Life Skills Development/Unit One/Wellness and Self Care (Stress Management)/Activities and Assessment

Activity

Follow the following directions that attemp to give you an insight into your responses to environmental stress, through a stress and control exercise. Step 1. Use a handkerchief to blindfold yourself and remain in your seat. Step 2. Ask a friend to play a range of sounds that evokes feelings of intimidation. These sounds can include cars braking heavily, alarms, quarrelling, berating and orders being shouted. Qualitative Coping Strategies Step 3. Document on a flip chart the feedback of these responses – mental, environmental and physical. Research on strategies employed to survive stress and patterns of behaviour from stress (victimization of others, hyper vigilance, toughness, social invisibility, depression, self monitoring). Stress and Coping Strategies In order to elicit information regarding particular stressors to which you are responding, you should be asked to report the stressors which had to be endured. Rate how stressful you appraise these stressors by using a scale of 1 – 10. Then list the strategies that were used to cope with these stressors when first entered, as well as how they are coped at present. Lastly construct a question regarding their perceived locus of control.

Reflection

What are some of the problems associated with not dealing with stress appropriately? I am sure that you comprised a long list of social, emotional, spiritual and physical problems. Please include this list in your portfolio.

Activity

The Carver COPE contains 53 items in which participants are asked to denote how often they usually employ a particular coping style. The participant responds according to a 5-point ordinal scale format with the following choices: “never,” “rarely,” “sometimes,” “often,” or “always.” They are then asked to rate which coping strategies “generally” used, which would indicate an overall disposition towards certain coping styles. Use the following scale to determine the coping styles and later categorize these styles into problem-focused, emotional focused or dysfunctional. Please respond to the questions below. Even though the questions are in the Multiple Choice format, there are no right or wrong answers. Instructions Please rate each of the following items from 1 to 5 in the space provided. Indicate how often you engage in these types of activities when you encounter a difficult, stressful or upsetting situation. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES OFTEN ALWAYS No. ___1___ ___2___ ___3___ ___4___ ___5___ 1 I take additional action to try to get rid of the problem 2 I try to come up with a strategy about what to do 3 I put aside other activities in order to concentrate on this 4 I force myself to wait for the right time to do something 5 I ask people who have had similar experiences what they did 6 I talk to someone about how I feel 7 I look for something good in what is happening 8 I learn to live with it 9 I seek god’s help 10 I get upset and let my emotions out 11 I refuse to believe that it has happened 12 I give up the attempt to get what I want 13 I turn to work or other substitute activities to take my mind off things 14 I concentrate my efforts on doing something about it 15 I make a plan of action 16 I focus on dealing with this problem, and if necessary let other things slide a little. 17 I hold off on doing anything about it until the situation permits 18 I try to get advice from someone about what to do 19 I try to get emotional support from friends and relatives 20 I try to see it in a different light, to make it seem more positive 21 I accept that this has happened and it can’t be changed 22 I put my trust in God 23 I let my feelings out 24 I pretend that it hasn’t really happened. 25 I just give up trying to reach my goal 26 I go to movies or watch TV to think about it less 27 I learn something from the experience 28 I get used to the idea that it has happened 29 I try to find comfort in religion 30 I talk to someone to find out more about the situation 31 I make sure not to make matters worse by acting too soon 32 I keep myself from getting distracted by other thoughts or activities 33 I think hard about what steps to take 34 I do what has to be done, one step at a time 35 I discuss my feelings with someone 36 I act as though it hasn’t even happened 37 I reduce the amount of effort I’m putting into solving the problem 38 I daydream about things other than this 39 I take direct action to get around the problem 40 I try to grow as a person as a result of the experience 41 I think about how I might best handle the problem 42 I accept the reality of the fact that it has happened 43 I try hard to prevent other things from interfering with my efforts at dealing with this 44 I feel a lot of emotional distress and find myself expressing those feelings a lot 45 I restrain myself from doing anything too quickly 46 I talk to someone who could do something concrete about the problem 47 I sleep more than usual 48 I get sympathy and understanding from someone 49 I drink or take drugs, in order to think about it less 50 I pray more than usual 51 I get upset, and I am really aware of it 52 I say to myself “this isn’t real.” 53 I admit to myself that I can’t deal with it, and quit trying

Portfolio Contents

Illustration/writing/diagram of one’s personal methods of stress relief including stressors.

Checklists of Performance Task

1. Write a report on one’s personal methods of stress relief (how one relieves stress at present and ways in which one plans to relieve stress)

	RUBRIC of performance criteria	V. Well Done	Well Done	OK	Not Ok- Will redo by ….
1.	I included my stressors.
2.	I included my symptoms of stress.
3.	I included my stress management options (whether I use them or not) and how I intend to relieve stress.
4.	I included what I do to reduce stress.
5.	I wrote my reflections/ poems/ stories regarding my emotions and stresses. The effectiveness/ non-effectiveness of stress management strategies so far.
6.	I included how I relieve stress.

2. Role-play demonstrating the effects of stress

	RUBRIC of performance criteria	V. Well Done	Well Done	OK	Not Ok- Will redo by ….
1.	I demonstrated the short-term effects of stress.
2.	I demonstrated the long-term effects of stress.
3.	I demonstrated solutions to being negatively stressed

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