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
Margaret Hayworth
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
May 8, 2014
Table of Contents
UNI T
1
THE
NATURE
OF
STRESS
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNI T
2
THE
PHYSI OLOGY
OF
ST RESS
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNI T
3
PSYCHOLOGY
OF
STRESS
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UNI T
4
PERSONALI TY
TRAI TS
A ND
THE
HUMAN
SPI RITU ALI TY
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T
5
DEALI NG
WI TH
STRESS:
COPI NG
STRATEGI ES
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T
AND
6
RELAXATION
MENTAL
TECHI QU ES
I MAGERY
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
1:
BREATHI NG,
MED I TATI ON,
UNI T
7
NUTRI TI ON
AND
STRESS
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T
8
PHYSI CAL
EXERCI SE
AN D
ACTI VI TY
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UNI T
AND
9
APPLYI NG
PREVENTI ON
STRESS:
CRI TICAL
TO
PROFESSI ONAL
YO UR
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
Tools: Journal Writing
ADDI TI ONAL
I NFORMATI ON
I SSUES
FOR
LIFE
MANAGEMENT
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1
Unit
Unit 1: The Nature of Stress
Information to Remember:

Stress is defined as "The experience of a perceived threat (real or imagined) to one's mental, physical
or spiritual well-being, resulting from a series of physiological responses and adaptations" (Seaward,
2009). Stressful events cause a cascade of hormones and catecholamines to be released which
prepare the body for the fight-or-flight response. The body does not distinguish from a real or
imagined event. The stress response is the same.

Stress can be acute or chronic. Acute stress results from a rapidly occurring event and is resolved
quickly. Chronic stress is a result of an ongoing event, such as financial difficulties or prolonged
illness. The constant presence of stress hormones in the body can be very damaging to the brain cells
and to the immune system.

People deal with stress in either positive ways or negative ways. Positive forms of stress relief
include exercise, meditation, or music. Negative forms of dealing with stress include drugs or alcohol
abuse. Negative forms of stress management usually lead to more stress later.
Resources: Exercises:

Exercise 1.1 - Inventory: Are You Stressed? - I like this exercise because it is a simple but effective
questionnaire. The questions are relevant to symptoms of stress. I think this is a tool you could use
many times over. It helps identify if you are over-stressed or burnt-out.

Exercise 1.5 - Personal Stress Inventory: Top Ten Stressors - This exercise asks you to list your top
ten stressors, and how long they have been a source of stress for you. It's surprising when you put it
down on paper to see just how long you have let some situations go on without any intervention. I
think it helps you see what areas need some intervention badly.
Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 1.2 - My Health Philosophy - this exercise asks you to define how you see health and
wellness. Also, what and who influences how you view health and wellness. I think it is important
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for you to be able to define what point you are at now, and where you see yourself later. It can help
you set goals for yourself and set a plan to get there.

Exercise 1.3 - Self-Assessment: Poor Sleep Habit Questionnaire - I chose this exercise because poor
sleep has been an issue for me for a long time. I read this questionnaire and saw that there are quite a
few things that I could do to help promote sleep, but don't. I feel like this exercise is relevant to my
personal health program.
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2
Unit
Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress
Information to Remember:

The Autonomic Nervous System consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The sympathetic nervous system activates the stress response and stress hormones, epinephrine and
norepinephrine. The parasympathetic nervous system activates the relaxation response and the
relaxation hormone acetylcholine.

Repeated and chronic exposure to stress hormones, primarily cortisol, accelerates aging of the brain
and may actually shrink brain cells. This damage to the brain cells may be irreversible. Chronic stress
also impairs the ability of the immune system to function, leaving us more vulnerable to disease, and
accelerates the aging process of the body.

75% to 90% of all visits to primary care providers are for stress-related complaints or disorders, yet
there is very little stress management teaching provided.
The field of PNI
(psychoneuroimmunology) was developed in the 1980's to study the links between the fields of
psychology, neurology, and immunology. PNI studies the relationship of stress and disease.
Resources: Exercises:

Exercise 3.2 - Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects - I found this exercise very
interesting because it identifies symptoms related to stress that are not only immediate, but symptoms
that occur later. Some of these symptoms, such as colds, flu, and GI issues, were some things that I
had not even considered as being related to increased stress.

Exercise 4.3 - My Health Profile - I chose this exercise because I feel like it can help you see exactly
where you are at healthwise at the present time. There is nothing like seeing it on paper to keep you
from denying some health issues that you may have.
Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 4.2 - Your Picture of Health - this exercise has questions regarding health promoting actions
and how you rank in taking measures to maintain and improve health. It has a scoring key so you can
see if you rank low or high in health promotion.
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
Exercise 4.4 - Subtle Anatomy Energy Map - I chose this exercise because I have always been
interested in the chakras and learning more about them. I find them fascinating, so this exercise
instantly caught my eye. I would love to sit down with this exercise and take time to identify the areas
of the chakras and what physical symptoms may be associated with them.
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3
Unit
Unit 3: Psychology of Stress
Information to Remember:

Emotions can be healthy or unhealthy. Seward defines emotional well-being as "the ability to feel
and express the entire range of human emotions - but to control them, not be controlled by them".
Anger and fear are considered healthy because they are considered survival emotions ( fight -orflight). They become unhealthy if they last longer than for the purpose they were meant to serve,
which is getting us out of harm's way.

Holistic stress management means moving from a motivation of fear to a motivation of love.
Motivation of love means using the inner resources of patience, forgiveness, optimism, courage, and
compassion as a source of motivation.

There are stress-prone personalities and stress-resistant personalities. Stress-prone personalities are
Type A, Type D, co-dependent, and hopeless-helpless. Stress-resistant personalities are Hardy,
Survivor, and Type R (risk-taker). Seward states each individual has the ability to use the power of
the mind to become a stress-resistant personality.
Resources: Exercises:

Exercise 6.1 - Anger Recognition - this is an exercise that asks you to identify how you manifest anger
when it occurs. I think everyone has anger at some time, but I have noticed that I have more than I
would like. I think this exercise can help you recognize anger when it occurs so you can focus on
diffusing it instead of letting it exacerbate.

Exercise 5.7 - Fear This - this exercise identifies the different types of fear that a person can have. I
chose this exercise because not only do I have increased anger in my life, but I have increased fear as
well. This is very distressing to me because I cannot even enjoy things that I used to in the past, like
hiking or going into caverns and stuff. I don't like this in myself and I would like to find some ways
to work on it.
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Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 5.1 - The Psychology of Your Stress - I chose this exercise because it goes in depth in
identifying defense mechanisms, dreams, and anger and fear-based stressors. I look forward to using
this exercise and perhaps working on some unidentified stressors in my life.

Exercise 6.10 - Emotional Well-being - I chose this exercise because it requires identifying and
acknowledging your own emotions. I have always kept my emotions suppressed and have a hard
time expressing them. I think it may be a difficult exercise but it can only be beneficial.
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4
Unit
Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human
Spirituality
Information to Remember:

Spirituality and religion overlap, but they are not the same thing. Spirituality is inclusive, it is not a
religion or the practice of a religion. Religion is exclusive. Religion is based on a specific dogma and
organized rules and regulations based on that ideology.

Seasons of the Soul - Centering (Autumn) = soul searching, Emptying (Winter) = release, detaching,
letting go, aka dark night of the soul, Grounding (Spring) = new insights, Connecting (Summer) =
realizing we are all connected.

Spiritual hunger is a desire or longing for a deeper understanding of life and our place in it. Spiritual
bankruptcy is a sense of moral decay. Spirituality is a maturation process. Roadblocks on the
spiritual path are meant to be overcome or dismantled, not avoided.
Resources: Exercises:

Exercise 7.2 - Stress-Prone Personality Survey - this questionnaire asks you to rate yourself on the
characteristics of a stress-prone personality. You use your answers to see how you score on having a
stress-prone personality.

Exercise 7.3 - Stress-Resistant Personality Survey -this questionnaire asks you to rate yourself on
having the characteristics of a stress-resistant personality. Hopefully, you can rate high on this
questionnaire. If not, maybe it can be used to help cultivate some of the stress-resistant qualities.
Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 7.1- Under the Gun: Stress and Personality - this exercise asks you to identify what inner
resources you use to help deal with stressors. It also asks you to identify if you have any qualities
similar to Type A personality.
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
Exercise 8.8 - Distractions on the Human Path - this exercise asks you to identify any distractions, or
temptations, that are keeping you from moving along your path. After you list identified distractions,
you can begin to find ways to acknowledge them and then move past them.
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5
Unit
Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies
Information to Remember:

The conscious and unconscious minds must work together in order to achieve goals and overcome
obstacles. Your conscious mind may embrace a goal, but old, negative thought patterns from the
unconscious mind may sabotage your efforts. Negative thought patterns need to be replaced with
positive patterns.

Toxic thoughts are a result of negative thinking. Toxic thoughts can actually suppress the immune
system, thereby having effects on both mental and physical well-being.

The unconscious mind does not acknowledge negative thoughts. Thoughts such as "I can't" are
interpreted as "I will". Thinking in a positive context allows unconscious and conscious minds to
work together.
Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 9.6 - Healthy Pleasures - this exercise asks you to find 25 things that bring you joy and
pleasure. These things can be as simple as a seeing a beautiful sunset or watching the ocean waves.
We often get so caught up in the hurried rush of everyday life that we forget to stop and take notice
of the beauty of the world around us.

Exercise 9.3 - Positive Affirmation Statements - this exercise works with the power of positive
affirmation statements. In this exercise, you create your own positive affirmations, connect them
with a symbol to increase effectiveness, and then use them. I think this is a great exercise.
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6
Unit
Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,
Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Information to Remember:

Diaphragmatic breathing is the most basic relaxation technique. It involves breathing from the lower
stomach or the diaphragm instead of the thoracic area. When pressure from the expansion of the
chest wall is taken off the thoracic area, sympathetic drive decreases, parasympathetic drive increases.
The result is the relaxation response.

Meditation is not a religion. It is a solitary practice, focused on the internal, not external influences.
There are two different types - exclusive (restrictive) and inclusive (opening up). Exclusive involves
focusing on one object, such as mandala, candle, etc. Inclusive allows all thoughts in without
emotional analysis or judgment.

Mental imagery and visualization are similar, but not the same. Mental imagery involves using the
imagination to observe images created by our unconscious mind. Visualization is a directed exercise,
involving consciously creating images. These techniques are used for relaxation, healing, and chronic
pain.
Resources: Exercises:

Exercise 17.3 - The Healing Power of Prayer - This exercise is about prayer and how you can
strengthen your prayer life. I chose this exercise because it is an outline for things to do before and
during your prayer that can help you become a better prayer warrior.

Exercise 19.4 - Celestial Heavens Meditation - I chose this exercise because I would like to learn and
practice more about meditation. The guided script helps you visualize the scene and where you need
to go and what to focus on. I think this is easy and hard at the same time. It's an easy and
pleasurable meditation, you just have to work on keeping your focus on the meditation and not let
other things in.
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Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 18.1 - Dolphin Breath Meditation -I chose this exercise because it deals with practicing
diaphragmatic breathing. I had never heard of this prior to this course and was surprised to learn
how effective it really is for relaxation. The meditation in this exercise is fairly easy to visualize and I
plan to use it to practice this breathing technique.

Exercise 21.1 - I have a vision: The Art of Visualization - I do not consider myself to be very good at
visualizing something. The picture in my mind is always a little vague or like looking through a
cloudy glass. I chose this exercise because it asks you to visualize five mini-vacations and also to
listen to the guided meditations on the CD. Afterwards, you write down your thoughts and
experience. I believe this exercise can only help to bring my visualizations into a sharper focus.
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7
Unit
Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress
Information to Remember:

Water is the most important nutrient. Water is essential to the function of every part of your body.
Drink enough water to keep fully hydrated, your goal is to have clear urine. Not drinking enough
water and becoming dehydrated will lead to feeling chronically fatigued.

Chronic stress and the stress response can lead to vitamin and mineral depletion. Minerals affected
by stress are magnesium, chromium, copper, iron, and zinc. Vitamins affected by stress are A, C, E,
and B-complex. These vitamins and minerals help fight free radicals, which are highly reactive
oxygen particles that damage and destroy cell membranes and DNA.

Caffeine contains a chemical called methylated xanthine. This chemical has amphetamine-like
qualities which cause arousal of the sympathetic nervous system. This arousal leads to a heightened
sense of alertness which can make a person more susceptible to perceived stress.
Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 28.7 - The Rainbow Diet - When I saw this exercise, I was really excited to learn more about
the chakras and that different foods and their healing properties can be associated with each one. I
had never heard of this before so this is very fascinating to me. I do plan to do some more personal
research on this and this exercise is a great template for keeping a list of foods and what chakra they
correspond with.

Exercise 28.3 - Self-Assessment: Nutritional Eating Habits - I chose this exercise because it asks you
to identify your eating habits, frequency of taking in caffeine, salt, fat, and also what emotions trigger
overeating. If you are honest with yourself, you can use this exercise to spot some of your unhealthy
eating patterns and begin to change that pattern. I think we all fall into unhealthy eating patterns at
times, so I think this exercise can be used over and over.
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8
Unit
Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity
Information to Remember:

Stress activates the fight-or-flight response and the body's natural inclination is to move or be active.
To remain inactive under stress will put your body under a tremendous amount of stress. The
amount of pressure on the body is similar to flooring the gas pedal of a car while it is still in park.
The human body was designed to be active.

There are two types of exercise - anaerobic (without oxygen) and aerobic (with oxygen). Anaerobic is
of short duration, like sprints or weight lifting. It is the fight part of the fight-or-flight response.
Aerobic exercise is prolonged duration, moderate intensity, such as swimming, running, aerobic
dance. Aerobic is the flight of the fight-or-flight response. Aerobic exercise is especially helpful in
dealing with anxiety, fear, and anger.

Physical exercise is essential to flush out stress hormones from the body. Exercise redirects the stress
hormones toward their intended functions so the parasympathetic relaxation response can occur.
Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 28.1 - Physical Exercise - This exercise asks you to write down your current exercise
schedule, activities that you enjoy, and also what your priorities are. If your exercise plan is lacking or
non-existent, you can use this exercise to create an exercise plan for yourself. I think this would be a
great exercise for me because I always feel like I don't have time or other things need to be done first
before taking time to exercise. I could use this exercise as a contract with myself to make exercise a
higher priority.

Exercise 28.4 - My Circadian Rhythms - This exercise has you to list the times of day that you do
certain things like waking up, going to sleep, eating meals, having bowel movements, etc. Having a
regular schedule helps your body stay healthier and you feel more energized. When we did this
exercise for class, my times for different activities were all over the place. I realized that I don't have a
regular schedule for almost anything. This exercise can help you begin to establish routine times for
some things in your life.
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9
Unit
Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Issues for
Management and Prevention to your
Professional Life
Information to Remember:

Information-Seeking is a coping technique that entails searching for detailed information or increased
awareness about a stressor. This can become either a positive or negative form of coping. Not all
information gained is reliable, so be careful of your sources.

Social support - having a social support network of family and friends may act to buffer the effects of
stress. Research also shows that feelings of connectedness, bonding, and belonging have a positive
impact on physical health.

Prayer is a coping technique founded on faith, which is the belief that we are connected to a higher,
or divine being. Author Sophie Burnham states that our prayer must be in present tense and must
be phrased in a positive context, as the universe does not acknowledge the negative.
Tools: Journal Writing:

Exercise 28.13 - Mandala for Personal Health: Your Holistic Stress Management Strategy- This
exercise has a diagram for a mandala divided into four sections- mind, body, spirit, and emotions. In
each section, you list the things you currently do or would like to do for that particular area. Once
you have completed it, you can put it somewhere that you can see it every day and begin to work on
finding balance & harmony in your own personal life. I think this exercise requires some thought
and introspection, but would be so worthwhile.

Exercise 8.3 - The Three Pillars of Human Spirituality - This exercise involves identifying your core
values, your relationships with others, and your purposeful meaning in life. I found this exercise
interesting because it states that life usually has more than one purpose in life, it is a series of multiple
purposes. Also, your relationships with others and how you interact with them affects your
spirituality. This exercise would require some time and energy to be able to identify what your life
purpose is at a given time, but would be a great exercise to invest time in.
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Additional Information
Boyd, D. (1974). Rolling Thunder. Dell Publishing, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York,
10036 - This is an absolutely awesome book. It is the true story of one man's life experience
of time spent with a Native American medicine man. The author was seeking to learn how the
mind can be used to heal the body. This book not only speaks about spirituality, but also of our
connectedness to the universe and all that is in it.
Fosarelli, P. (2002). Fearfully, wonderfully made: the interconnectedness of body-mind-spirit,
Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 41, No. 3, Fall 2002. This article discusses the bodymind-spirit connection and how Christians tend to misunderstand it because they consider it to
be New Age. The author states that Jesus Christ spoke many times about the
interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit. This article describes a course that the author
developed for use in a Christian setting to teach how to apply the principles of body-mind-spirit
health in our lives today. I haven't been able to read this entire article yet, but have saved it
because I believe the author has some interesting points to make.
Beliefnet, http://www.beliefnet.com - I love this website because it has relevant information
about all kinds of religions and spirituality, inspiration, health and wellness, and relationships.
There are lots of articles about forgiveness, prayer, and applying spiritual practices to everyday
life. If you want to learn about other religions or just want something uplifting, this is the place
to go.
The American Institute of Stress, http://www.stress.org/ - this website offers a wealth of
information about stress, what it is, how it affects your health, workplace stress management,
and how stress is now America's #1 health problem. There are powerpoint presentations, video
lectures, and music for meditations. I have not looked at any of the presentations yet as they
are a bit long (90 minutes), but will certainly be checking out this website often.
Evans, Dr. Mike (June 9, 2012). The Single Most Important Thing You Can do for Your Stress,
Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6402QJp52M - This video on
youtube.com is a great presentation on how you can change your stress by changing your
thinking. Our thoughts and attitudes are key to how stress affects us. We have the power of
choice of how we perceive our stress. Dr Evans discusses mindfulness, letting go of distractions,
and our levels of commitment, control, and openness to change as inner resources that have a
great impact on how we handle our stress. Great video!
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