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

Suzanne King

Kaplan University

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

October 1, 2017
Table of Contents
UNI T 1 THE NATURE OF STRESS

Information to Remember .....................................................................................................................5

Self-Assessment Exercises ......................................................................................................................5
Journal Writing ..................................................................................................................................... 5-6

UNI T 2 THE PHYSI OLOGY OF ST RESS

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

Self-Assessment Exercises ......................................................................................................................7
Journal Writing ..................................................................................................................................... 7-9

UNI T 3 PSYCHOLOGY OF STRESS

Information to Remember .................................................................................................................. 10

Self-Assessment Exercises ................................................................................................................... 10
Journal Writing ................................................................................................................................. 10-11

UNI T 4 PERSONALI TY TRAI TS A ND THE HUMAN SPI RITU ALI TY

Information to Remember .................................................................................................................. 12

Self-Assessment Exercises ................................................................................................................... 12
Journal Writing ................................................................................................................................. 12-14

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

Information to Remember .................................................................................................................. 15

Journal Writing ................................................................................................................................. 15-16

UNI T 6 RELAXATION TECHI QU ES 1: BREATHI NG, MED I TATI ON,

AND MENTAL I MAGERY

Information to Remember .................................................................................................................. 17

Self-Assessment Exercises ................................................................................................................... 17
Journal Writing ................................................................................................................................. 17-19

UNI T 7 NUTRI TI ON AND STRESS

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

Self-Assessment Exercises ................................................................................................................... 20
UNI T 8 PHYSI CAL EXERCI SE AN D ACTI VI TY

Information to Remember .................................................................................................................. 21

Self-Assessment Exercises ................................................................................................................... 21
Journal Writing ................................................................................................................................. 21-23

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

AND PREVENTI ON TO YO UR PROFESSI ONAL LIFE

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

ADDI TI ONAL I NFORMATI ON

REFERENCES

(This page intentionally left blank)

 1
Unit

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health all work together to make an
individual holistically well. These aspects of well-being ideally should be balanced to make an even
and equal circle. Stress can make each of these areas unbalanced and lead a person to imbalance or
illness. Each of these can be placed into a wellness mandala, and the more evenly they are dispersed,
the more holistic wellness is present. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Physical wellness is how the bodys systems function together within the body.
Mental wellness is the ability to learn information, retain it, and remember it. Spiritual health is the
relationship that one has with themselves, other people, the world, and religion. Emotional wellness
This includes being able to experience and express all different emotions like happiness, love, fear,
anger and sadness. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: These four aspects of wellness are each important to total well-being. They must be
in balance for a person to experience total wellness. Stress can play a large role in each area, and must
be dealt with in a healthy manner to maintain homeostasis. (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
Physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health all work together to make an individual holistically well.
These aspects of well-being ideally should be balanced to make an even and equal circle. Stress can make
each of these areas unbalanced and lead a person to imbalance or illness. Creating a personal wellness
mandala helps to determine the balance of each aspect in health and wellness. (Seaward, 2015).

4
Journal Writing:
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: How Stressed Are You? Directions are found on

pages 11 and 12 of the Mindfulness workbook. List the situation on the left. Use a rating scale of 1

through 10 for the start, midway, and end. You will use this Journal Assignment as a way of mapping

your stress throughout the course. Keep it handy and refer back to it often.

Situation Start Midway End

Financial hardship- being behind on bills 10 6 2
Starting at the gym and working out every day 4 2 1
Starting a new position at work (promotion) 9 4 2
Becoming lead instructor for a new class 7 4 2
Buying a new car 6 6 1
Daughters getting in trouble 10 5 3
Daughter getting seriously injured in ATV accident 10 10 3
Starting a new diet 5 3 1
Leaving work for a short vacation 4 3 2
Figuring out how to pay for college 8 5 2
References
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5
 2
Unit

Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: The brain is one of the primary organs in the body that controls day to day
function, thoughts, desires, and everything about us. Neuroplasticity refers to the changes that occur
within the brain due to life experiences (Davidson & Lutz, 2010). The brain can generate new
connections to various brain cells, recruit various brain tissue for a host of functions, and generate
new cell growth (which was previously thought to be impossible) (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: One of the most significant issues in life that can negatively affect the brain,
nervous system, and body is stress. Chronic stress and difficulty dealing with stress can cause several
issues in the nervous system and immune system specifically (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Stress and the stress response plays a big role in the health and wellness of a person.
Stress can cause many adverse outcomes when exposed over a long period of time. Stress can cause
pain, stomach issues, breathing problems, heart issues, memory loss, and more incidents of illness
due to a weakened immune system. Relaxation techniques like meditation can help deal with the
effects of stress, and improve the way the body functions in many ways (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
Stress and the stress response plays a big role in the health and wellness of a person. Stress can cause many
adverse outcomes when exposed over a long period of time. Stress can cause pain, stomach issues, breathing
problems, heart issues, memory loss, and more incidents of illness due to a weakened immune system.
Relaxation techniques like meditation can help deal with the effects of stress, and improve the way the body
functions in many ways (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled, Explore: How is stress or anxiety affecting your
life? Directions are found on pages 33 through 35 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of
this Assignment, you will take the first step toward greater well-being and become aware of how
stress is impacting your life. This should be a minimum of two full pages.

6
How is stress or anxiety about people affecting your life?
I find that I have a lot of anxiety about people, and this has a pretty significant impact on my
life. I get flustered and anxious around a lot of people, and I feel that I am not good at meeting new
people. I have a few close relationships, like my husband, my kids and my best friend that I feel
totally comfortable with. But just thinking about the executives I work for makes my stomach do flips
and my heart race. I would rather communicate through email or test message than by phone or in
person. This has been a big hurdle in my new position at work. I have to have contact with many
different people in my new job, and I have had to learn to find ways to deal with this stress and
anxiety in order to do my job.
How is stress or anxiety about work affecting your life?
Starting my new position was very stressful. I get anxious doing something new, and also
when I feel like I am behind in something. Learning this new job by myself was very stressful and
took my coming early to work and making many lists to get organized. I worked very hard to
overcome this stress and feel comfortable about my position. I do still get stressed anytime there is
something new that must be done, or when things get unorganized. I took a short vacation and was
anxious and stressed about someone else taking the responsibility of running the program. I notice
that when I get stressed out at work, I am more short-tempered at home, and am not able to handle
situations that come up at home as easily.
How is stress or anxiety about the world affecting your life?
I have little stress or anxiety about the state of the world today. I do not watch the news so the
only thing I know is what I see on Facebook. I try not to let the discourse in the world bother me too
much as I cannot change it. I do get frustrated about things like racism and this has caused me to fear
more for my children growing up in this world.
How is stress or anxiety about food and eating habits affecting your life?
I spend a lot of time stressing over my weight and eating habits. Last week my husband and I
had a big argument over our diet while on vacation. I was so stressed about eating healthy that I
allowed myself to get overly frustrated and short with him about it. I battle with myself daily about
healthy food decisions and what I like versus what I know I need. This stress affects me daily. It
makes me self-conscious about my body and my health.
How is stress or anxiety about sleep and sleeplessness affecting your life?
I do not have much stress about sleep or sleeplessness. I typically get enough sleep each day,
and I do not suffer from insomnia or any other sleep issues. This does not cause me any stress or
issues in day to day life.
How is stress or anxiety about exercise or lack of physical activity affecting your life?
Before starting an exercise routine, I stayed pretty stressed about the lack of physical activity
in my life. But for the past three months I have been very active in the gym and have a great workout
routine. The only day to day stress my current routine causes me is eustress. I have the positive
motivation of my husband going with me. This causes me to feel good about myself after each
workout, and this makes me want to work harder. I am still out of shape, but I am more physically fit
than I have ever been in my life.
Summary
There are many different things that cause stress in day to day life. Issues at work are big part
of my daily stress. I have a lot of anxiety centered around people and I know that this is irrational. My
physical health, including diet and exercise also play a big role in my day to day stress levels. Sleep
and the current world events do not have much effect on my stress levels. The work and people stress

7
are the most significant, both causing anxiety and lack of sleep. These are the areas I need to focus on
the most.
References
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.

8
 3
Unit

Unit 3: Psychology of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Over two thousand years ago, the enlightened one, Buddha, sought to understand
the human experience, especially how it relates to stress (Seaward, 2015). This began the Buddhist
philosophy of leading a moral life, mindfulness of thoughts and actions, and to seek wisdom and
understanding (White, 1993). Monks have spent the thousands of years since Buddha sharing this
philosophy with the world, after being driven out of Tibet by China (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: There are several theorists that delve in to the significance of stress in the human
experience and how it can affect life, happiness, and total well-being. Freud, Frankl, Jung, Maslow,
Buddha, and Seligman are just of few of the theorists that try to explain the causes and effects of
stress on life. Each of these theories have different backgrounds, different philosophies, but each one
is somehow rooted in how negative stress is to life, and how positive emotions can overcome the
effects of stress (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Fear is closely related to stress, and is typically caused by the flight part of the fight
or flight stress response. Fear is a natural reaction to perceived threat. Fear is a survival mechanism,
but when coupled with conscious thought, it can become unrealistic, causing undue stress (Seaward,
2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
Stress can have significant and lifelong implications when it is not addressed. Chronic stress can lead to
high blood pressure, heart disease, skin issues, weakened immune system, allergies, and gastrointestinal
problems. Long term exposure to stress can affect almost every aspect of physical and mental wellness.
There are many different theories on stress and the stress reaction, each detailing the causes and effects of
stress. The theories on stress, managing and facing fear, and learning more effective communication can
all help in decreasing stress. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Five-Minute Mindful Breathing and Bringing the
Eight Attitudes of Mindfulness into Your Life. Directions are found on pages 45 and 46 of the
Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of this Assignment, you will begin to understand the

9
importance of making them a part of your daily life. See what changes occur in relationships with
yourself and others around you. This should be a minimum of one full page.

Unit Three Journal Writing Assignment

.
Take some time to write about whatever you came up for you mentally, emotionally, and physically
when doing this practice for the first time.
I performed this five-minute breathing exercise at home, after a long day at work. I found that
my mind wandered several times, and it would take me a second to realize that it had wandered. But
as soon as I realized, I would bring my attention back to my breath. I thought about how five minutes
seems to take forever, and I thought about things that are on my to do list. But each time I brought my
mind back to my breath, I could feel myself relax, and I could literally feel the tension dissolving. I
initially got frustrated with myself for my mind wandering, but then I tried to think that my mind is a
beginners mind, and that I will get the hang of it. It took a few minutes, but I would try to not judge
my thoughts, and just note them and move on, back to my breath. I will need to work on
nonjudgement, as I found myself judging some of my thoughts. Emotionally, I was able to clear my
mind eventually, which felt really good. My mind is always going a mile a minute, so it felt very good
to have a clear brain that is not flying around. I also found that when my time was up, my body felt a
little different. I was looser, not as tight and stiff. I felt like a small weight had been lifted off my
shoulders. I felt good, and now I want to do this again.
After this meditation, I am even more excited about meditation, and I have been doing other
meditations on my phone with an app. Last night we had a severe thunderstorm with constant
lightening, and it was very close to our house. I was very anxious as I worry a great deal about
thunderstorms. I practiced mindful breathing and closed my eyes. I am not sure how long I practiced
this, but my heart rate returned to normal, by breathing slowed, my panic dissipated, and I was able to
fall asleep. I have done some meditation in the past, but it was not regularly, and it was not with stress
relief in mind. This was the first time that I was able to get through a super stressful event alone, and
all it took was mindfully breathing and following the techniques I am learning about. I felt really good
being able to work through this anxiety issue that I have, and it drives me to continue to learn more
about meditation, mindfulness, and stress relief.
Summary
Mediation and mindfulness is a great way to spend some time with yourself, to clear the
constant clutter of life from the mind, and to relax. Everyday life is stressful, and living with this
chronic stress can have negative effects on the body and the brain. Mindfulness meditation can help
the body fight back against stress and all the negative effects that stress can have, giving us more
control over our thoughts, our reactions, and our futures.

References
Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.

10
 4
Unit

Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human

Spirituality
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Values and attitudes change and fluctuate throughout life. What is important to a
twenty-year-old single man is not what will be important to him at 35 years old, married and with
children. Behaviors can be more difficult to change (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Self-esteem can directly impact how well you can deal with stress. Stress
management programs are working to raise self-esteem to better deal with stress. The link between
positive self-esteem and stress management is so strong that many schools are incorporating positive
self-esteem into education (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Personality has a large bearing on how people deal with difficult or stressful times.
Psychology defines personality as a mix of a persons values, attitudes and behaviors (Seaward,
2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
Many things contribute to total health and well-being. Positive self-esteem, a strong set of values, beliefs,
attitudes and behavior all lead to holistic wellness and being able to better deal with stress and difficult
times. Most people have some negative habits that can affect health, but with the stages of change, these
bad habits can be replaced with healthier habits (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Explore: Identifying Emotions in the Body.
Directions are found on pages 74 through 77 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of this
Assignment, practice taking a moment to mindfully tune in to your body and discover any physical
sensations associated with strong emotions. This should be a minimum of three full pages.

11
 FEAR: apprehension, anxiety, distress, edginess, jumpiness, nervousness, panic, tenseness,
uneasiness, worry, fright, feeling overwhelmed.
I am very familiar with many of these words and feelings. Apprehension is felt in my
shoulders, in my arms, and in my chest. Apprehension makes me think of being tense and wary of
meeting a new person. I can imagine sweating more, and feeling that uneasy stomach. Anxiety is like
apprehension but amplified. Anxiety is felt in my chest, in my breathing, in my shoulders and back.
Anxiety has also affected my hands, with shaking and even numbness. I picture the one anxiety attack
I had, where my hands cramped up from breathing so fast. I can also feel that tingling around my
mouth and in my face. As a mother, I have felt panic several times. Panic arises in my chest, in my
stomach, in my head, it changes my heart rate and my breathing. Panic feels overwhelming and I can
feel it almost all over. I imagine when I found out that my daughter wrecked her four-wheeler. Worry
causes tension in my face, especially around my eyes. It also makes my stomach feel different and
sick. Worry causes me to sign often, and my mind becomes clouded with whatever I am worrying
about.
CONFUSION: bewildered, uncertain, puzzled, mystified, perplexed, chaotic, foggy, or unaware.
Uncertain feelings cause tension around my mouth, in my shoulders and arms. I think of
getting asked a question at work and not knowing the answer, even though I think I should. Chaos
causes stress and tension in my shoulders and back. Chaos also causes my brain to be cloudy and I
cannot concentrate. Perplexed feelings cause a general unease. I feel my shoulders shrugging, I feel
tension in my face and neck. I even feel pain in my head from thinking so much.
ANGER: aggravation, agitation, annoyance, destructiveness, disgust, envy, frustration, irritation,
grouchiness, grumpiness, rage.
Aggravation causes tightness around my eyes, mouth. It also gives me a tense feeling in my
shoulders and neck, as well as a tight feeling in my hands. I picture getting aggravated by my kids.
Agitation is more intense that aggravation. It affects my heart rate, my breathing and I feel like I cant
sit still. Agitation for me affects my whole body. Disgust causes intense tightness in the face,
especially around my eyes and neck. I can feel my facial expressions change and harden. I can also
feel my skin heating up and my stomach tighten. Envy causes a pain and odd feeling in my gut, as
well as my head hangs down and my shoulders fall forward. It feels almost like defeat, and brings to
mind failure. Grumpiness feels tight in my jaw and in my teeth, around my eyes, and in my shoulders.
I feel tense and ready to jump on someone. My head seems to shake back and forth, and my eyes roll
a lot. I feel tense and tall in my back as well.
SADNESS: alienation, anguish, despair, disappointment, gloom, grief, hopelessness, insecurity,
loneliness, misery, unhappiness, rejection.
Disappointment causes shoulders and back to hunch forward, arms to tense up and come
across the body, and my body seems to shrivel up. This brings to mind getting passed over for a
promotion, or getting a failing grade. Gloom causes a heaviness to the whole body, but especially the
face and chest. I feel blah all over, and dark. I have no appetite, no desire to do anything. Grief feels
painful. It feels like a heavy pain the chest, it feels hard to breathe, and also empty. Like there is
something missing. I feel like the whole body is tight and rigid, tense, pain in the back and neck from
being so tense. Grief brings to mind losing a loved one or a relationship.
SHAME: guilt, embarrassment, humiliation, invalidation, regret, remorse, mortification.
Embarrassment causes a hotness in the face, neck and chest. It causes a deflated feeling where
my body wants to fold in on itself. My body sweats and feels hot all over. My stomach feels tight and
in knots. This makes me picture forgetting a speech. Regret is a slighter reaction, with a droop to the

12
neck and head, shoulders tight and forward. Regret also makes my stomach feel heavy and tight.
LOVE: affection, arousal, attraction, caring, compassion, desire, fondness, infatuation, kindness,
liking, longing, warmth, sympathy, sentimentality.
Arousal has a warm feeling all over, but especially in the gut. Arousal causes my muscles to
be loose and ready to go. Arousal affects the muscles in my face, with heavy eyes and smile on my
face. Compassion causes a warm feeling all over as well. I feel close and connected to someone. My
heart feels full and wants to help. Longing causes an empty feeling inside, a hollow that is not
complete. The feelings I get with liking is a warm and fuzzy feeling all over. A feeling where you
cannot stop thinking of someone, and there is extra energy in your body. It is a loose and bright
feeling all over.
JOY: amusement, bliss, contentment, eagerness, elation, enjoyment, enthusiasm, excitement,
exhilaration, hope, optimism, pleasure, satisfaction.
Amusement feels like a light energy through the body. It spreads across my face, my chest, my
stomach. It is a warm and happy feeling. I picture hearing a funny joke. Contentment makes me feel
one hundred percent at ease. It is a relaxed easy feeling all over my body. Peace and rest, like
everything is right with the world. Excitement is a heated and excited feeling all over. Excitement
comes with a good tenseness in the muscles, like they are all ready to go right now. There is a
butterfly feeling in the stomach, and a warm sensation all over.
Summary
Emotions are felt in the body, and each emotion can bring a wide range of feelings. Each
experience is different, and learning to pick up on what these feelings mean can help us overcome any
issues or negative reactions. Many people feel like emotions are negative, and should not be
experienced or shared (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010). Being mindful and present during these feelings
can help us to fully experience them, good or bad, and to move forward. The key is to notice the
bodys reaction as it happens, to be present in the moment. Mindfulness and meditation allows us to
connect with ourselves, with our bodies reaction to each emotion and life event.

References

Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.

13
 5
Unit

Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Toxic thoughts have can have a significant impact on mental health. Toxic
thoughts are repeated negative thoughts that directly impact the way a person sees their self and
the world (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Humor is a powerful tool to help manage stress and relieve tension. Humor is
not a positive emotion, but it can elicit several positive emotions. Humor, like stress, is a
perception (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Time and money are both necessary to prevent or manage stress. But most
people are not good at managing time or money. Setting goals and providing rewards can help
with managing both (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Choose from either formal practice: Walking Meditation or Mindful Self-Inquiry for Stress and
Anxiety. Directions are found on either pages 58 through 60 or 119 through 121 of the Mindfulness
workbook. Upon completion of either practice, take a moment to reflect on whatever came up for you
mentally, emotionally, and physically. This should be a minimum of two full pages.

Unit Five Journal Writing Assignment

Walking meditation is a way to become mindful during an everyday task like walking. I did
the walking meditation and was surprised by how difficult it was for me. I liken this exercise to
mindful eating. It takes concentration and being present in the moment. I have never actually thought
about how I walk, how it feels to walk around, and the process of moving my legs and feet to get from
one point to another. I read and reread this meditation before starting, and then I listened to the
meditation while I walked. I felt strange walking so slowly, but I felt the ground on my feet, I felt the
muscles in feet, I felt my toes spreading and relaxing with each step. My mind wandered a few times
during this exercise, but I am finding it easier each time to recognize this, accept it, and come back to

14
my meditation. As I finished this exercise, I realize how mindless I really am, and how good it feels to
listen to my body and be present in the moment. Mindful walking lets me take an ordinary action and
allow me to tune in to myself. When I am finished with each meditation, I feel clearer, I feel more
alert and awake, and I feel a new source of energy.
We talk many different tasks for granted each day. We hustle around in a blind fog getting
things done, and we forget about the miracle of our body, the things that we can accomplish and how
amazing our bodies are. This walking meditation allows you to become aware of the ordinary task of
walking, and connect more fully on the body and its processes. It is important to take time to
mindfully be with yourself and experience even the smallest task.

References

Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.

15
 6
Unit

Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,

Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Diaphragmatic breathing is when a person breathes from their stomach instead
of their chest. This is one of the simplest ways of relaxing and regrouping thoughts or preparing
for a stressful event (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Meditation offers an effective way to calm the mind, to relieve stress and to
manage chronic pain. Meditation has been shown to have several positive impacts on the
physiology of the brain (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Visualization and imagery can help with relaxation and stress. But these tools
are also useful for changing a negative behavior (like smoking) and helping the body heal with
internal healing visualization (Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
This self-assessment exercise highlights the benefits of relaxation exercises, including diaphragmatic
breathing, meditation, and visualization and imagery. The exercise discusses how diaphragmatic breathing
can induce a relaxed state, and the three steps used to practice this belly breathing. The effects of
meditation on the body and mind are extensive, including lowering stress, heart rate, blood pressure,
oxygen demand, and increasing creativity, memory and neural plasticity. Visualization and imagery can be
useful as well. Tranquil nature scenes, behavioral changes, and internal body imagery can all produce
positive effects on the body and mind (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Unit Six Journal Writing Assignment

Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Explore: Is Your Body-Mind Happy? Directions are found
on pages 151 through 153 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of this Assignment,

16
practice identifying unkind messages you send to yourself and turn it around with positive
affirmations. This should be a minimum of two full pages.
Mindful of how you interact with yourself?
When I really pay attention to how I interact with myself, I realize that I can be quite harsh
with myself. I typically find that I am most harsh with myself about my appearance, but also when I
make a mistake. I am never mean or rude to other people, but I absolutely am rude and mean to
myself. This can be a difficult pill to swallow, because we are supposed to love ourselves above
everything else. But my self-talk is not loving or kind. I make statements like You are fat or Man
you look awful today. These are statements I would never, ever make to another person. This may be
why I have such poor self-esteem when it comes to body confidence. These feelings cause me to feel
sick in my stomach. I get an elevated heart rate, and feel anxious when I think about how I feel about
myself and my negative self-talk. I also feel tense in my shoulders and my back. Like I am trying to
make myself smaller than I am. This really feels bad to know that I am doing such negative things to
myself. I actually feel stressed out knowing that I am contributing to the negativity in my life, and
causing myself to have negative self-esteem.
Seeds of suffering?
It appears that I have been sowing my own seeds of suffering. I imagine that if I were to stop
doing this, my life would change significantly. One of the biggest problems I have is my self-esteem,
and this would be much higher if I sent myself love notes instead of hate mail, figuratively. There
have been many times in my life that I have settled for second best, because I did not feel like I
deserved any better. One of the biggest examples of this was my ex-husband. I had such poor
thoughts about myself that I stayed in a relationship that was abusive. I did not think I could survive
financially, and I did not think I would ever find another relationship to be in. I feel like if I could
start giving myself positive messages, my self-worth would improve to where it should be. I would be
sowing seeds of love and happiness.
Day-to-day life feelings of resentment?
When I try to approach a difficult person from another view point, it opens my eyes to a
bigger picture. I try to see the other side of every situation, but I realize now that I may not do that
when I am angry with someone. There is one person that is challenging for me to deal with. She has
tried many times to get under my skin, and she was able to do this. But when I try to see what may be
going on in her life, I can see there may be many issues that have caused her to be this way. This
makes me feel like she is just trying to find her way in a new situation, and that the only way to do
this is to exhibit whatever control she has over a situation. This takes away a large amount of my
anger and resentment, and makes me feel bad for her. She does have positive qualities, like a great
sense of humor, and a big heart. Resentment can put a big cloud over a relationship, and if we do not
learn to try and see the other persons side, it can ruin friendships and families.
Reflection on writing?
In todays world, there is way too much negativity. We talk negative to ourselves, to our loved
ones, and we carry resentment around like a purse. This journal exercise showed me that I do carry a
negative attitude. Before this practice, I would have said that I am the one of the most positive people
you will ever meet. But now I see that my self-talk is very negative, and I do not try to view difficult
people with any positivity at all. Being aware of this issue can allow me to begin to change this
negative talk into something more powerful. I believe having a more positive attitude will allow me to
handle stress more easily and carry less anger in my life.
When I look in the mirror and say things like wow, you have not lost any weight I could
turn this around to be Look at how strong you are becoming, and you are smart, you are kind, you

17
are loving. You are fat could become you are working every day to become healthier. When I say
things like wow you really humiliated yourself, I could turn that around to say you are doing a great
job, but here is an area I need to work on. All of my mean self-talk can be turned around to something
more positive. Being more positive to myself may also trickle down to my children. Having girls and
seeing their negative self-talk is hard to watch. If I am able to become more positive and loving to
myself, hopefully they will see this and learn, and in turn be more loving to themselves.

References

Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.

18
 7
Unit

Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: Exercise is a stressor on the body. But this stress allows the body to use the
stress response appropriately, using the stress hormones for their intended purpose and works to
detoxify the body of these hormones (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Improper diet stresses the body. Getting proper nutrients in a healthy diet works
to improve the function of the immune system and helps to ward off the negative effects of stress
(Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: The way that stress affects a person can be directly related to how that person
views that stress. If they look at that stress as a challenge, they are able to confront it head on with
commitment and they are willing to rise to that challenge. This means that how we look at stress
affects how that stress affects us (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Self-Assessment Exercise:
This self-assessment includes a formal practice of sitting meditation. This experience is a 45-minute
practice of meditating to connect with yourself and experience what is going on inside your body, mind
and spirit. This exercise was difficult for me, as 45 minutes felt endless, but after completion, I felt a
renewed sense of peace, calm, and a new energy. This was the most intense and effective meditation
practice to date for me. I enjoyed the practice of choiceless awareness, where I became aware of
everything that was going on the in present moment in my body and mind (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

19
 8
Unit

Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: By stretching tight muscles and balancing strength and flexibility of the
muscles supporting the joints where pain originates, yoga can be a positive and inexpensive
means to reduce and eliminate joint pain. Yoga has also been found to be helpful for a variety of
health-related problems, including carpal tunnel syndrome (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Exercise has immediate effects on stress. The energy consumed during exercise
uses the stress response in the body to fuel the exercise. This immediate alleviates the symptoms
of stress for some time (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Stress causes the body to crave sweet high carbohydrate foods, which leads to
overeating and weight gain. Eating a well-balanced breakfast can stave off these cravings all day
(Seaward, 2015).

Self-Assessment Exercises:
Workplace wellness and stress management can be a positive way to save companies money and lessen
illness, injury and missed days of work. Meditation and activities like yoga can serve as a powerful but
inexpensive way to improve moral and mange stress in the workplace. This exercise was done as a team
effort and we developed a proposal, a budget, and a stress management program that can be utilized in
the workplace to improve health and wellness of the employees, and save money for the employer. Yoga
and meditation are great resources for this type of program as there is little cost involved, and can have a
big impact on wellness (Seaward, 2015).

Journal Writing:
Unit Eight Journal Writing Assignment

Complete the Journal Assignment entitled: Explore: Creating Connection. Directions are found on
pages 161 through 163 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon completion of this Assignment, practice
developing these qualities in building stronger and healthier relationships.
This should be a minimum of one full page.

20
OPENNESS: For this exercise, I am using my husband as the person I imagine conversing with. For
the openness quality, I imagine listening to him for the first time, without any preconceived notions
that I have developed over our marriage. I am hearing him for the first time, listening to him talk with
passion about what he loves and what is important to him. Instead of thinking about what he wants, or
what he needs, I am just hearing the love and drive in his voice, and I am not offering any judgement
or defense. I think that typically I am very defensive and I use past issues to build up an argument to
any conversation I have. Being able to stop doing this, I would create a closer connection with my
husband.

EMPATHY: Empathy is being able to put yourself in someone elses shoes. I am very good at
practicing empathy, except with my husband. I am not sure why I lack empathy with him, but I
imagine that being more empathetic towards him would open our relationship up to many new
possibilities. When we talk about important things, I can put up a wall and come up with my position
against him, instead of seeing where he is coming from and looking at his perspective. Next time we
talk, I am going to listen to what he is saying and try to put myself in his shoes.

COMPASSION: My husband lost his best friend, who was his sister, in his teenage years. This caused
him to become a very closed off person. I forget this often, and I try to pry all of his thoughts and
fears out of him. I often lack this compassion about his history and ignore what caused him to be like
this. Becoming more compassionate, I would understand that he has had a difficult time opening up to
people, I would respect this about him, and I would be there whenever he does want to have these
hard conversations.

LOVING-KINDNESS: Often with my husband, I have ulterior motives. We will have a discussion
about something, and I typically find excuses to cover up those motives. An example is that he
wanted to ride his motorcycle to work today. I did not want him to ride, as I worry about his safety,
and I also like talking to him on the way to work. I make up excuses like it is too cold to ride. Instead
of doing this, I need to look at his happiness. He has not been able to ride for almost a year, and now
that is all that he wants to do. I need to stop finding reasons why he should not, and I should
understand that this truly makes him happy. I need to stop finding reasons why he should not do the
things he loves, and instead, I should be supportive and happy for him.

SYMPATHETIC JOY: This goes back to the motorcycle as well. I definitely need to work on being
genuinely happy for him and stop worrying about all of the other things in life.

EQUANIMITY: This is a little backwards for me. I am typically kinder to people that I do not know,
and more harsh and unkind to my loved ones. I say things that I would not say to a stranger to my
husband, and I do not think twice about it. It is similar to how I talk to myself. I have to start treating
my loved ones with the same respect that I treat strangers. It is hard to know that I treat other people
better than I treat my spouse. I definitely have to rectify this problem, as it is not fair to my family for
me to be unkind to them.

Summary: This practice of cultivating connection with loved ones was difficult and eye opening. I
need to practice my relationships and connections and start bringing the same love and compassion to
them that I bring to other people. These traits of openness, empathy, compassion, loving-kindness,

21
sympathetic joy, and equanimity can restore relationships and bring a closer connection to the people
that you love.

References

Seaward, B. (2015). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.

22
 9
Unit

Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Issues for

Management and Prevention to your
Professional Life
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point: It is important to have a social network that you can rely on. Having friends and
family help to cope in times of significant stress and help to buffer the negative effects (Seaward,
2015).
Key Learning Point: Any stress that is caused by anger can be lessened by forgiveness. Forgiveness is
an internal healing process that undoes the feeling of victimization (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point: Faith is the idea that you are connected to something larger than yourself. This
faith can be a powerful coping mechanism, as it gives a sense of reason for the stressful event
(Seaward, 2015).

23
Additional Information

Heart.org is the American Heart Associations website. This site has information about how
stress affects the heart, and ways to deal with it. This is a great secondary source that discusses how
chronic stress affects the heart and the rest of the body as well. This site also gives ways to manage
stress and lessen the effects on the heart.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/StressManagement/FourWaystoDealWithStress/Fo
ur-Ways-to-Deal-with-Stress_UCM_307996_Article.jsp#.WchKM8iGPIU

The Mayo Clinic is a trusted hospital that has up to date information on health and wellness.
The Mayo Clinic offers crucial information on many issues effecting health and wellness. This site
has a wealth of knowledge on stress management and prevention. There is also information on how to
deal with and manage stress day to day. This is a secondary source.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/basics/stress-basics/hlv-20049495

This Ted Talks discusses the incorrect assumptions about stress, and how to make stress work
for you. This talk helps us to reframe stress into a positive part of life. The information given in this
talk also covers how the stress hormones affect the body, and how to use these hormone responses in
to something beneficial to health and wellness. This is a secondary source.

https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

24
 References

Cleveland Clinic. (2016). Diaphragmatic Breathing. Retrieved from

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/diaphragmatic-breathing

Davidson, R. & Lutz, A. (2010). Buddha's Brain: Neuroplasticity and Meditation. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2944261/

Merriam-Webster. (2017). Definition of Neuroscience. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/neuroscience

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

Harbinger Publications, Inc.

White, B. (1993) Basic Buddhism Guide; A Five Minute Introduction. Retrieved from

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm

25