NAME:

SURVEYS

Brian Feeney

STRESS PROJECT SCORE SHEET FOR

1. Self-Assessment Exercise One. Look at the following events and place the
numbers that correspond to all those events that have happened to you below
and then total your score.
53,44,39,31,29,28,26,25,20,20
total score = 315
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISES 2-8 ANSWER BELOW
FRUSTRATION
OVERLOAD
DEPRIVATION
NUTRITION
PERCEPTION
TYPE A
ANXIOUS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?1

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?3

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?4

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?5

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?7

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

?8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?9

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?10

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TOTAL
SCORES
29

25

24

27

12

18

23

Translation of Stress Survey Scores and What They Mean

Directions: Shade in or check off the category where your scores fell for each
exercise. Submit the two score sheet pages and your typed answers to the 9 stress
questions. Dont forget to document (APA style) the last question and include your
references. Save a copy for your files too.
Adaptation Exercise:
100 200 = low vulnerability to stress
201 269= moderate vulnerability to stress
270 400 = high vulnerability to stress
Frustration Exercise:
10 - 20 = low vulnerability to stress
21 26 = moderate vulnerability to stress
27 40 = high vulnerability to stress
Overload:
10 - 20 = low vulnerability to stress
21 26 = moderate vulnerability to stress
27 40 = high vulnerability to stress
Deprivation:
10 - 20 = low vulnerability to stress
21 26 = moderate vulnerability to stress
27 40 = high vulnerability to stress
Nutrition:
10 - 20 = low vulnerability to stress
21 26 = moderate vulnerability to stress
27 40 = high vulnerability to stress

Self Perception:
10 - 20 = low vulnerability to stress
21 26 = moderate vulnerability to stress
27 40 = high vulnerability to stress
Type A Behavior
10 - 20 = low vulnerability to stress
21 26 = moderate vulnerability to stress
27 40 = high vulnerability to stress
Anxious Reactivity
10 - 20 = low vulnerability to stress
21 26 = moderate vulnerability to stress
27 40 = high vulnerability to stress

STRESS MANAGEMENT PAPER CHECK LIST- Complete and submit this with
your project!

YES
NO
1.Was the project submitted in the following order as ONE doc. or docx document?
the 2 score sheets, the completed checklist, the cover page, the 9 questions and
the separate reference page?
No= - 10 pts.
2. Does the cover page have your name, section, and date of submission?
No = - 5 pts. YES
3. Did you set the font size to 11 and the print style set at Calibri or Times New
Roman?
No = - 5 pts. YES
4. Is there a separate reference page at the end of the paper in APA format?
No = - 25 pts. if not submitted and -10 pts. if not in APA format.
YES
5. Is each section single spaced and is there a double space in between sections?
DO NOT TYPE the question and then the answer! No = - 5 pts.
YES
6. Are the questions answered in paragraph form in complete sentences?
DO NOT TYPE the question and then the answer! No = - 15 pts. YES
7. Did you perform a spelling and grammar check before submitting?
No = - 3 pts. for each error. YES
8. Did you use the course text book as a reference? DONT USE IT! Yes = -10pts.
NO

9.Did you use a minimum of 1 reference from a book or journal (dated after 2008)
and 1 from a website to answer question #9 ?
No = - 10 pts. YES
10. Did you quote your sources in the body of the paper in the APA style stated in
this
project? No = - 5 for each error. YES
11.Were your answers thorough and concise? (It should take more than 1-2
sentences
to answer the questions). No = - 5 pts. for each. YES
12. Did you remember to complete the checklist and submit it with your project?
No = - 10 pts. YES
13. Did question #9 take at least - 1 page to answer? No = -10 pts YES
PLAGIARISM, USING ANOTHER STUDENTS PAPER/INFORMATION OR LATE
SUBMISSION OF THIS PROJECT EQUALS FAILURE OF THIS PAPER.

Stress Management Project

Brian Feeney
Community College of Baltimore County
HLTH101- WD2
Professor Karen Renaud
June 19th, 2016

Out of all eight assessments I received the highest score on the anxiety
stress survey. Based on my responses, I received a total of twenty-nine points; as a
result, I have a high vulnerability to stress for anxious reactivity. Receiving the
highest score on the anxiety test does not surprise me and makes sense based on
how I react when anxious. The results from the anxiety survey are not the only
results to state that I have a high vulnerability to stress.

According to the surveys, I am very vulnerable to stress. Based on my

responses from the adaption exercise, deprivation exercise, and anxious reactivity
exercise, I have a high vulnerability to stress. Additionally, based on my responses
from the frustration exercises, overload exercise, and Type A behavior exercise I am
moderately vulnerable to stress. My scores on the nutrition exercise and selfperception exercise resulted in an outcome of low vulnerability to stress. As a whole,
my results state that I am highly vulnerable to stress and may experience stress
from multiple aspects of my life.

The two most significant stress factors in my life are my personal health and
workload. I suffer from migraine headaches that have been occurring very
frequently as of late. One trigger of my migraines is stress; therefore, if I am
stressed my migraines occur more frequently and I become more stressed- this
causes a painful and stressful situation. Another major stress factor in my life is my
workload. I am currently working full time while enrolled in two summer classes.
Between work and school I have little to no free time and I am constantly
exhausted. I often have to stay up late in order to finish an assignment, which
causes me to receive much less sleep. Consequently, when I do not receive enough
sleep, I get more migraines. I am essentially caught in a cycle of stress, work, and
migraines.

In order to make my stressors less stressful, I took some time off of work. By
taking time off of work, I significantly lessened my workload while in school. By
lessening my workload, I will have more time to complete my school assignments
and I will also have more time to sleep. With an increase in sleep, I will feel more
rested and experience less migraines caused by stress and a lack of sleep. Overall, I
will have more time to complete things and will feel less stressed due to a lower
amount of pressure and less migraines.

When under stress, not being able to sleep the amount I would like is
extremely dissatisfying. Because of certain health issues, I need a fair amount of

sleep and rest. I usually experience lethargy, moodiness, and irritability when I am
not able to sleep as much as I need. Not getting enough sleep also causes me to
experience increased migraines. When I am not able to sleep enough, I feel awful,
both mentally and physically, and it makes being stressed even that more stressful.

Stress has negatively affected my health by increasing the frequency of my

migraine headaches and by causing increased acne. Being stressed directly
increases the frequency of my migraines and does so indirectly too; being stressed
causes me to sleep less, which then causes me to have even more migraines. In
addition to increased migraines, stress causes my acne to flare up. The type of acne
I get is painful and extremely frustrating; acne also stresses me out- resulting in
even more migraines and acne.

This project has been very insightful and has allowed me to realize what
specific elements of my life are causing me stress. This project has also allowed me
to examine the amount of work I give myself and how it sometimes is a negative
stressor. With this new insight, I will now carefully examine what will be asked of me
before I take on more work and whether or not I can realistically handle it without
too much stress. I often push myself because I like to achieve my goals, but when I
have the opportunity to step back and not stress so much, I should and need to.

Two rewards that will occur as a result of a reduction of my stress are

increased leisure time and increased time to sleep. By having more leisure time, I
will be able to relax and reduce my stress even more. I am going to the beach soon
and the thought of just being able to relax has be feeling focused and determined to
make it to that day. Along with increased leisure time, a reduction in stress will
hopefully allow me to sleep more. By increasing my sleep, I will experience less
migraines and less stress as a result.

Two healthy ways I can deal with stress are by exercising more and by
seeking support from an external source. According to the APA or American
Psychological Association (2016), exercise benefits the body and mind of an
individual. The APA also states that both short and long-term exercise produce
stress-relieving benefits. I really enjoy swimming and I have constant access to a
pool; taking a short swim would be a great way to reduce stress by exercising.
According to Anderson and Shivakumar (2013), exercise has been shown to increase
self-esteem, decrease rates of cognitive decline, and decrease anxiety. When an
individual exercises, the brain releases multiple chemicals that alter mood, stress,

and levels of anxiety. If I were to go swimming, the chemicals released in my body

would decrease my stress and anxiety levels. According to Anderson and
Shivakumar (2013), brain-derived neurotropic factor or BDNF is a chemical in the
brain that is reduced when an individual is stressed or anxious; however, after
physical activity, the levels of BDNF in the brain are increased and as a result
increase the effectiveness of serotonin. Since most anxiety is caused by a decrease
in serotonin, having more readily available will increase mood and decrease anxiety
and stress. Constantly exercising increases the neurotransmitters that help reduce
anxiety and stress, so if I were to go swimming frequently or go on a walk, I should
feel less stressed and anxious. In addition to the release of neurotransmitters, such
as serotonin, according to Anderson and Shivakumar (2013), excersise releases
beta-endorphins. As explained by Anderson and Shivakumar (2013), when these
beta-endorphins bind to their receptor sites, a feeling of euphoria and reduced pain
often occurs- the endorphins function similar to the way an opioid pain medication
does, but they pose no adverse health risks. If exercising can result in a euphoric
state, I would feel calm and relaxed. I would not be anxious about the negative
stressors in my life and I would be able to refocus and move forward. Based on the
research from the two articles, I think exercising is a great way to reduce stress as
well as experience multiple health benefits. Another great thing about exercise is
the fact that is beneficial to both the mind and body. It is also good to know that a
short amount of exercise is still beneficial since sometimes people, myself included,
do not have a lot of spare time to do some form of physical activity. Since any
amount of exercise is beneficial, I will not have to stress about how much time my
exercising is taking and I will be able to focus on the actual exercise itself along with
relaxing and reducing my stress. I am looking forward to all the health benefits of
more exercise and cannot wait to experience a decrease in my stress level because
of it.

References

American Psychological Association. (2016). Five tips to help manage stress.

Retrieved June 18, 2016, from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/managestress.aspx

Anderson, E., & Shivakumar, G. (2013, April 23). Effects of Exercise and Physical
Activity on Anxiety. Retrieved June 18, 2016, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632802/#!po=1.08696