Stress Management VPS100

 

Sample Course Notes

MODERN DAY STRESSORS

A stressor is any thing that causes a person stress. Each of us have different stressors, what one person considers stressful another may consider challenging, or unimportant.

Our goals, our lifestyle, our beliefs, perceptions, personality, family and friend supports and attitudes together determine what we individually find stressful. If a person believes that they must make a lot of money to be successful, then their bank account may be a stressor, however someone who places less value on money is less likely to be bothered by their account balance as readily.

The big C's of urban stress are: Controls, Complexity, Competition and Computers. For many of us the hours we work, how we perform tasks, how we organize our day even how we dress is controlled by an employer. The tasks we must perform at work, interacting with new technologies, different world regions, over increasingly diverse job requirements, along with the balancing of work and family life are all issues of great complexity that cause most people some degree of stress. The competitive nature of business, competition for a job, promotion, partner, for your car space, when purchasing a home, between family members and friends is another major source of stress for many people.

Finally there are computers. In the past 20 years they have come into their own, making many of our recreation and job tasks much less tedious, as well as quicker and easier to perform. However, as the components, software and peripherals go out of date so quickly, people are not only having to maintain their vocational skills, but also their computer literacy. Most computer users have at some stage been confronted by a computer that freezes in the middle of an important task, that for no apparent reason deletes their data and crashes, printers that wont print, instructions with so much jargon you have no idea how to turn a piece of equipment on, let alone use it and new software interfaces that take time and patience to comprehend. For all their benefits, computers bring with them a myriad of complex problems that invariably cause their owner/user stress.

The imbalance between work and private life is a modern dilemma. Parents must work to support their families, and either the father works enormous hours to allow the mother to stay at home to care for the children, or the mother returns to work to supplement the household income. Either way there is stress. People are becoming increasingly sedentary, with little time to exercise, play sports and socialize with friends. When people do have time, they are often so stressed and exhausted from work that they simply do not have the energy to pursue hobbies and recreation.

The pressure to find a partner and have children, especially for women can sometimes make socializing a stressful activity in itself. Many people have their lives, particularly their family life and relationships and their finances so delicately balanced that are constantly living in fear of failure, or simple changes in circumstance that would finally break them.

The result is mental breakdown or other mental illnesses, family breakdown, job loss, bankruptcy and in the most serious cases, suicide. Prolonged high stress levels are linked to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart attacks and anxiety disorders, alcoholism and associated liver disease and chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, digestive disorders, headaches and poor immune system function (repeatedly getting colds and flus and any other ‘bug’ that is going around).

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course is divided into 8 lessons as follows (students complete one assignment per lesson):

1.  Body Changes – The fight or flight response; the stress and immune system; long term problems; sources of stress

2.  Easy Living – Anxiety; panic; fear; controlling stress; goal setting; relaxation

3.  Pills and Alcohol – Drugs and alcohol; smoking; seeking help

4.  Self Esteem – Self esteem; social support;

5.  Managing Your Own Career – Career goals; career management

6.  Security and Decision Making – Self assurance; decision making; problem solving

7.  Relaxation and Nutrition – Relaxation; we are what we eat; nutrition, diet and weight loss

8.  Personality and Stress – Type A and Type B personalities; personality types and stress; personal style inventory

 

AIMS

• Identify changes that occur to the body as stress develops.
• Identify the relationship between lifestyle and stress.
• Discuss the impact of legal drugs on the psychology of a person.
• Discuss the importance of self esteem in minimizing stress.
• Determine options for career management that will minimize potential for stress.
• Identify and address security issues that impact on stress levels.
• Identify aspects of relaxation and nutrition in a person’s life that may impact upon stress levels.
• Identify the relationship between stress and personality type.

 

If you are interested in this course, you may also be interested in the following courses -

Life Coaching http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Life-Coaching-33.aspx

Relationship and Communications Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Relationships-Communication-Counselling-357.aspx

Grief Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Grief-Counselling-148.aspx

Counselling Skills I http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Counselling-Skills-L-340.aspx

Careers Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Careers-Counselling-344.aspx

Crisis Counselling http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/Crisis-Counselling-342.aspx

Abnormal Psychology - http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/product.aspx?id=513

Or if you are not sure if psychology is for you, why not try our Introduction to Psychology - http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/product.aspx?id=359

If you would like to see our range of psychology books, please visit - http://www.acsbookshop.com/books_productcategory.aspx?id=14

For more information on the range of careers available in psychology, have a look at - http://www.thecareersguide.com/articles.aspx?category=14

We have some interesting articles on psychology and counseling at - http://www.acs.edu.au/psychol/

Stress is modern man's constant enemy. As life becomes more an more hectic, people work longer hours under greater time constraints, over global time zones with less recreation time more and more people struggle to cope with their stress levels. However, with proper self awareness and management techniques stress levels can be lowered, perceptions altered and responses improved. In this course we deal with physical problems related to stress, how to achieve easy living, dealing with drugs, developing self esteem, relaxation, diet and much more.

Anxiety, tension, and mental and emotional strain are all common problems in todays society. This course introduces you to some practical approaches to managing stress.

Approximate duration: 100 hours

Cost: $627.00 inc GST

Enrolment: Click here to enrol in this course