HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and

Prevention

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Stress Management and
Prevention Program
Resource Guide

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Stress Management and Prevention
Program Resource Guide

By

Stephanie Johnson

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

April 2, 2019
 Table of Contents
UNIT 1 THE NATU RE OF STRESS

Information to Remember................................................................................................PG. 8
Assignment....................................................................................................................PG. 21
Journal...................................................................................................................PG. 11 &12

UNIT 2 THE PHYSI OL O GY OF STRESS

Information to Remember.....................................................................................PG. 45 & 56

Assignment....................................................................................................................PG. 56
Journal......................................................................................................................PG. 33-35

UNIT 3 PSYCHOL OGY OF STRESS

Information to Remember.................................................................................PG. 100 & 111

Assignment..................................................................................................................PG. 120
Journal..................................................................................................................PG. 45 & 46

UNIT 4 PERSONAL I TY TRAITS AND THE HUM AN SPIRIT UAL IT Y

Information to Remember...........................................................PG. 152 & 155 & 170 &172

Assignment..................................................................................................................PG. 161
Journal......................................................................................................................PG. 74-77

UNIT 5 DEAL ING WITH STRESS: COPING STRATEGIE S

Information to Remember.................................................................................PG. 210 & 211

Journal......................................................................................................................PG. 58-60

UNIT 6 REL AXATIO N TECHI QUE S 1 : BREATH IN G, M EDITATIO N, AND MENTAL

IM AGERY

Information to Remember.................................................................................PG. 362 & 364

Assignment..................................................................................................................PG. 365
Journal..................................................................................................................PG. 151-153

UNIT 7 NUTRITI ON AND STRESS

Information to Remember.................................................................................PG. 516 & 522

Journal....................................................................................................................PG. 91-107
UNIT 8 PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND ACTIVITY

Information to Remember.................................................................................PG. 504 & 514

Assignment..................................................................................................................PG. 393
Journal..................................................................................................................PG. 161-163

UNIT 9 APPL YING STRESS: CRITICAL ISSUES F OR M ANAGEM EN T AND

PREVEN TIO N TO YOUR PROF ESSIO NAL L IF E

Information to Remember.................................................................................PG. 543 & 544

ADDITI ON AL INF ORM AT IO N

REF EREN CES

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Unit

Unit 1: The Nature of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about The Nature of Stress-One of the key learning points from this
unit was learning about the different types of stress, there are three different types of stress first one
is: Eustress this stress is considered to be the good stress this gives a since of accomplishment like
getting an A on an assignment. The second stress is: Neustress this stress is neither good or bad this
kind of stress are just things you can’t really control. The third stress is: Distress this stress is usually
the bad type of stress. This stress is what makes us ill because this stress can linger with us on a daily
basis. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about. The Nature of Stress- We need to learn to manage our stress by
eating the right types of food, getting enough sleep, exercising. A good way to manage our stress
levels is by meditating taking deep breaths and by doing these simple things we can have less stress
in the long run. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about The Nature of Stress- Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder this stress
disorder is when someone has experience a horrific event in their life-time or they have experience a
sudden death in the family. This could do with people who have been in the war and have seen
unimageable things. (Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
Unit 1 Assignment: Wellness Paradigm: This exercise reflected on why it’s so important to balance my
wellness and control my stress levels. I used the components of the Wellness Paradigm which are mental,
spiritual, and physical and my emotional wellbeing. I learned from this assignment that I need to have
balance in all 4 areas in order for me to live a long and healthy life. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal: How Stressed Are You?

(Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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Unit

Situation Start Midway End

In the process of looking for a new job 5 5 5
Making dinner for my husband when it’s my night to cook 4 4 4
Going to the grocery store after I get off work 5 3 3
Being physically active at least 4 times a week 5 3 2
Trying to keep up with both classes when it comes to 6 6 6
assignments that are due for both classes.
Making sure I’m financially able to pay for school 8 7 7
Deciding to start a family 4 4 4
Decluttering items in my house 4 4 4
Not being able to sleep because my brain is always thinking 6 5 4
Spending time with my sister 4 3 2

Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about The Physiology of Stress- One of the key learning points from
this unit was learning about the three different levels of the human brain. The first one is the
Vegetative level which is in the “Vegetative it’s the lowest level of the brain it consists of the reticular
formation and the brain stem.” (Seaward, 2015). This what connect the brain to the spinal cord. The
second one is the “Limbic System is the emotional control center” (Seaward, 2015). Limbic System
consists of the hypothalamus this is what controls the pain and pleasure. The third one is the
Neocortical Level is what allows us to analysis, imagination and creativity. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about The Physiology of Stress- When it comes to insomnia it has to
stress has a lot to do with it. That’s why it’s important when we get ready for bed that we don’t have
anything that has caffeine in it, we go to bed at a consistent time each night and do relaxation
techniques to help us calm our minds. (Seaward, 2015).

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 Key Learning Point from the unit about The Physiology of Stress- Allostatic Load is when the body is
consistently dealing with stress on a daily basis, it can cause a lot of physical pain to the body.
(Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
Unit 2 Assignment: Our Physical Symptoms and Our overall picture of health. This exercise reflected what
type of diseases can do to the nervous system when it affected by stress and it can do to our immune
system when it’s affected by stress. I’ve learned it’s so important that we deal with our stress in a healthy
way because if we don’t then we will have a lot of healthy issues that will have long term effects.
(Seaward, 2015).

Journal: How is stress or anxiety affecting your life?

Unit Two Journal Writing Assignment

Stephanie Ford

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

When it comes to stress or anxiety affecting my life I would have to say that stress is

what affect me when it comes to people. How is stress about people are affecting my life is I’m

the type of person who cares a lot about people. And I wear my heart on my sleeve. So, when

one of my friends is having a difficult time in their lives in some ways I kind of take on that

stress upon myself even though it’s not really me who is dealing with the problem. How is

anxiety about work affecting my life. I really can relate to this especially my current job that I’m

working at. I get anxiety all the time at work because my one on one’s with my supervisor have

not been very productive it’s more of criticism the feedback. And I’m always worried that I’m not

doing my job fast enough. So, every day I come to work having anxiety and it’s not a very good

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feeling. Pressure at work can really make a person have anxiety. How is stress about the world

affecting your life? I think how stress is affecting my life is I’m just trying to figure what career I

want to go into. I’m getting my bachelor’s degree in Health & Wellness and I’m just worried that

after I graduate that I won’t be able to find a job. I sometime stress about what’s to become of

our environment because it’s not looking to good out there. Our landfilled are over flowing with

trash and it just worries me what our future generation will have to deal with. How is stress

about food and eating habits affecting my life? Well I would have to say not having enough

money to buy healthy groceries puts a lot of stress on me. For the most part I eat pretty

healthy, but I feel like groceries especially fruit and vegetables are getting more expensive every

time I go shopping. And that stresses me out because I’m wanting to lose weight but it’s hard

when the healthy food is so expensive. How is anxiety about sleep and sleeplessness affecting

your life I think how it’s affecting my life is that sometimes I have a hard time sleeping because

my brain is always thinking all the time. It’s like I can’t shut it off. And that give me anxiety

because then I worry if I can’t fall asleep then I eventually will fall asleep, but I won’t hear my

alarm go off and then I will be late for work and that gives me anxiety. How is stress about

exercise or lack of physical activity affecting my life? I think the way it’s giving me stress is that

I will sometime beat myself up for not working out as much as I should. It’s not just for wanting

to lose weight and looking good it’s for my health because it’s so important as you get older to

work out. I know when I do I work out I feel so much better and that makes me feel less

stressed out. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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 3
Unit

Unit 3: Psychology of Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about Psychology of Stress- One of the key learning points from this
unit was learning about Freud’s theory about the defense mechanism which the first one is denial
which that is when someone is in denial of something whether that be having a gambling problem, to
a drinking problem, another one is humor according to Freud humor is what releases sexual tension.
(Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Psychology of Stress- I learned about the perceptive of the mind
and stress I learned that we need to detach our mind from our desire’s in life and we want to have our
mind to be in higher state of mind and healing within ourselves and find inner peace this is where we
can find happiness. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Psychology of Stress- I learned from Wayne Dyer when it comes
to us worrying about the future that we need to really distinguish between worrying about the future
and planning for the future. I think that’s important because the 2 are very different when it comes to
worry about things like that. (Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
Unit 3 Assignment: Self-Awareness of self-prone and stress-resistant personalities and identifying obstacles
or roadblocks on the path to human spirituality. This exercise reflected on the different cultures of how
they perceive mind and stress and what techniques they use to deal with stress and how we should cope
and mange our fears. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal: Five-minute mindful breathing and bringing the eight

attitudes of mindfulness in our lives.

Unit Three Journal Writing Assignment

Stephanie Ford

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 Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

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Unit Three Journal Writing Assignment

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

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.

Take some time to write about whatever you came up for you mentally, emotionally, and

physically when doing this practice for the first time.

Start paragraph

Summary

When going through the Five-Minute Mindful Breathing and Bringing Eight Attitudes of

Mindfulness into My Life. The things that were going through my mind was a big decision that I

had to make the past 3 weeks. And that was deciding to quiet my job. It was a very hostile

environment I was working in. This job that I’m currently at would mentally drain me to the

point to where all I wanted to do when I got home was sleep. At this job there was only criticism

there was never any positive feedback about the good job I was doing. So, I made the decision

to give my job 3-week notice. My last day is this coming Monday. It’s scary because I don’t have

a job lined up as of right now, so a lot is going through my mind, but it wasn’t an easy choice for

me to make but I know I will better off in the long run. So, when it comes to emotional it must

be my job that came to play with all the days I would come home and cry. It has been an

emotional roller coaster. When it comes to physically I feel from being at the job I’m currently at

that my body feel very weak. This job has drained me physically my body feels very weak. I

sometimes feel like I get sick a lot more because of the stress and anxiety that my job gives me.

This exercise has really helped me to connect with my feeling. I feel by doing this exercise that

it’s helped me to just let it all out mentally, emotionally, physically. It has also taught me to just

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Unit

let go of all my negativity. Because I feel once I do that then I can be more relaxed less stressed

and let go of the past and be present in the moment. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Unit 4: Personality Traits and the Human

Spirituality
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about Personality Traits and the Human Spirituality- One of the key
learning points from this unit was I learned about different personality traits. One was the
codependent personality where these people with this personality was self-validation. The other
personality trait is the helpless-hopeless personality people with this trait have given up on life they
instead of accomplishing things they repeat their failures. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Personality Traits and the Human Spirituality- I learned about
spiritual hunger how we as human don’t really get spiritually feed we are looking for a higher power
that we might not understand but want to be a part of something bigger in our lifetime trying to find
the bigger picture. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Personality Traits and the Huma Spirituality- I learned there is a
difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is certain rules a person follows. Spirituality is a
spiritual experience they might feel they are looking for a path or experience get in touch with their
spirituality. (Seaward, 2015).

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Assignment:
Unit 4 Assignment: Self-awareness of behaviors and values to use in managing stress on an individual
basis. This exercise reflected on how important is to have a good self-esteem and feel like you have self-
worth. I know that I learned that I want to have a good self-esteem about myself. I think if you have a good
self-esteem and have positive outlook on life I feel like people will recognize that and I feel that I can be
example to my family and friends. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal: Identifying Emotions in the Body.

Your Stephanie Ford

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

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Unit Four Journal Writing Assignment

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.

FEAR: apprehension, anxiety, distress, edginess, jumpiness, nervousness, panic, tenseness,

uneasiness, worry, fright, feeling overwhelmed.

Start paragraph

CONFUSION: bewildered, uncertain, puzzled, mystified, perplexed, chaotic, foggy, or unaware.

Start paragraph

ANGER: aggravation, agitation, annoyance, destructiveness, disgust, envy, frustration, irritation,

grouchiness, grumpiness, rage.

Start paragraph

SADNESS: alienation, anguish, despair, disappointment, gloom, grief, hopelessness, insecurity,

loneliness, misery, unhappiness, rejection.

Start paragraph

SHAME: guilt, embarrassment, humiliation, invalidation, regret, remorse, mortification.

Start paragraph

LOVE: affection, arousal, attraction, caring, compassion, desire, fondness, infatuation, kindness,

liking, longing, warmth, sympathy, sentimentality.

Start paragraph

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JOY: amusement, bliss, contentment, eagerness, elation, enjoyment, enthusiasm, excitement,

exhilaration, hope, optimism, pleasure, satisfaction.

Start paragraph

Summary

When it comes to fear the words that come to mind for me would be anxiety, worry and

feeling overwhelmed. When it comes to these emotions what manifest first is a headache then it

gets bad and turns into a migraine. My shoulders start tensing up and I have a hard time

focusing. Some of images and thoughts that are going through my mind is that I have dreams of

being at my dream job and then failing at it miserably. I worry about after I get my degree that

I won’t be able to find a job because I don’t have experience in the field I’m going into. I

sometime will get anxiety when I know I have a paper come up and I sometime wait till the last

minute to do it.

When it comes to confusion the words that come to mind for me would be uncertain,

puzzled. When it comes to these emotions they can sometimes make me feel physically sick. The

images and thoughts that go through my mind when it comes to these emotions is where I was

working at all the pressure that was put on me to meet a certain number. I get nightmare of my

supervisor just watching my every move waiting for me to screw up a lot confusion came into

play at the job. I never felt there was enough training to really get good at the job.

When it comes to anger the words that come to mind for me would be annoyance,

frustration, envy. When it comes to these emotions they can make my body feel really weak I

sometime toss and turn because I can’t sleep very well. I just get frustrated when I plan life out

and then life gives you a curve ball and doesn’t go the way you plan it. I know you can’t plan life

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out, but I tend to do that. I sometimes will get envies of my friend because they have their

career and that’s what I want is to know exactly what I want to do the rest of lives.

When it comes to sadness the words that come to mind for me would be disappointment,

hopelessness, rejection. When it comes to these emotions they can make me feel like all I want

to do is lay in bed all day and just forget about everything around me. I feel like my emotions

sometimes will get the best of me. All I want to do when I’m feeling this way is just cry. I just

want to hide way from the world. I just really feel hopelessness when it comes to my emotions

inside I just feel empty inside.

When it comes to shame the words that come to mind for me would be embarrassment,

invalidation, guilt. When it comes to these emotions this would be how my job made me feel.

Just really invalidated when it came to my work performance. I tend to not want to look the

person in the eye especially when I’m getting negative feedback. I want to speak my mind, but I

never do. I felt guilt when I decided to leave my job. Like I just gave up and felt I failed myself

for not staying there. But this situation was out of my hands. I also felt guilt giving them my 2-

week notice. I felt embarrassment for not staying very long at the company.

When it comes to love the words that come to mind for me would be affection, caring,

compassion, kindness, attraction. When it comes to these emotions you can tell by my body

language for the people I care about I’m a very touchy-feely kind of person who love to give

hugs and loves getting hugged back. I often have dreams of me holding a baby in my arms and

caring for it. When I feel these emotions, I feel really good inside. I feel like I’m being loved, and

I feel that I am wanted and that’s a great feeling. You can also tell that I’m a compassionate

person because you will see this big smile on my face all the time. I feel like I have this glow

about me that people can see.

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 5
Unit

When it comes to joy the words that come to mind for me would be enjoyment,

enthusiasm, excitement, hope, optimism, contentment. When it comes to these emotions. My

body feel strong, I don’t feel weak. I feel like I can conquer the world. When I do have dreams,

they are happy dreams. I dream about having my career starting a family with my husband.

Going on vacation together. It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy I get excited when I have a

cup of coffee with my favorite creamer. I’m always hopeful for things to get better in life. You

can tell by my body language when I’m excited because I like to laugh, and dance around and

just be my crazy self. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Unit 5: Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies- One of the key learning
points from this unit I learned there are different types of coping strategies. The first is coping
responses these people cope with stress with using positive skills. The second one is palliative coping
these people will respond to stress, but they won’t react. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies- I’ve learned that there
are different coping strategies that I was not aware about. I’ve learned from this unit that my coping
strategies when it comes to stress is the palliative coping I acknowledge that I’m in a stressful
situation, but I do not react to the stressful situation. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Dealing with Stress: Coping Strategies- I’ve learned there are
four successful coping strategies increase awareness you aware of the problem you have a clear mind

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 about it. Information processing confronting the problem in a peaceful manner. Modified behaviors
which is changing your behavior of the problem. Peaceful resolution is coming to the conclusion that
you want a satisfying resolution to the problem. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal: Walking Meditation.

Stephanie Ford

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

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Unit Five Journal Writing Assignment

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.

Take some time to write about whatever came up for you mentally, emotionally and physically

when doing this practice for the first time.

Summary

The one I decided to write about for my Unit 5 Journal was Walking Meditation. The place

where I decide to do my walking meditation was a place down town where I live where I like to

walk. It’s a very peaceful place and it’s a great place where you can collect your thoughts. At

first when I was starting to the do the walking meditation I was having a hard time just letting

my mind relax and just concentrating in general. I finally had to tell myself to take a deep breath

and just relax. After I did that I felt like I could just relax. As I was walking I felt the wind in my

face and the sun on my face. It felt warm and comforting. Some the things that were crossing

my when doing the meditation walk was really looking at the beauty around me. I guess I feel

like we really don’t look at all the beauty that surrounds us. I guess what I’m trying to say is we

are so busy in our live that we really never stop to smell the roses. I was also thinking about

how my anxiety and pressure I’ve been under since deciding to quit my job. When it comes to

feeling pressured it’s not really people pressuring me to get another job it’s more pressure on

myself to find a job that I’m going to enjoy. I think it’s just the process in general trying to find a

job that discourages me. I’ve applied for so many jobs so far and I either don’t hear from them

or I get an email saying that they have decided to go with someone else with a little more

experience. That can be very frustrating at times Its kind of feel like I’m not good enough. Which

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I know I am good enough but it’s hard to get rejected at time. While doing this walking

meditation I became really emotional. I just started crying while I was walking. I think the

reason why I became so emotional is because I sometimes tend to bottle my feelings and not

really share with anyone what I’m going through. I’ve been getting better though, and I give

thanks to my husband for that. Because he is a very open person and he has got me to open

more especially to him. This walking meditation has made me realize that everything happens

for a reason. We don’t really know what that reason may be right now. I believe later on we find

out the reason it may just take a little while. I think physically what I was feeling when doing the

walking meditation was stressed. I felt like with the decision to quit my job that I was currently

at made me so stressed out that my shoulders were really tense my whole body felt tense and I

really hate that feeling when I’m that tense, it just shows me the amount of stress I’ve put on

my body and that’s not good for my body or my health. Doing the walking meditation really

helped me to just tell myself that everything is going to be ok. I’m not one person to be sad or

depressed or discouraged all the time, I’m for the most part a very happy person. I like to smile

all the time and laugh a lot, because I like laughing more then I like crying. I’ve realized that the

walking meditation was just what the doctor ordered. I realized that I can’t plan life sometime.

Sometime life just happens. I felt a sense of calm after the walking meditation was done. I’ve

come to the realization that when one door closes another window opens. I just know that I need

to be patient when it comes to finding another job I don’t know when it will come along but I

know it won’t be overnight. I need to appreciate what I do have which is a loving husband who

has supported me going back to school even though I’m in my early thirties. I have support from

my in-law that I absolutely adore. My loving family who loves and care about me so much, a roof

over my head and clothes on my back and food on the table. I guess what I’ve learned from all

of it is I need to be grateful for the things I have do have in life and not worry so much about

the things I can’t control. I feel like everything will work itself out in time I just need to be

patient. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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 6
Unit

Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,

Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about Relaxation Techniques- 1: Breathing, Meditation, and Mental
Imagery- One of the key learning points from this unit Is I’ve learned about three different breathing
relaxation technique that can help you with relax. The first one is Diaphragmatic breathing this type
of breathing comes from the lower stomach. The second one is Pranayama this type of breathing is a
type of yoga breathing this one helps to restore energy in the body. The third one is Belly breathing
this type of breathing is big deep breaths that come from the lower stomach. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Relaxation Techniques- 1: Breathing, Meditation, Mental
Imagery- I’ve learned that life can get stressful at time and I’ve learned breathing technique that I can
do when I do become stressed out. I can also share these breathing techniques with my coworkers,
family and friends. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Relaxation Techniques- 1 Breathing, Meditation, and Mental
Imagery- I’ve learned that westerners believe there is only 2 types of breathing which is inhaling and
exhaling. This is not the case when it comes to China they have 40 different types of breathing they
have breathing that is called “Bandha” which is a type of breathing for dealing with chronic pain.
(Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
Unit 6 Assignment: Develop self-awareness of coping strategies in managing stress on an individual basis.
This exercise reflected ways of breathing to help cope with stress I’ve learned that breathing as a lot of
benefits when it comes to helping with dealing with stress. I’ve practiced taking deep breathes and
imagining a quiet place I like to go to when I want to leave reality for a little while. These are tools that I
will use a throughout my life. (Seaward, 2015).

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Journal: Is your Body-Mind Happy?

Stephanie Johnson

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

For this journal we are exploring Is Your Body-Mind Happy? How often do I send myself unkind

messages? Well for me I feel like when it comes to be unkind to ourselves I’ve found myself saying unkind

words to myself a lot more often than I would like to admit. Sometimes when I’m feeling down I will call

myself stupid or I will tell myself why I’m I such a failure. Which aren’t very positive words to say to

yourself. I do believe if you start saying these things to yourself you will start to believe that you truly are

worthless. Your mind is very powerful. It’s just amazing to me how I can put myself down sometimes and

then when my friends or family talk bad about themselves don’t we always tell them why you would say

something like that about yourself. You need to start believing in yourself and start thinking positive. I

know I’ve done that. And I know for a fact that I would never tell my friend or a family member that they

are worthless I think saying these negative things about ourselves doesn’t make us feel good at all. I don’t

think that take away our stress I think it just makes us more stressed out. I definitely think for me it causes

more anxiety for me. I feel like it makes it worse. So, when I say these negative words to myself I get really

sick to my stomach and it sometimes will cause me to have a really bad migraine. I feel a lot more tired and

my body feels just really run down and I really don’t have the motivation to do anything. If feel if I stopped

saying negative things about myself I feel like I would be more content in my life. Little things that happen

in my life I wouldn’t have to make such a big deal of the situation because life just happens sometimes. I

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feel if everyone were to stop saying negative things about themselves I feel like people might not suffer

from anxiety or panics attacks because they are giving out positive vibes when it comes to building

themselves up instead of bringing themselves down. I feel people would have a lot more confident in their

selves. I think the world could be a better place. I really don’t have a lot of difficult people in my life, but I

can think of one person that comes to mind and that would have to be my sister. I love my little sister, but

she does come across as a negative person. She has a lot of health issues so when it comes to just hanging

out with her she is always talking about how many health problems she has. It’s nothing positive it’s just all

the things that she’s stressed about. And it makes it so hard to communicate with her because if you tell her

something she doesn’t want to hear she can get really offended. She is a very sensitive person. So, I do have

a lot of sympathy for her because she has been through a lot in her life. She has really good qualities about

her she is a very caring person, she is willing to give her shirt off her back for people. She is a great writer

and a very intelligent young woman. She is a very driven person. When she puts her mind to something she

does it. She has a lot of willpower and I really admire that about her. I wish I could sometime be as

motivated as she is. Because I tend to be just more laid back like my dad. But I feel even though I don’t

always see where my sister is coming from she is a get person inside out. I wouldn’t change her even

though sometimes she can be a drama queen. She’s my little sister and I love and care about her and so

thankful that I have her in my life. And I feel like as we get older we are getting better at communicating

with each other and that makes me happy. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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 7
Unit

Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about Nutrition and Stress- One of the key learning points from this
unit is I’ve learned that insomnia and nutrition go hand in hand. It’s not good to drink any caffeinated
drinks before going to bed. Research have found out that people who drink caffeine decreases the
amount of REM sleep. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Nutrition and Stress- I’ve learned that we want to eat healthy in
order to have a healthy immune system. I’ve learned that it’s important that we eat nutritionist food in
order. Because there is some food that we eat that can trigger stress. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Nutrition and Stress- I’ve learned people who have a stressed
lifestyle are more likely to make poor eating habits which can cause a lot of nutrient deficiency in the
food they are not including in their diet. (Seaward, 2015).

Journal: Mindful Lying Yoga

Stephanie Johnson

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

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Unit Seven Journal Writing Assignment

Choose from either formal practice: Sitting Meditation or Mindful Lying Yoga. Directions are

found on either pages 87 through 89 or 91 through 107 of the Mindfulness workbook. Upon

completion of either practice, describe your formal practice and take a moment to reflect on

whatever came up for you mentally, emotionally, and physically and explain. This should be a

minimum of two full pages.

For my journal I decided I was going to write about was the Mindful Lying Yoga. I decided to do

the Mindful Lying Yoga because I’ve have down the Sitting Meditation and wanted to try something

different to see if I have felt differently mentally, emotionally and physically. When it came to do the

Mindful Lying Yoga, it felt really good especially because of all the stretches you get to do. Which felt

really good on my body because I’ve been working out and my whole body has been really sore. So, it was

a nice way to stretch out my sore muscles. For me mentally I would just have to say that I felt drained. I

have applied for over 81 jobs and I’ve only got a couple of interviews. So, it’s been very draining on my

body to say the least. This is because it can get very discouraging when you have applied for so many jobs

and you only get so many interviews. I felt very emotional doing the Mindful Lying Yoga it really brought

out all the negativity that I’ve been feeling lately. I guess you could say that my last job brought about a lot

of self-doubt. So, when I think about finding a new job I get a little bit of anxiety because that’s the first

thing that comes to mind is will I be good at the job will I be able to pick up on the training fast enough that

they will keep me, will they let me go because I’m not learning the job fast enough. It gets so exhausting

when it comes to thinking about all these things. Other things that comes to mind is just deciding what I

want to do when it comes to my career path. What I want to do the rest of my life. Besides feeling

emotional during the Mindful Lying Yoga there were some happy tears. I just really realized I’m not

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perfect and that’s ok. Just because one job didn’t work out for me doesn’t mean that I can’t get a new job

and be great it. This yoga really made me relax. Physically what Mindful Lying Yoga did for me was really

let me get rid of the negativity that I have been feeling. It just made me realize that I just need to let go of

things that I can’t control in my life. The Mindful Lying Yoga also made me feel more flexible as well. It

was also a great exercise to do before bed because I’ve had a very hard time falling asleep at a decent hour

each night and this exercise helped with just calming my body and helping my brain shut off which was

nice, because my brain is constantly thinking all the time. I know what I’ve learned from doing Mindful

Lying Yoga that is whenever I feel stressed out I know I can do this exercise whether it be first thing in the

morning when I wake up or when I’m having a bad day, or I just want to release some stress I know this

exercise will help me to relax. I also feel since doing this exercise I can also introduce this to my sister

because she needs some yoga in her life. She gets a lot of anxiety and I feel like this exercise would help

her with her anxiety and possibly not being so hard on herself. I believe that everyone should have a way of

dealing with the pressures of the world or deal with way of coping with stress and what better way to deal

with stress then to do some yoga poses to help release not only the negativity from the body but also the

negative thoughts that can creep into our minds. I also think what I’ve learned from Mindful Lying Yoga is

that you can pretty much practice these moves anywhere. I think just by doing the Mindful Lying Yoga

have learned quite a bit about myself just in short time of doing this exercise. It made me really reflect on

my life and just appreciate what I have and not worry about the things that I have no control of and just

think about the here and now. I think I do not worry about things I can’t control in life then I don’t think I

will be as stressed as I have been in the past. I believe that everything happens for a reason and if I have a

positive attitude like that then I feel that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I’m going to make sure

that I remember this exercise, so I can do it whenever I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and I

know this will help me to be more relaxed. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

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 8
Unit

Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity

Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about Physical Exercise and Activity- One of the key learning point
from this unit is there are different types of physical exercise some of the components are:
“Cardiovascular endurance which is the ability of heart, lungs, and blood vessels to transport
oxygenated blood to the working muscles for energy metabolism.” (Seaward, 2015). “Agility refers
to the maneuverability and coordination of fine and gross motor movements.” (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Physical Exercise and Activity- I’ve learned besides eating
healthy we also need to be physically active. I’ve learned whenever I get stressed I like to go running
to clear my head and relieve some stress. It makes me feel a lot better after I get back from a run.
(Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Physical Exercise and Activity- I’ve learned that being physically
activity has a lot of benefits when it comes to our health. It can help with when we are emotionally
frustrated it beneficial when someone is dealing with anxiety. (Seaward, 2015).

Assignment:
Unit 8 Assignment: Coming up with a Health & Wellness Program to reduce stress in the workplace. What
I’ve learned from this assignment is that it’s so important to have a health and wellness program in the
workplace. Work can be stressful at times and we all need time to relax and just breath and get out of the
office once in a while. I know that from this assignment I can incorporate this in my life. With doing this
I feel like if companies incorporate these health & programs I think they we happier healthier employees.
(Seaward, 2015).

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Journal: Self-awareness of interpersonal qualities that will
strengthen your connections with other people.

Stephanie Johnson

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

26
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.

OPENNESS:

EMPATHY:

COMPASSION:

LOVING-KINDNESS:

SYMPATHETIC JOY:

EQUANIMITY:

Summary

When it came to doing this exercise and the 6 qualities we had to do and imagining doing each

quality with a person that means a lot in your life, for the first one I closed my eyes and imagined I

was interacting with my husband openness is very important to me. I feel like openness can make you

very vulnerable but at the same time I think it’s crucial in any relationship because that builds trust.

Me and my husband are very open when it comes to openness we tell each other everything. Whether

it be when we have a hard day at work and just need someone to vent to or when it comes to making

difficult decision. And that to me means everything.

The second quality was Empathy. When I closed my eyes the person I saw standing in front of

me and interacting with me was one of my very best friends. We have been through so much together

I’ve have known her for over 21 years. So, a very long time. In this exercise I am the person who has

a lot of empathy for her. She has been struggling with depression and she is also bipolar, so she has

her very high days and her very low days. She is one I like to call a very impulsive person she loves to

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shop. She’s a shopaholic she will go out and buy things even when she doesn’t have the money. She

has lost both her jobs and is currently living with her mom right now. I have so much empathy

because my heartache for her having to go through all of this. I wish there was some way of helping

her, but I know the best things I can do for her is be there for her in good times and bad. She has such

a sweet caring soul and I just want to her to be happy again.

The third quality was Compassion. When I close my eyes the person that comes to my mind is

my sister. She has so much compassion for anyone who comes into her life. She is willing to help

people even if she doesn’t really have the money to do it. She has so much compassion when it comes

to animals and I just love that about her. She is a great person inside and out and I’m very lucky to

call her my little sister.

The fourth quality was Loving-Kindness. When I close my eyes the person that comes to my

mind is my sweet mother. She does a lot of services for people whether that be driving her dear aunt

to the grocery store, helping her clean her house taking her to doctor’s appointment. She shows love

in kindness to people in her church. She will make meals for people who are sick. She has a very kind

heart and I hope to be just like her.

The fifth quality was Sympathetic Joy. When I close my eyes the person that comes to my

mind is my dad. He is one of those people that is very happy for other people’s joy or accomplishment

he’s always so happy for me and my sister’s accomplishments and tells us how proud he is of us. He

always has a smile on face and lives life to the fullest.

The last quality was equanimity. When I close my eyes the person that comes to my mind is

actually me. I can really relate to this quality. I am one of those people when life gets rough sometimes, I’m

always very calm about it. I just think to myself that it could be a lot worse and focus on the things that I do

have. Having this composure about me is that everyone notices, and they ask me how I can be so calm in

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 9
Unit

certain situations and I just tell them why get upset with things that you know you can’t change. Things just

happen and the best way to deal with it is just look at the outcome of it. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Unit 9: Applying Stress: Critical Issues for

Management and Prevention to your
Professional Life
Information to Remember:
Key Learning Point from the unit about Applying Stress: Critical Issues for Management and Prevention
to your Professional Life- One of the key learning points from this unit that I learned when it comes
to creating management program that you need to identify what our stressors are then make a plan for
ourselves. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Applying Stress: Critical Issues for Management and Prevention
to your Professional Life- I’ve learned that creating a stress management program that with anything
you need to make a habit of it. Apply what you would like to see in your stress management and
make goals for yourself. (Seaward, 2015).
Key Learning Point from the unit about Applying Stress: Critical Issues for Management and Prevention
to your Professional Life- I’ve learned that when it comes to creating a stress management program
from the reading materials that I’ve learn throughout this class is that you need to know what you
need to do when you start getting stressed you need to have a game plan when stress arises. Then you
want to make sure when you do have a game plan that you follow through and be consistent.
(Seaward, 2015).

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Additional Information
1. Seward B. (2018) Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. (Primary)

2. Cathy Wong. (December 6, 2018). Very Well Health. How to Do Belly Breathing. Retrieved
from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-breathe-with-your-belly-89853 (Primary)

3. Reference: Eat, This, Not That. (2008-2019). 22 Best and Worse Foods for Stress.
Retrieved from: https://www.eatthis.com/food-and-stress/ (Primary)

4. Chong -Wen Wang. (January 9, 2014). BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The
official journal of the international Society for Complementary Medicine Research (ISCMR).
Managing stress and anxiety through qigong exercise in healthy adults: A systematic review
and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Retrieved from:
https://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6882-14-8
(Primary)

5. Newton T. (1995) Managing Stress: Emotion and Power at Work. Retrieved from:
https://books.google.com/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=E4tGZBSpJucC&oi=fnd&pg=PP9&dq=article+on+managing+stress&ots=95
_1xMT1Yk&sig=8EFU88kR93aX0i5LY_TrOuf-jeM#v=onepage&q=article%20on
%20managing%20stress&f=false (Primary)

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 References

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.

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