Table of Contents
Stress Score
My score was 240, which indicates a moderate life crisis. According to the book, I have a 50% chance of illness. This is not surprising to me as I have recently taken out a new auto loan, stopped smoking, and returned to school after a long hiatus, which has affected my sleeping and eating habits. All of these are quite stressful, worry about family finances and the increased burden my car note makes on it, trying to avoid activities that trigger the desire to smoke, and making sure I budget adequate time for sleeping and eating around my school schedule (Coon and Mitterer, 2013).
Current Stress Management
Currently, I am using guided imagery to help me reduce my stress load. Guided imagery is a great stress reliever for me because of my hectic schedule. At times I have difficulty finding the time to relax, however, with guided imagery I can calm myself quickly and easily while I am lying down, sitting in a chair, or even while I am standing up. The flexibility of guided imagery is what makes it so successful for me I can incorporate it into small quiet times during my day, from breaks between assignments to my bedtime routine. I use guided imagery to give me relief from the stress of the day.
Positives and Negatives of Exercise
One of the stress management techniques we covered was Exercise. I could see using exercise as I get more set in my school routine. One of the benefits of exercise is that it would get me outside and away from household chores and school work. This would give me a time where I did not feel bad for not thinking about getting something accomplished. Another benefit is that it would help increase my overall health.
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An increase in overall health would help keep me focused on my school work. One downside is that being able to go outside is controlled by the weather, on days where it is raining or excessively hot I would not be able to do my exercising and that could break the habit. Another caveat to is that it is not as quick as guided imagery it takes time to get the right clothes on and change shoes and get to where I am going to exercise. With such a tight schedule finding the time for routine exercise could become a major issue.
Future Stress Management Plan
I plan to continue using guided imagery and start scheduling time for exercise. I am glad to have a plan in place to help me deal with the added stress of school. It will take a lot of work to find the time to incorporate exercise into my stress reduction plan but I believe the benefits make it worthwhile. The added benefits of exercise along with guided imagery will help me cope with the stress of school and family and will lead to a healthier future for me.
Reference
- Coon, D. & Mitterer, J.O. (2013). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior, 13th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
