1. KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and
Prevention
Stress Management
and Prevention
1

2. Program Resource
Guide
2

3. KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
Stress Management and Prevention Program Resource Guide
By
Stephanie Long
Kaplan University
HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention
June 9, 2011

4. Table of Contents
UN I T 1 TH E NA TUR E OF S TR ES S
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises:
Tools: Journal Writing:
UN I T 2 TH E PH YS IO L O G Y OF S TR ES S
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UN I T 3 PS YC HO L O G Y OF S TR ES S
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing: Journal Writing
UN I T 4 PER S ON A L I TY TR AI TS A N D TH E H UM A N S PI R I TUA LI TY
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UN I T 5 UND ER S TR ES S : D EA LI N G WI TH S TR ES S : CO PIN G S TR A TEG I ES
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UN I T 6 R EL A XA TIO N TEC H NI Q UES 1: BR EA TH I N G , M EDI TA TIO N , A N D MEN TA L IM AG ER Y
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UN I T 7 N UTRI TI ON A N D S TR ES S
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
Tools: Journal Writing
UN I T 8 PH YS IC A L EXER C I S E AN D A C TI V I TY
Information to Remember
Resources: Exercises
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5. Unit
Tools: Journal Writing
1
A D DI TI ON A L IN FO R MA TI ON
R EFER EN C ES
Unit 1: The Nature of Stress
Information to Remember:
 Stress can be defined as anxiety, trauma and or constant worry
 Stressors are the things that are able to speed up the state of stress as well as have the ability to impact
ones environment.
 Stress response is the bodies way of dealing with or reacting to acute stressors
Resources: Exercises:
Exercise 1.2 My Health Philosophy :
How is your state of health influenced by stress? Finally, where do you see yourself
twenty-five years from now? If you were to continue your current lifestyle for the next
three to four decades, how do you see yourself at that point in the future? Your health
philosophy guides your state of health. What is your health philosophy? What has influenced
your philosophy up to now (e.g., parents, teachers, friends, books)? Be specific.
This exercise is important because it helps to understand what the stressors are in your life, as they can
and do change over time. Looking not only at what is going on now but in the future gives people the
advantage to think about actions as well as the path they are on and if changing it would be beneficial
to the overall quality of their life.
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6. Unit
Tools: Journal Writing:
2
EXERCISE 1.5 Personal Stress Inventory: Top Ten Stressors:
It’s time to take a personal inventory of your current stressors—those issues, concerns,
situations, or challenges that trigger the fight-or-flight response in your body.
The first step to resolving any problem is learning to identify exactly what the problem
is. Take a moment to list the top ten issues that you are facing at the present moment.
Then place check marks in the columns to signify whether this stressor directly
affects one or more aspects of your health (mind, body, spirit, emotions). Take note of
how many of your stressors affect more than one aspect. Then, next to each stressor,
chronicle how long it has been a problem. Finally, check whether this stressor is one
that elicits some level of anger, fear, or both.
Thinking about the top ten stressors in life can be difficult for some people, when doing this
journal not only are the stressors important but different aspects to the stressor. Looking at this chart
overall a person is able to see the how long the stressor has been an issue, if it is effecting more than one
aspect of overall health as well as if there is some level of anger, fear or possibly both when talking about
and dealing with the stressor. This is helpful to help identify the major stressor so a person is able to find
coping methods for the stressor.
Unit 2: The Physiology of Stress
Information to Remember:
 Holistic is a word is the view of the system as a whole, not dividing the person in to different parts but
looking at aspects of physical, mental and social aspects of life to treat an illness
 An Immune System is able to recognize and opposes disease, it is also able to start the immune response
to fight
 Stress Management is how one deals with stress, with the possibility of using physical and psychological
means to cope with anxiety
Resources: Exercises:
EXERCISE 2.2 Immediate, Intermediate, and Prolonged Stress Effects
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7. As noted in Chapter 2, the stress response has immediate (seconds), intermediate
(minutes to hours), and prolonged (days) effects through which the symptoms of
physical stress can manifest. To reinforce your understanding of each phase of this
physiological process, please take a moment to reflect on how your body reacts to
stress through these three processes.
What do you feel when immediately threatened?
How would you best classify your body’s intermediate (within hours) response to stress?
What do you notice as long-term effects of prolonged stress (five to ten days)?
When a person is able to look at the different time frames for stress they are able to reflect on
how and why they react the way they do and if this is a reaction to the stressor or if it is a response that
should not have happened. By knowing and understanding what the stressors are (as done in the prior
unit) this section is able to help understand not only the short term effects on the body but long term as
well, if there are any. Taking the time to respond to a stressor not react is imperative in prolonged as well
as immediate stress response.
Tools: Journal Writing:
EXERCISE 3.3 My Health Profile
Health is so much more than the optimal functioning of our physical bodies. By and large, however, the physical
body is what people focus on when they talk about health (weight, skin, hair, sight, hearing, etc.). To fully understand the
mind-body-spirit connection, you must realize that the body is actually the endpoint where unresolved issues of mind and
spirit collect, not the beginning. But if we were to start with the body and examine, from head to toe, our physical makeup,
perhaps we could use this as a stepping stone toward understanding this unique relationship. Several aspects of our physical
makeup, when looked at as a composite, tend to give us a sound understanding of our physical health status. This journal
theme invites you to take some time to explore your overall physical health. Once you have compiled all your personal health
data, compare your values with the norms discussed in class, or in the book Health and Wellness.
Name, Height, Weight, Age, Resting heart rate, Target heart rate, Maximal heart rate, Resting systolic blood pressure, Resting
diastolic blood pressure, Total cholesterol, HDL level, LDL level Vision status, Dental status, Hearing status, Skin condition,
Gastrointestinal (GI) tract, Tense areas/ muscular, Reproductive system, Skin and Sinuses.
By looking at the normal values of several different vital signs as well as overall health a person is
able to look at things more objectively, not only from a health standpoint but other areas of life, the
mind-body-sprit-connection. This can help not only the person who is having the assessment but others
in their life to see the “normal” values and if the person they love is with in the range; if they are not what
can be done by the individual as well as other loved ones to help regain control and get better results.
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8. Unit
Unit 3: Psychology of Stress
3
Information to Remember:
 Emotional well being can be thought of a being able to feel and express several different emotions yet be
in control of the them and not the emotions in control of the person.
 Unhealthy emotions are emotions that are the cause of illness or can be linked to the stress of fear or
some unresolved anger.
 Anger and fear are the two chief responses humans have to stress. Anger is the fight response thus
making fear is the flight response, both the fight and flight responses have different effects on
the body.
Resources: Exercises:
 Exercise 5.9: Emotional Well Being
Here are some questions to ponder about your own sense of emotional wellbeing:
1. What is your least favorite emotion, one that you don’t like to feel or perhaps would rather avoid feeling? Can you
explain why?
2. Combing through your memory, can you remember a time (or times) when you were told or reminded not to act or
feel a certain way (e.g., big boys don’t cry), or were perhaps even humiliated? Take a moment to describe this incident.
3. What is your favorite emotion? Why? How often would you say you feel this emotion throughout the course of a
typical day?
4. If you feel you may be the kind of person who doesn’t acknowledge or express your emotions can you think of ways to
change your behavior and begin to gain a sense of emotional balance?
This is a great exercise to help think about the emotions that are felt over a time frame, it be a
childhood or just general day but they all play a part in to what we are feeling and how we respond.
By looking at the different aspects of feeling and how they are expressed we are able to see if the
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9. feeling have control over us or if it is the person in control of the emotions. The last question is very
hard as it asks how the behavior change be changed or modified to gain a better sense of balance,
the phrase “old dogs can’t learn new tricks” comes to mind. It can be very difficult to change a
patter of dealing with a certain emotion if it has been in play for a long time frame; this is why doing
this exercise often is able to help people gain control of their emotions and their life balance.
Tools: Journal Writing:
 EXERCISE 4.1 The Psychology of Your Stress
The following questions are based on several theories from Chapter 4 to help you become
more aware of your perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors during episodes of stress:
1. In hindsight (because Freud said people are not aware at the time that they are doing it), do you find that you use one or
more defense mechanisms to protect your ego? Reflecting on your behavior, which of the following do you see as common
behaviors in your psychology of stress profile?
a. Defensiveness (I didn’t do it) Yes No
b. Projection (She did it) Yes No
c. Repression (I don’t remember doing it) Yes No
d. Displacement (He made me do it) Yes No
e. Rationalization (Everyone does it) Yes No
f. Humor (I can laugh about this now) Yes No
2. Carl Jung was adamant that we need to listen to the wisdom of our dreams. Please answer the following questions based on
Jung’s theories related to stress.
a. Do you often remember your dreams? Yes No
b. Do you make it a habit to try to understand your
dreams and dream symbols? Yes No
c. Do you have any recurring dreams? Yes No
d. Have you ever had a dream of an event that later
came to pass? Yes No
3. Kübler-Ross’s stages of grieving are not just for cancer patients. These same stages occur for the death of every unmet
expectation. What recent expectation was unmet that brought you to the door of the grieving process? What stage of Kübler-
Ross’s progression have you currently reached with this stressor?
4. Refer to your Unit 1 Journal Writing Assignment, Exercise 1.5 (“Personal Stress Inventory: Top Ten Stressors”). Please list
your stressors as predominantly anger-based or fear-based stressors.
All of these questions are in place to help the person think about their times of stress and
the attitude, behavior and perceptions at that time. Question three is hitting on the grieving
process and this effects people differently, yet by looking at a recent situation where these
emotions were experienced it can help people to see what they did and maybe what they should
of done and will be able to do different the next time they are in the grieving process. Question
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10. Unit
four is another one that is about self examination when dealing with stress that is anger verses
fear. At times I do think it is hard to distinguish between the two and therefore making this even
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harder, at times it can seem like the fear and the anger are linked.
Unit 4: Personality Traits and The Human Spirituality
Information to Remember:
 Time and Money: effective resource management, money is something that has to deal with and some do
it better than others. Understanding money in the ideas of how much is able to be spending to certain
this can help people to have less stress as they will not be stressing about money.
 Time management is not about finding more time per day it is about placing the first things first and
placing other things where they belong. There are three steps to this process of time management; the fist
being prioritize, next is to have an effective schedule and last deals with having a plan of execution.
 Understand there are several different kinds of stressors in the world today including physical, mental,
and environmental as well as things like overpopulation stressors.
Resources: Exercises:
 EXERCISE 7.6 Your Meaningful Purpose in Life
Knowing that your purpose in life may change many times in the course of your life, for this exercise, first write
down (in a few words to a sentence) what you consider to be your life purpose now, at this point in time. Then take a
moment to briefly describe what you considered to be your purpose in life at the start of each decade of your life
(e.g., at age twenty it might be or have been to graduate with a college degree, at age thirty it might be or have been to
raise a family or start a business). Age today, at age 60, at age 50, at age 40, at age 30, at age 20 and at age 16.
This is a very powerful exercise, as it makes a person look at themselves and what they
stand for. It is also nice to think about the future and have goals in mind so wondering off track is
less likely. This is also a great time for self reflection to see where the roads of life have taken a
person.
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11. Tools: Journal Writing:
 EXERCISE 6.2 Stress-Prone Personality Survey
The following is a survey based on the traits of the codependent personality. Please
answer the following questions with the most appropriate number.
3 = Often 2 = Sometimes 1 = Rarely 0 = Never
1. I tend to seek approval (acceptance) from
others (e.g., friends, colleagues, family 3 2 1 0
members).
2. I have very strong perfection tendencies. 3 2 1 0
3. I am usually involved in many projects at
3 2 1 0
one time.
4. I rise to the occasion in times of crisis. 3 2 1 0
5. Despite problems with my family, I will
3 2 1 0
always defend them.
6. I have a tendency to put others before
3 2 1 0
myself.
7. I don’t feel appreciated for all the things I
3 2 1 0
do.
8. I tend to tell a lot of white lies. 3 2 1 0
9. I will help most anyone in need. 3 2 1 0
10. I tend to trust others’ perceptions rather
3 2 1 0
than my own.
11. I have a habit of overreacting to situations. 3 2 1 0
12. Despite great achievements, my self-esteem
3 2 1 0
usually suffers.
13. My family background is better described as
3 2 1 0
victim than victor.
14. I have been known to manipulate others
3 2 1 0
with acts of generosity and favors.
15. I am really good at empathizing with my
3 2 1 0
friends and family.
16. I usually try to make the best impression
3 2 1 0
possible with people.
17. I like to validate my feelings with others’
3 2 1 0
perceptions.
18. I am an extremely well-organized individual. 3 2 1 0
19. It’s easier for me to give love and much
3 2 1 0
more difficult to receive it.
20. I tend to hide my feelings if I know they will 0
3 2 1
upset others.
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12. Unit
5
Score: A score of more than 30 points indicates that you most likely have traits associated with the codependent
personality, a personality style known to be stress-prone.
There are 20 questions with this exercise that are all to help a person gauge how prone they are to
different types of stress. Knowing and understanding this is helpful so a person is able to stop
and look at a situation in a different light not just as they have always seen in and change their
reaction, with the hopes of having a less stressful situation.
Unit 5: Under Stress: Dealing with Stress: Coping
Strategies
Information to Remember:
 Creating a positive mind set is key in taking a not so positive situation and making it in to a positive one.
This is a way to help deal with the stressors of everyday life.
 Healing power of humor is another way for people to not only deal with stress but as well as dealing with
other emotions like loss and depression.
 Simple Assertion and healthy boundaries is understanding what you are feeling and being able to display
them in a way that is true to your personal mission statement or what you believe in.
Resources: Exercises:
 There are several different exercises that a person can do in they are feeling out of control and need some
coping help. This article from livestrong.com talks about several different methods for coping. Some of
the examples are yoga, meditation and massage. There are also links to other articles about this same
topic (Livestrong.com, 2010). By using these and other techniques people should understand what
works for them and helps them to cope with any situation.
Tools: Journal Writing:
 EXERCISE 15.1 The Time-Crunch Questionnaire
The following is a survey based on the traits of the codependent personality. Please
answer the following questions with the most appropriate number.
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13.  1 = rarely 2 = sometimes 1 = often
1. I tend to procrastinate with projects and
3 2 1
responsibilities.
2. My bedtime varies depending on the
3 2 1
workload I have each day.
3. I am the kind of person who leaves things
3 2 1
till the last minute.
4. I forget to make To Do lists to keep me
3 2 1
organized.
5. I spend more than two hours watching
3 2 1
television each night.
6. I tend to have several projects going on at
3 2 1
the same time.
7. I tend to put work ahead of family and
3 2 1
friends.
8. My life is full of endless interruptions and
3 2 1
distractions.
9. I tend to spend a lot of time on the phone. 3 2 1
10. Multi-tasking is my middle name. I am a
3 2 1
great multi-tasker.
11. My biggest problem with time management
3 2 1
is prioritization.
12. I am a perfectionist when it comes to getting
3 2 1
things done.
13. I never seem to have enough time for my
3 2 1
personal life.
14. I tend to set unrealistic goals to accomplish
3 2 1
tasks.
15. I reward myself before getting things done
3 2 1
on time.
16. I just never have enough hours in the day to
3 2 1
get things done.
17. I can spend untold hours distracted while
3 2 1
surfing the Internet.
18. I tend not to trust others to get things done
3 2 1
when I can do them better myself.
19. If I am completely honest, I tend to be a
3 2 1
workaholic.
20. I have been known to skip meals in order to
3 2 1
complete projects.
21. I will clean my room, garage, or kitchen
3 2 1
before I really get to work on projects.
22. I will often help friends with their work
3 2 1
before doing my own.
23. It’s hard to get motivated to get things done. 3 2 1
Total score___________________

 Questionnaire Key
 75–51 points = poor time management skills (time to reevaluate your life skills)
 50–26 points = fair time management skills (time to pull in the reins a bit)
 0–25 points = excellent time management skills (keep doing what you are doing!)
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14. Unit
6
This is very helpful in understanding time management skills that are doing very well and others
that might need a bit of help. Doing this exercise three times a year can also help to improve the
skills that are still doing well and test the progress of the skills that are being worked on. Everyone
knows there will be days when it is raining out side and the couch looks so much better than the
weeds that need pulling in the garden but it is finding a balance in it all that is key to success.
Unit 6: Relaxation Techniques 1: Breathing,
Meditation, and Mental Imagery
Information to Remember:
 Relaxation is very important and can be different for every person. Relaxation is the activity the is able to
provide and change and a relief from the stressors of everyday life. This activity is able to help the person
reach a less tense state as well as offer pleasure.
 Meditation can be a form of relaxation for some people, it is a way of letting the mind let go to the
thoughts and worries that occupy it most of the time
 Concentration is all about having the ability to keep your mind on one topic or idea, not letting the mind
think about the next event in the day or the issues that will be faced when meditation is over.
Resources: Exercises:
 EXERCISE 18.3 Bridging the Hemispheres of Thought
Left-brain thinking skills are associated with judgment, analysis, mathematical
and verbal acuity, linear thought progression, and time consciousness; right-brain
functioning is associated with global thinking, holistic thinking, imagination, humor,
emotionality, spatial orientation, receptivity, and intuition.
Western culture grooms and rewards left-brain thinking. It is fair to say that
judgmental thinking is one of our predominant traits. Although it is true that Western
culture is left-brain dominant in thinking skills, the truth of the matter is that to be
dominant in one style of thinking is actually considered lopsided and imbalanced.
1. How would you describe your dominant thinking style? Would you say that
your left brain or right brain dominates?
2. If you were to make a guess or assumption as to why your thinking skills gravitate
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15. toward one direction or the other, what would be your explanation?
3. One of the basic themes of wellness is balance—in this case, balance of the
right-brain and left-brain functions. Based on your answer to the first question,
what are your dominant thinking skills and your nondominant thinking skills?
What are some ways you can balance your patterns by bridging between the
right and left hemispheres of your brain?
By looking at the answers the question people are able to see if they have given in to Western
culture and are left-brain thinkers or if they have been able to keep the right side of the brain active as
well. This information is helpful in dealing with situations and helping to prepare ones self for different
types of situations that could possibly come up in given situations. By knowing if you are very judgmental
in situations this can be changed over time but using other tools in this course like mediation and other
relaxation methods.
Tools: Journal Writing:
 EXERCISE 18.1 Too Much Information
If no one has officially said this to you yet, then you are overdue to hear these words:
“Welcome to the information age!” Satellite television, cable television, the Internet,
cell phones, and embedded computer chips are just a few things that inundate us
with a tsunami of information. As if this weren’t enough, there are more things looming
on the horizon, all of which are begging for our attention. If you are like most
people today, most likely you are drowning in information. There is even a new name
for this: information stress. Although we take in information through all of our five senses, over 80 percent of all the
information we take in is received through the senses of sight and sound. Well before the term “information age” was
coined, it was very easy to experience sensory overload from too much information taken from the eyes and ears,
such as from watching too much television to pulling an all-nighter to cram for an exam. The consequence of sensory
overload is becoming numb to it all and walking around like a zombie. It’s no stretch to say there are people who fit
this description.
Living in the information age, discernment is essential. Discernment means being
able to distinguish truth from non-truth. Perhaps more accurately, it means discerning
news from marketing, news from entertainment, and truth from hype and spin.
There is a solution to information overload. It is a practice called meditation: cleaning
the mind of all the clutter and useless information that bombards your attention span.
1. List five ways to successfully decrease the quantity of information with which
you are barraged every day.
2. People tend to mirror behavior, often not even knowing that they do this. In
terms of too much information, or TMI, people who take in too much information
often talk to their friends and share too much information (e.g., how much
they make, how many times they have sex per week, or how often they clean
their bathroom). There is a real art to sharing information without revealing
everything. As a rule, people who share too much information about themselves
have acceptance problems. Are you the kind of person who volunteers too
much information? If so, what can you do to filter out the less important facts
and perceptions and still get your point across?
3. See if you can come up with a handful of ways to bring balance back into your
life by taking time to quiet your mind and explain them here.
By looking first at the issues that are being faced and then the way that you are handling
the situation and in the final stages of this exercise looking at the ways to change the overall out
13

16. Unit
come the people are able to get the full picture of what is going on and what can be done to
change the situation. If people just look at one step they are just looking at the problem or the
7
solution not taking in to account all three parts to the issue. This is an exercise that can be used
not only for people who are sharing to much information but the opposite as well for people who
you might need more information from and you are not getting it. Looking at the situation and
writing it down also helps to let the brain process all the steps involved as well as brainstorm
other possible solutions.
Unit 7: Nutrition and Stress
Information to Remember:
 Visualization is conscious direction/ intention of images
 Mental imagery is a series of images/ descriptions that bubble up on impulse from the unconscious
mind.
 The ability to use imagery and visualization in to everyday life can be done by doing four steps: relaxation,
concentration, visualization and affirmation.
Tools: Journal Writing:
EXERCISE 27.1 Stress-Related Eating Behaviors
 Please read the following statements and circle the appropriate answer. Then tally the
total to determine your score using the key below.
4 = Always 3 = Often 2 = Sometimes 1 = Rarely 0 = Never
1. I tend to skip breakfast on a regular basis. 4 3 2 1 0
2. On average, two or three meals are prepared
4 3 2 1 0
outside the home each day.
3. I drink more than one cup of coffee or tea a
4 3 2 1 0
day.
4. I tend to drink more than one soda/pop per
4 3 2 1 0
day.
5. I commonly snack between meals. 4 3 2 1 0
6. When in a hurry, I usually eat at fast food
4 3 2 1 0
places.
7. I tend to snack while watching television. 4 3 2 1 0
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17. 8. I tend to put salt on my food before tasting
4 3 2 1 0
it.
9. I drink fewer than eight glasses of water a
4 3 2 1 0
day.
10. I tend to satisfy my sweet tooth daily. 4 3 2 1 0
11. When preparing meals at home, I usually
4 3 2 1 0
don’t cook from scratch.
12. Honestly, my eating habits lean toward fast,
4 3 2 1 0
junk, processed foods.
13. I eat fewer than four to five servings of fresh
4 3 2 1 0
vegetables per day.
14. I drink at least one glass of wine, beer, or
4 3 2 1 0
alcohol a day.
15. My meals are eaten sporadically throughout
the day rather than at regularly scheduled 4 3 2 1 0
times.
16. I don’t usually cook with fresh herbs and
4 3 2 1 0
spices.
17. I usually don’t make a habit of eating organic
4 3 2 1 0
fruits and veggies.
18. My biggest meal of the day is usually eaten
4 3 2 1 0
after 7:00 P.M.
19. For the most part, my vitamins and minerals
4 3 2 1 0
come from the foods I eat.
20. Artificial sweeteners are in many of the
4 3 2 1 0
foods I eat.
Total score___________________
Score: A score of more than 30 points indicates that you most likely have traits associated with the
codependent personality, a personality style known to be stress-prone.
Scoring Key
A score of more than 20 points indicates that your eating behaviors are not conducive
to reducing stress. A score of more than 30 suggests that your eating habits may seriously
compromise the integrity of your immune system.
By looking at the overall score of this people are able to see what their eating habits say about them and
their stress level. Knowing this information is vital in understanding why and when a person eats as
well as what they want to eat in times of stress. Without this information people might be blind to what
they eat as well as not understand that it needs to change. This is on paper and it is able to hold people
more accountable for their overall eating and actions when eating.
15

18. Unit
Unit 8: Physical Exercise and Activity
8
Information to Remember:
 What you eat can play a big factor in your overall heath. If you eat junk food that is the fuel that you are
giving your body to work with, this in turn can decrease the immune system.
 There are the four dominos to stress and eating. They are 1) stress depletes nutrients due to the fight or
flight response; 2) eating junk food that are full of “empty” calories is not helping to regain the lost
nutrients; 3) When people are in stressful situations they lean towards eating foods that are able to elicit
the stress response things like caffeine, salty foods and processed four; 4) people eat foods that contain
other chemicals that can be damaging to the body such as pesticides and other fertilizers.
 By understanding what you are eating you are able to make better choices, like more fruit and vegetables.
Using resources like the food pyramid or my plate people are able to see what they should be eating and
thus helping them to make better overall choices.
Tools: Journal Writing:
EXERCISE 28.1 Physical Exercises
 In simplest terms, we are physical animals with a human spirit. As human beings we
were never meant to sit behind a desk for eight to ten hours a day. Human anatomy
and physiology were designed to find a balance between motion and stillness, stress
and homeostasis, exercise and relaxation. Some would say that the mounting incidence
of disease and illness is a result of being out of physiological balance.
In this day and age, in which stress is at an all-time high, our bodies kick out
several stress hormones, which, if not used for their intended purpose (to mobilize
the body’s systems for fight or flight), circulate throughout the body and tend to
wreak havoc on various organs and constituents of the immune system. Physical exercise
is considered the best way to keep the physiological systems of the body in balance,
from stress hormones and adipose tissue to the integrity of bone cells and
macrophages of the immune system.
Exercise doesn’t have to be all that hard or time consuming. Perhaps more important
than what you do is just making the time to do it. Mark Twain once said, “Oh,
I get the urge to exercise every now and then, but I just lie down till it goes away.”
This may be humorous, but the truth of the matter is that physical exercise is what we
need to promote the balance and integrity of our physiological systems. Although
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19. there is no doubt we seem to have a certain magnetic attraction to the couch and TV,
this pattern of behavior has proved to be hazardous to our health.
1. Describe your exercise habits, including the formula for success (intensity, frequency,
and duration of exercise).
2. What are your favorite activities? If for some reason you were injured and couldn’t
do your favorite activity, what would be your second option for exercise?
3. What do you do to motivate yourself when you are less than inspired to get up
and out the door? What are some additional incentives to maintain a regular exercise
regimen?
4. Most people say that they cannot find the time to exercise. Considering classes,
studying, work, social obligations, and the like, it is hard to fit in everything. So
the question of priorities comes to mind. What are your priorities in terms of
your health? Do you see your perspective changing in the course of your life?
Right now, what can you do to find (make) the time to get physical exercise
every day?
5. Sketch out a quick weekly program of exercise, including days to work out, time of day, and activity.
By looking at the time that is dedicated each day to physical activity people are able, once again, to
be help accountable for their actions or lack there of. By looking at what activities are being done verses
what the person likes to do they are able to compare and look to see if there are other activities they can
add or replace the activities they might do but do not enjoy as much as others. By looking at exercise on a
week basis people might find it easier to fit it in because it will be in their schedule, it is not something
that they mist fit in or feel obligated to do because they know it is good for them. Planning can play a big
part in the success of a fitness program.
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20. Additional Information
Helping people understand what to eat has been a long going battle for the USDA. The new web
page is designed in order to help people understand what they should be eating and the portion sizes that
should be on the plate. This new diagram from the USDA is a plate, divided in to different sections.
These sections are for the different food groups including: protein, fruit, grains and vegetables with a
glass to the side that says dairy. This can be extremely helpful to people who are not sure how to read the
old pyramid USDA chart about what foods should be consumed each day, as well as for children who
can understand the image of a plate better than the pyramid that was used for so long.
USDA. Choosemyplate. June 14, 2011. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
10 tips to stay safe and sane as PA is an article that was written by a PA-C who understand that
staying healthy can be very hard. This article was appealing to me because this is the field that I will be
applying to get a Masters in. I wanted to read about others experiences as well as what they think as
medical professionals. Reading this article made me realize that other medical professionals know how
important is it to start healthy not only for physical reasons but for mental as well.
Carlquist, Jennifer. May 23, 2011. JAAPA. May 23, 2011. http://www.jaapa.com/10-tips-to-stay-safe-and-sane-as-
pa/article/203080
Understanding stress is very helpful when being a medical professional or dealing with patients of
any kind. When people are stressed they tend to react differently than if the same information was
presented at a different time. By looking at the different responses in the body and taking the time to
better understand them, health professionals are able to handle situations diversely and look at situations
from the patient’s perspective. By talking to patients about the different ways to help relieve stress there
are so many different forms that it is necessary to being up information about several different ones as
well as allow the patients to seek others forms of stress relief. Overall this was a very informative article
that was able to extend some of the information we learned in class as well as offer other information.
Rizzolo PA-C PhD, Dinise; Sedrak PA-C PhD, Mona. Stress management: Helping patients to find effective coping
strategies.JAAPA. September 01, 2010. http://www.jaapa.com/stress-management-helping-patients-to-find-effective-coping-
strategies/article/177828/
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21. References
Unit 5: Livestrong.com. (2010, June 5). Livestrong. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from Coping & Stress Reducing Exercises:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/140433-coping-stress-reducing-exercises/
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