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Hw410 u1 journal

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The document discusses a stress inventory that individuals can complete to assess their personal level of stress. It includes 20 statements about common stressors that respondents rate on a scale of agreeing or disagreeing. The number of agreed statements corresponds to a stress level ranging from low to exceptionally high. The inventory aims to increase awareness of stressors affecting various areas of one's life. The document also provides instructions for another exercise where respondents list their top 10 current stressors and analyze how each affects their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. They also note how long each stressor has been an issue and whether it elicits anger, fear, or both. Completing these exercises can help identify specific problems contributing to stress.

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Name: __________________________ HW410: Unit 1 Journal Writing Assignment EXERCISE 1.1 Are You Stressed? Although there is no definitive survey composed of 20 questions to determine if you are stressed or burnt out or just exactly how stressed you really are, questionnaires do help increase awareness that, indeed, there may be a problem in one or more areas of your life. The following is an example of a simple stress inventory to help you determine the level of stress in your life. Read each statement, and then circle either the word Agree or Disagree. Then count the number of "Agree" points (one per question) and use the Stress Level Key to determine your personal stress level. Statement: Agree Disagree 1. I have a hard time falling asleep at night. Agree Disagree 2. I tend to suffer from tension and/or migraine headaches. Agree Disagree 3. I find myself thinking about finances and making ends meet. Agree Disagree 4 .I wish I could find more to laugh and smile about each day. Agree Disagree 5. More often than not, I skip breakfast or lunch to get things done. Agree Disagree 6. If I could change my job situation, I would. Agree Disagree 7. I wish I had more personal time for leisure pursuits. Agree Disagree 8. I have lost a good friend or family member recently. Agree Disagree 9. 1 am unhappy in my relationship or am recently divorced. Agree Disagree 10. I haven't had a quality vacation in a long time. Agree Disagree 11. I wish that my life had a clear meaning and purpose. Agree Disagree 12. I tend to eat more than three meals a week outside the home. Agree Disagree 13. I tend to suffer from chronic pain. Agree Disagree 14. 1 don't have a strong group of friends to whom I can turn. Agree Disagree 15. I don't exercise regularly (more than three times per week). Agree Disagree 16. I am on prescribed medication for depression. Agree Disagree 17. My sex life is very satisfying. Agree Disagree 18. My family relationships arc less than desirable. Agree Disagree 19. Overall, my self-esteem can be rather low. Agree Disagree 20. 1 spend no time each day dedicated to meditation or centering. Agree Disagree Stress Level Key Less than 5 points You have a low level of stress and maintain good coping skills. More than 5 points You have a moderate level of personal stress. More than 10 points You have a high level of personal stress. More than 15 points You have an exceptionally high level of stress. ©Paramount Wellness Institute. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. EXERCISE 1.4 A Good Night’s Sleep Sleep is one of the basic human drives. Most health books don’t talk much about it, despite the fact that you spend over one-third of your life in that state. The fact is that we tend to take the behavior of sleep for granted, unless, of course, we feel we don’t get enough of it. We are told that the average person sleeps six to eight hours a night, with an occasional nap here and there. Truth be told, over half of Americans get much less than this. Eight hours may be recommended, but it is not the norm. A poor
night’s sleep cascades into a poor waking day. Over time, the results will ultimately affect all aspects of health. Whatever your sleep patterns were before you started college, chances are that they have changed dramatically since then. By and large, the freedom connected with college life tends to throw off sleep patterns. Instead of hitting the hay around 10 P.M. or 11 P.M., you might not lay your head on the pillow until 1 A.M. or 2 A.M. On weekends you may go to bed at sunrise, rather than waking up to see it. And let us not forget the all-nighters that tend to become habit forming during midterm and final exams. Since the 1950s, scientists have been studying sleeping behaviors and sleeping patterns in earnest. With over forty years of data collection, you’d think they would have some solid answers; the truth is, no one really knows why we sleep. There are all kinds of theories about the need to have rest, but to date there seems to be a lack of evidence as to what actually goes on during the night hours. Interestingly enough, we do know what happens when we don’t get enough sleep. Memory and motor coordination fade rapidly, and performance, in all aspects, is greatly compromised—as many a college student will attest to when pulling a series of all-nighters. Describe your sleeping patterns. Are your sleep habits regular? Do you go to bed and get up about the same time every day? How have your sleeping patterns changed since you entered college? Do you make a habit of pulling all-nighters? Do you have problems sleeping at night? Do you have a hard time getting up in the morning? What are some of the patterns you see with your sleep? ____________________________________________________________________ _____I have great sleep habits. I go to bed every night between 9:30-10:00pm, falling asleep usually to a guided meditation CD. Monday-Friday I wake up at 6:15 am to get my son ready for school. Some days I may wake up around 5:45am, but that is pretty rare. I always wake up feeling well rested and refreshed. I do enjoy taking a 30-45min afternoon nap at times. I notice that I tend to this when I have had more than usual emotional or mental stress. I have learned to listen to my body. When I am tired, I sleep. On the weekends, I tend to stay out later if I have social things going on, but this does not occur every weekend. Also, on Sat/Sun I will usually sleep in until 7:30/8:00. I do not have interrupted sleep and I very rarely have nights of staying up late or not sleeping due to some kind of stressor in my life. This use to be the case years ago, but I have made many lifestyle modifications to get rid of certain stresses in my life. These changes have resulted in better sleep, health and mental attitude for me. Sleep is how the body heals and rejuvenates itself and I take my sleep very seriously. _______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 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. Stressor - 1 Mental - 1111 Emotional - 11111 Spiritual - 1111 Physical Duration Anger/Fear? of Problem 1. __College__ - maintaining my grades and keep up on my reading and assignments – 2 years of dealing with type of stressor (no anger or fear involved)_____________________________________________________________ 2. _Men (romantic relationships, ex-boyfriends, ex-husband)_My entire life of dealing with this stressor (anger, fear, frustration, resentment)_______________________________________________________________ _____
3. _Being a single mom raising a an 11 year boy__(8 years of dealing with this stressor, been divorced for 8 years (anger and frustration)________________________________________________________________ ____ 4. __Alcoholic and drug addicted parents – my entire life I have been dealing with this stressor. Both my dad and stepdad have drug addiction problems and my mom is a full blown alcoholic. (anger, frustration and resentment)_______________________________________________________________ _____ 5. ____Launching a new business – the 5 months of developing my business plan and preparing to launch in Jan 2015 (fear)_________________________________________________________________ 6. ___Friend Drama – the past 3 months of dealing with this stressor, 2 of my friends are going through divorces._________________________________________________________________ 7. _______________________________________________________________________ 8. _______________________________________________________________________ 9. _______________________________________________________________________ 10. ______________________________________________________________________

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Hw410 u1 journal

  • 1. Name: __________________________ HW410: Unit 1 Journal Writing Assignment EXERCISE 1.1 Are You Stressed? Although there is no definitive survey composed of 20 questions to determine if you are stressed or burnt out or just exactly how stressed you really are, questionnaires do help increase awareness that, indeed, there may be a problem in one or more areas of your life. The following is an example of a simple stress inventory to help you determine the level of stress in your life. Read each statement, and then circle either the word Agree or Disagree. Then count the number of "Agree" points (one per question) and use the Stress Level Key to determine your personal stress level. Statement: Agree Disagree 1. I have a hard time falling asleep at night. Agree Disagree 2. I tend to suffer from tension and/or migraine headaches. Agree Disagree 3. I find myself thinking about finances and making ends meet. Agree Disagree 4 .I wish I could find more to laugh and smile about each day. Agree Disagree 5. More often than not, I skip breakfast or lunch to get things done. Agree Disagree 6. If I could change my job situation, I would. Agree Disagree 7. I wish I had more personal time for leisure pursuits. Agree Disagree 8. I have lost a good friend or family member recently. Agree Disagree 9. 1 am unhappy in my relationship or am recently divorced. Agree Disagree 10. I haven't had a quality vacation in a long time. Agree Disagree 11. I wish that my life had a clear meaning and purpose. Agree Disagree 12. I tend to eat more than three meals a week outside the home. Agree Disagree 13. I tend to suffer from chronic pain. Agree Disagree 14. 1 don't have a strong group of friends to whom I can turn. Agree Disagree 15. I don't exercise regularly (more than three times per week). Agree Disagree 16. I am on prescribed medication for depression. Agree Disagree 17. My sex life is very satisfying. Agree Disagree 18. My family relationships arc less than desirable. Agree Disagree 19. Overall, my self-esteem can be rather low. Agree Disagree 20. 1 spend no time each day dedicated to meditation or centering. Agree Disagree Stress Level Key Less than 5 points You have a low level of stress and maintain good coping skills. More than 5 points You have a moderate level of personal stress. More than 10 points You have a high level of personal stress. More than 15 points You have an exceptionally high level of stress. ©Paramount Wellness Institute. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. EXERCISE 1.4 A Good Night’s Sleep Sleep is one of the basic human drives. Most health books don’t talk much about it, despite the fact that you spend over one-third of your life in that state. The fact is that we tend to take the behavior of sleep for granted, unless, of course, we feel we don’t get enough of it. We are told that the average person sleeps six to eight hours a night, with an occasional nap here and there. Truth be told, over half of Americans get much less than this. Eight hours may be recommended, but it is not the norm. A poor
  • 2. night’s sleep cascades into a poor waking day. Over time, the results will ultimately affect all aspects of health. Whatever your sleep patterns were before you started college, chances are that they have changed dramatically since then. By and large, the freedom connected with college life tends to throw off sleep patterns. Instead of hitting the hay around 10 P.M. or 11 P.M., you might not lay your head on the pillow until 1 A.M. or 2 A.M. On weekends you may go to bed at sunrise, rather than waking up to see it. And let us not forget the all-nighters that tend to become habit forming during midterm and final exams. Since the 1950s, scientists have been studying sleeping behaviors and sleeping patterns in earnest. With over forty years of data collection, you’d think they would have some solid answers; the truth is, no one really knows why we sleep. There are all kinds of theories about the need to have rest, but to date there seems to be a lack of evidence as to what actually goes on during the night hours. Interestingly enough, we do know what happens when we don’t get enough sleep. Memory and motor coordination fade rapidly, and performance, in all aspects, is greatly compromised—as many a college student will attest to when pulling a series of all-nighters. Describe your sleeping patterns. Are your sleep habits regular? Do you go to bed and get up about the same time every day? How have your sleeping patterns changed since you entered college? Do you make a habit of pulling all-nighters? Do you have problems sleeping at night? Do you have a hard time getting up in the morning? What are some of the patterns you see with your sleep? ____________________________________________________________________ _____I have great sleep habits. I go to bed every night between 9:30-10:00pm, falling asleep usually to a guided meditation CD. Monday-Friday I wake up at 6:15 am to get my son ready for school. Some days I may wake up around 5:45am, but that is pretty rare. I always wake up feeling well rested and refreshed. I do enjoy taking a 30-45min afternoon nap at times. I notice that I tend to this when I have had more than usual emotional or mental stress. I have learned to listen to my body. When I am tired, I sleep. On the weekends, I tend to stay out later if I have social things going on, but this does not occur every weekend. Also, on Sat/Sun I will usually sleep in until 7:30/8:00. I do not have interrupted sleep and I very rarely have nights of staying up late or not sleeping due to some kind of stressor in my life. This use to be the case years ago, but I have made many lifestyle modifications to get rid of certain stresses in my life. These changes have resulted in better sleep, health and mental attitude for me. Sleep is how the body heals and rejuvenates itself and I take my sleep very seriously. _______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
  • 3. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 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. Stressor - 1 Mental - 1111 Emotional - 11111 Spiritual - 1111 Physical Duration Anger/Fear? of Problem 1. __College__ - maintaining my grades and keep up on my reading and assignments – 2 years of dealing with type of stressor (no anger or fear involved)_____________________________________________________________ 2. _Men (romantic relationships, ex-boyfriends, ex-husband)_My entire life of dealing with this stressor (anger, fear, frustration, resentment)_______________________________________________________________ _____
  • 4. 3. _Being a single mom raising a an 11 year boy__(8 years of dealing with this stressor, been divorced for 8 years (anger and frustration)________________________________________________________________ ____ 4. __Alcoholic and drug addicted parents – my entire life I have been dealing with this stressor. Both my dad and stepdad have drug addiction problems and my mom is a full blown alcoholic. (anger, frustration and resentment)_______________________________________________________________ _____ 5. ____Launching a new business – the 5 months of developing my business plan and preparing to launch in Jan 2015 (fear)_________________________________________________________________ 6. ___Friend Drama – the past 3 months of dealing with this stressor, 2 of my friends are going through divorces._________________________________________________________________ 7. _______________________________________________________________________ 8. _______________________________________________________________________ 9. _______________________________________________________________________ 10. ______________________________________________________________________