing breaths and The Body Scan Meditation can help you
ground yourself in the present. become more accepting of areas of pain or
2. As you breathe deeply, focus on your discomfort and not tense in response to them,
heart and visualize softness, warmth, and which can make the discomfort worse.
compassion glowing in your chest. Repeat To practice the Body Scan Meditation, get into a
these phrases to yourself: “May I be happy. comfortable position. You might lie down on the
May I be well. May I be safe. May I be floor or in bed with a pillow under your head.
peaceful and at ease.” Take a few deep, grounding breaths and gently
3. After a minute or two, visualize extending bring your awareness to the present.
these thoughts to include somebody you care 1. Pay attention to a specific body part, such as
deeply about. Now repeat the phrases, filling your left foot. As you breathe deeply, scan
in the person’s name. For example, “May that part of your body for sensations. Notice
______ be happy. May ______ be well. the sensations you feel, but try not to get lost
May ______ . . . .” in thought. Gradually let your focus move to
4. Next, visualize extending these thoughts to different body parts — each leg, your hips,
somebody you feel neutrally about. Repeat the stomach, chest, hands, arms, and head.
phrases with his or her name. For example, 2. Practice mindfulness meditation with your
“May the cashier at the store be happy. May focus on your body. Become aware of your
the cashier be well. May the cashier . . . .” mind’s tendency to get lost in thought.
5. Now extend the thoughts to somebody for When you notice this happening, just let the
whom you have negative feelings. Repeat the thought go and gently redirect your attention
phrases with his or her name. back to your body. Try not to engage in the
6. Finally, visualize extending these thoughts to content of the thoughts.
the rest of the world. If you have any pain or discomfort, just notice
As you become comfortable with this practice, it, accept it, and continue scanning. Continue to
try extending the length of time you spend at scan each part of your body in this way until you
each stage, increasing the overall time spent on have scanned your whole body.
the meditation.

Dealing With Distractions During Meditation

The purpose of meditation is not to concentrate distraction. Make the distraction a temporary object
on your breath or to achieve a perfectly still and of meditation, but only temporary. Your
serene mind. The goal of meditation is to breath should remain your primary focus.
achieve uninterrupted mindfulness. Switch your attention to the distraction only long
Being distracted is normal; it’s how our minds enough to notice certain things about it. What is
work. When you sit down to concentrate on your it? How strong is it? How long does it last? Return
breath, don’t be upset when your mind wanders your attention to your breath as soon as you
from the subject of meditation. Instead, simply have wordlessly answered these questions.
observe the distraction mindfully. The first step to changing something is seeing it
Whenever you are distracted away from your breath the way it really is — these questions can free you
as you meditate, briefly switch your attention to the from what is distracting you and give you insight
·8·
 Mindful Eating Exercise
Mindful eating is an ongoing practice, but it starts with three simple steps.

1. Become aware of the physical characteristics 3. Become aware of mindless eating triggers.
of food. Make each bite a mindful bite. Think Look for specific cues that prompt you to
of your mouth as being a magnifying glass, start and stop eating. Is your kitchen a hot
able to zoom in. Imagine magnifying each spot for snacking? Do feelings such as stress,
bite 100%. Pay close attention to your senses. discomfort, or boredom lead to a food binge?
Use your tongue to feel the texture of your Do judgmental thoughts like “I’m an idiot!”
food and to gauge the temperature. Take a trigger mindless eating?
whiff of the aroma. Ask yourself, “How does Become an expert on the emotional buttons that
it really taste? What does it feel like in my trigger you to eat when you aren’t physically
mouth? Is this something I really want? hungry. When you know your triggers, you can
Does it satisfy my taste buds? Is my mind anticipate and respond to them.
truly present when I take a bite so that I
Ask yourself, “What am I feeling right before
experience it fully?”
I mindlessly snack? Is my environment or
2. Become aware of repetitive habits and the emotional state helping or hurting my efforts
process of eating. Notice how you eat. Fast? to eat wisely? Are the people surronding me
Slow? Do you put your fork down between helping or hurting my efforts?”
bites? Are you stuck in any mindless habits,
such as eating a snack at the same time each
day, multi-tasking while you eat, or eating
Resource:
the same foods over and over again?
Visit the Eat Healthy page at www.fitness.gov
Ask yourself the following questions: “Do I for more nutrition information.
have any ingrained habits concerning how I
snack? When I pick up my fork, what stands
in the way of eating wisely?”

into its nature. It’s important to tune into it mindfully and wordlessly. When you do, it
the distraction without getting stuck on it. will fade by itself. ­
When you begin using this technique, you will Don’t fight your distracting thoughts, even if they
probably have to do it with words. Ask your have popped up before. Any energy you give
questions in words and answer in words. Soon you toward resistance makes the distraction that much
will be able to dispense with the use of words stronger. Just observe your distractions mindfully,
altogether. As the mental habits are established, and return your focus to your breathing. Refuse to
you will be able to simply note the distraction, note feed your distractions with your own fear, anger,
the qualities of the distraction, and then return and greed, and they will eventually go away.
your focus to your breath. Be patient and persistent. While mindfulness
A distraction can be anything: a sound, a sensation, disarms distractions, it may take many times to
an emotion, a fantasy. Whatever it is, don’t try to break the hold of deep-seated thought patterns. ­
repress it or force it out of your mind. Just observe ·9·
 Progressive Muscle Relaxation Mindfulness Circle
Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercises Mindfulness practice doesn’t have to be limited
will help you recognize when your muscles to focusing on your breath. You can do almost
are tense and teach you how to return your anything mindfully. Try practicing mindfulness
muscles to a relaxed state. with one of the activities below or one of your
own. Be aware of your breath, senses, thoughts,
1. Breathe normally and let your body just ‘be’. and feelings as you perform the activity.
Take note of how your body feels from your Consider your posture, your mood, how quickly
toes to your head. Does any of your body feel you move, what is going on around you, and
tense, stiff, or achy? your level of tension.
2. Close your eyes and notice how your toes
feel. Tightly curl your toes to the point where Try being mindful while doing these everyday
you feel tension, as if trying to squeeze a actions:
small ball between your toes and the ball of • Washing hands.
your feet. Hold this toe curl for 10 seconds. • Stopping at a crosswalk.
Release your curl and let your toes spread.
• Looking at a clock or your watch.
Notice how your toes feel when they are free
from tension. • Eating.
3. Next, repeat this cycle of tensing and relaxing • Brushing your teeth.
with your calves. Next, do your thighs. Move • Taking a shower.
up the body. Repeat with your hands, then
• Dressing and undressing.
arms, and then the muscles of your upper
back and shoulders. Finally, tense and relax • Walking.
your neck and face.
4. After you complete tensing and relaxing
each muscle in the body, breathe in
through your nose and hold your breath for
5 seconds. Slowly and gently breathe out FOCUS: You begin by
through your mouth. Open your eyes and focusing your attention
notice how your muscles — your feet, calves, on something simple,
such as your breath.
thighs, fists, arms, upper back, neck, and
Experience your breath
face — feel when relaxed.
in the present moment.

REDIRECTION: DISTRACTION:
Gently bring your At some point, you
attention back to will be distracted
the present moment by a thought, a
by focusing on your sound, a physical
breath again. sensation, etc.
AWARENESS: Next,
you become aware
that you are distracted.
Do not give up at this
point. Just notice the
distraction without
getting caught up in it.
· 10 ·
Mindfulness and Feelings
You can achieve greater emotional intelligence and stability by
using the RAIN (Recognize, Accept, Investigate, Non-Identify)
approach to your feelings.

Recognize Non-Identify
• Acknowledge what is happening in the body • Feelings are like weather patterns. They arise
and in the mind. and pass. They are not you. They are not your
• What is going on here? identity. They do not define you.

• In a compassionate, mindful way, notice what • Recognize the universal nature of the feeling:
is going on when you feel this feeling. “Right now I am feeling this, and there
are many other people just like me feeling
• Experience and recognize the pure essence of
this. Many who have come before me have
the feeling.
felt this feeling and many who will come
after me will feel this feeling. This is a
Accept
human feeling.” “Breathing in, I am aware
• What is, is. Feel what you feel. I feel . Breathing out, I meet
• The stream of feelings is always with us. myself with compassion.”
• This stream of feelings is ever changing and As you get to know your feelings, you will
has pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral tones. develop a natural wisdom and insight into
• Accept what you feel. which feelings you need to let be, which require
action, and which will cause more suffering if
• Remember, what we resist, persists.
you act on them.
Investigate
Sometimes you gain insight into the root of the
• Look into the feeling closely. Study the feeling. feeling which will enable you to take a different
• Notice how it feels in the body. approach to the moment or situation. Other
• Does it have a sensation of movement, of times you may observe the feeling, but do
temperature, of density, or of color? not want to continue fueling the feeling with
thought and energy.
• What is the energy of the feeling like?
• What stories go along with this feeling?
• Is there a particular time of day when this
feeling surfaces?
• Does anything immediately precede the arrival
of this feeling?
• How long does the feeling last? How do you
feel after the feeling has passed?

· 11 ·
 MINDFULNESS EXPERIMENTS ­
Experiment with mindfulness. Try to bring Pleasant Communication Report
yourself fully into the present to experience • Record one pleasant communication event.
each situation. Do no more than one of these Describe the communication.
experiments each week. For example, for one
week, see if you can bring mindful attention • With whom? What subject?
to pleasant events. In a different week, try • Were you aware of pleasant feelings during
bringing mindful attention to negative events, the communication?
and so forth. • What did you really want from the person or
situation? What did you actually get?
Pleasant Event Report • What did the other person(s) want? What did
• Be aware of one pleasant event or occurrence they actually get?
while it is happening at least once this week, • What thoughts accompanied this event
paying attention to the sensations in the body, at the time?
thoughts, and feelings.
• What emotions accompanied this event
• What was the experience? at the time?
• How did your body feel? In detail, describe
the sensations you felt. Unpleasant Communication Report
• What thoughts accompanied this event • Record one unpleasant communication event.
at the time? Describe the communication.
• What emotions accompanied this event • With whom? What subject?
at the time? • How did the difficulty arise?
• Were you aware of the unpleasant feelings
Unpleasant Event Report during the communication?
• Be aware of one unpleasant event or
• What did you really want from the person or
occurrence while it happens at least once this
situation? What did you actually get?
week. Pay attention to the physical sensations,
thoughts, and feelings that arise at the time of • What did the other person(s) want? What did
the experience. they actually get?

• What was the experience? • What thoughts accompanied this event

at the time?
• How did your body feel? In detail, describe
the sensations you felt. • What emotions accompanied this event
at the time?
• What thoughts accompanied this event
at the time?
• What emotions accompanied this event
at the time?

· 12 ·
 Other Factors for Managing Stress

Aligning Your Core Values that builds your resilience. Getting enough
rest and sleep, planning your days, staying
Losing track of your core values can contribute to
physically active, eating healthy foods, and
unhealthy stress levels. Think about what really
having supportive people in your life also
matters to you in your life. Spending time doing
build your resilience. Building your resilience
what is important to you can reduce stress and
helps you cope with stress in a healthier way.
give you energy.
Positive coping, or dealing with stress well,
leads to making better decisions, figuring out
safe ways to solve problems, and lowering
Problem Solving your chances of developing health problems
Mindfulness practice helps you to slow like high blood pressure and depression.
down and become more aware of options. Positive coping even helps you deal better with
Mindfulness fosters flexibility, which can be physical and emotional pain, manage your
essential for problem solving. Mindfulness weight, sleep better, and be calmer when in
also can help you assess how you feel about the stressful situations, such as taking a test or
various options and make an educated decision driving.
about the next best step.

When you face a difficult problem, begin by Eating Wisely When Stressed
grounding yourself with mindful breathing. Next, When we feel stressed, we tend to make poor
visualize the problem without getting attached food choices such as skipping meals and
to finding solutions; just breathe and be aware choosing less healthy, convenient options like
of the issue. Allow solutions to come and go — jot fast food and processed foods. Such choices are
down any that seem useful — and then come back partly due to high levels of stress hormones,
to the meditation. As solutions emerge, take a which cause us to crave fat and sugar.
moment to see how each one feels, noticing if
one seems more right than another. Unfortunately, eating lots of junk food and
sugar and skipping meals actually creates
physical stress for our bodies that adds to our
Developing Resilience overall stress load. When we choose healthier
foods that are high in nutrients, our ability to
Resilience refers to a person’s ability to
handle stress improves because we’ve removed
withstand and bounce back from difficult
one source of physical stress from our lives.
situations. Mindfulness helps you reduce
Make an appointment with a dietitian to learn
stress, which in turn increases your resilience.
about healthy and mindful eating, which have
Mindfulness enables you to be better able to step
been shown to help reduce overeating and
back and assess situations from a calm place and
improve weight loss results.
ultimately to adapt to the present moment.

Positive coping involves doing things that

keep your body and mind healthy and strong. Resource:
Coping in healthy ways builds your resilience. To learn more about scheduling an appointment
with a Registered Dietitian, please visit: https://
Mindfulness is one form of healthy coping
www.purdue.edu/recwell/programs/
wellnessPrograms/nutritionCounseling/index.php
· 13 ·
 Changing Unhelpful Thoughts communication patterns and improve
communication with difficult people.
Habitual, negative thoughts can contribute to
stress as well as perpetuate negative behaviors.
Mindfulness can help you be more aware of Working With Chronic Pain
your unhelpful thought patterns so you can Being mindful can help you manage chronic
replace them with thoughts that support your pain, whether it is physical or emotional. Many
goals. Mindfulness helps you to get into the people physically tighten up in response to pain
present to make the necessary changes. or otherwise resist it. Resisting your feelings
of pain creates another layer of distress and
Getting Social Support makes the suffering worse. You can lessen your
suffering, possibly even get rid of it altogether,
Having social support is an important
by eliminating your resistance to pain. Because
component for stress management. It is
pain is both real and inevitable, it’s important to
important to have the support of friends, family
accept it.
members, and other individuals who know and
understand what you are going through.
Activity:
Increasing Self-Compassion If you are experiencing pain or discomfort,
Self-compassion is the ability to be forgiving use the Body Scan Meditation on page 8 to
of yourself. Low self-compassion can increase become more aware of any resistance you
stress levels and stress hormone levels while may be having to your pain that can
actually make your discomfort worse.
lowering self-esteem. You can improve self-
compassion by working on unhelpful thoughts
and by practicing compassion meditation. If you are experiencing unusually severe pain, you
should speak with your primary care provider.

Activity:
Practice the Compassion Meditation on page 8.

Managing Interpersonal Stress

You can lower stress by practicing mindful
communication. This includes saying what
you really mean as well as mindful listening.
It will increase your awareness of unhelpful

Notes

· 14 ·
 Appendix A
SM

My Health Choices Healthy

Living
Circle your choice below.

Be Involved in Be Safe Eat Wisely Be Physically Strive for a

Your Health Care Active Healthy Weight ­

Your
Choice

Limit Alcohol Be Tobacco Free Get Recommended Manage Stress ­

Screening Tests &
Immunizations ­

My goal for the next week is: (Set a SMART goal — Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, Timetable
to complete. Example: I will walk at least 3 times this week for 15 minutes each, after I get home from work.)

Things that might get in my way: (Examples: weather, pain, time)

What I can do to overcome these things: (Examples: exercise indoors, walk with a friend)

I believe that I can reach my goal: (Circle the number that matches how confident you feel.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not at All Confident Somewhat Confident Very Confident

For more help with setting and managing wellness goals, set up a free appointment with
a Purdue Wellness Coach. Click here to visit our website to learn more!
Complete and update your plan every week. Use the charts below to track your progress.

My Progress Report for week beginning

(date)

Goal:

Day of week Action Taken Comments (how I felt, challenges, successes)

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

My Progress Report for week beginning

(date)

Goal:

Day of week Action Taken Comments (how I felt, challenges, successes)

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday
 Appendix B

Pleasant Activities Tip Sheet

Research 1-2 has shown that ratings of mood improve if you add some pleasant activities to
your routine Here is a strategy to use pleasant activities to manage stress and add some
fun to your life

♦ Plan for at least one pleasant activity per day, even if just a few minutes long
♦ The activity should not be for someone else — it should be designed to give you joy
♦ If you can’t do something you used to enjoy, think about a good replacement

• Aim for gentle pleasures, like taking a walk in a favorite place, listening to music, or
journaling
• Mix it up! Variety is the spice of life
• Simplify — look for simple pleasures that don’t require a lot of preparation or money
• If you have trouble coming up with activities, think about what you enjoyed in the past

Here are some examples of pleasant activities that some have chosen, but remember to
focus on what you enjoy:

Read a good book. Go for a walk.

Go for a bike ride. Sit outside and watch for birds

or wildlife.
Visit the Arboretum.
Check the rankings of your
Play a board game with friends.
favorite sports team.
Go to a yoga class. Draw or color.
Call a friend.

1 Lewinsohn, P.M., Munoz, R.F., Youngren, M.A., & 2 Antonuccio, D.O. (1998). The coping with
Zeiss, A.M. (1986). Control your depression depression course: A behavioral treatment for
(2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. depression. The Clinical Psychologist, 51(3), 3–5.
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Pharmacy
Dietetics
Movement and Sport Science
Chemistry
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Animal Science
Nursing
Speech
Language
Hearing Science

Members of PSHA work as a group and also within content areas: Prescription Drugs,
Sexual Health, Healthy Eating and Disordered Eating, Mental Health, and General
Health Promotion. If you are interesting in becoming a Purdue Student Health
Advocate, please contact Tammy Loew.

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