Unit 11: Managing Your Health and Stress
You may be aware that poor health can be a major cause of stress, but did you know that prolonged stress can also cause bad health? Especially if being a college student coincides with your first experience living away from your parents, or if you are balancing school with work or your own family life, college can present new and stressful academic, social, and financial challenges. Managing your responsibilities well includes managing the stress they may cause you, and this unit provides you with proven strategies for stress management that can help.
For some people, one of the biggest challenges about stress is recognizing the symptoms of stress before they are out of control. Others struggle with identifying the causes of their stress. This unit will present you with strategies to help you realize when you are feeling stress and pinpoint the cause of that stress. It will also give you techniques for managing and reducing stress, both in the short- and the long-term.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 17 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- explain various academic demands and challenges that are faced by different types of students;
- describe the elements of a healthful lifestyle;
- identify personal sleep, exercise, and diet needs;
- list common causes of stress for college students;
- describe the physical, mental, and emotional effects of persistent stress;
- illustrate techniques for managing and reducing stress;
- identify personal symptoms and causes of stress;
- formulate a personal plan for managing your stress;
- identify negative feelings and depressive thoughts and develop strategies for managing and preventing them; and
- discuss ways to manage your sexual health and identify resources to support and protect your sexual health.
11.1: What Kind of Student Are You?
Read this section. College students comprise a more diverse group than you ever may have experienced before. You will have a much more interesting and fruitful time in college if you understand this change and know where you and your friends fit into the mix. For each category of student described in this section, consider whether you could fit into the category. It will be useful for you to be particularly aware that you and other students may fit into more than one category! Just as there are many diverse students that make up a college population, so too are there many ways to be a successful student in college. Make sure to complete the checkpoint exercises at the end of the reading.
11.2: The Elements of a Healthful Lifestyle
In Chapter 10, complete the "Where Are You Now?" and "Where Do You Want to Go?" self-assessments on the state of your current health. Then, read the "How Do I Get There" section to gain an understanding of the information you will explore in Chapter 10. Finally, read the introduction to get a good overview of this important unit.
11.2.1: Nutrition and Weight Control
Read this section. Make sure to complete the self-assessment and checkpoint exercises in this reading. Keep in mind that college life can present unique challenges to your eating habits, but by employing the strategies in this reading, you can successfully control you nutrition and weight.
11.2.2: Activity and Exercise
Read this section and complete the self-assessment and checkpoint exercises in the text. If you are primarily an online student, this section may have particular importance for you! As an online student, you may be more sedentary. When you do not have to walk to and from classes across a large campus, you may have to seek alternative ways to add activity to your day.
11.2.3: Getting Enough Sleep
Read this section to learn the basics of good sleep. Take care in reading the first section, titled "The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep," to identify the reasons why you should pay attention to your sleeping habits. Make sure to complete the self-assessment and the checkpoint exercises in this reading.
11.2.4: Substance Use and Abuse
Read this section. Make sure to complete the self-assessment, the case study, and the checkpoint exercises. Please note that, as an online student, your reactions to this section will not be seen, heard, or read by instructors, administrators, or other students. This information is between you and yourself only, so make sure that your answers are honest and comprehensive. You can make decisions later about what actions you may or may not take; first, just read to inform yourself, without judgment.
11.3: What Exactly Is Stress?
Watch this video to learn what stress is and effective stress management techniques. It may help to take notes as you watch this video.
11.4: What Causes Stress?
Read the introductory text to this section, complete the self-assessment, and read the text below the heading titled "What Causes Stress."
In your notebook, reflect on any major life stressors you have experienced over the years, and the ways in which you handled them. Knowing your past personal coping mechanisms will provide you with insight on how you can improve your strategies in the future.
In your notebook, also consider what stressors you may face in your daily life and how you may overcome these stressors to focus on your studies.
11.5: The Effects of Stress
In this section, read the text below the heading titled "What's Wrong with Stress?" to gain an understanding of the negative effects that stress may cause.
Long-term effects of stress can develop into serious medical conditions over time; be sure to monitor your responses to stress so that you can manage your health before stress exacts long-term consequences.
Can you identify any additional short-term effects of stress that you have experienced in your life?
11.6: Responses to Stress
In this section, read the text below the headings titled "Unhealthy Responses to Stress," "Coping with Stress," and "Tips for Success." Make sure to complete the self-assessment, journal, and checkpoint exercises.
11.7: Positive Responses
Read through this presentation to review additional positive techniques to manage stress. It is vital that you reach out for help before you feel desperate or in a panic over your stress levels. A little help early on can help you learn how to manage stress before it becomes a major problem.
11.8: Emotional Health and Happiness
Read this section up until the "Relationships" heading, which will be covered in the next subunit. Make sure to complete the self-assessment in the text.
If any of these forms of anxiety sound familiar to you, it is likely that some professional counseling could greatly improve your emotional health.
Keep in mind that while you may not feel these emotions as strongly as they are described here, you may experience a version of these emotions at some point in your college career. Learning about these emotions and how to cope with them now will prove important and helpful to you in the future.
Pay attention to identifying these symptoms now, even though they may not apply to you or someone you know at this point.
If you or a friend is in a crisis and needs help at any time, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). All calls are confidential.
11.9: Relationships
In this section, read the text beneath the "Relationships" heading. After finishing this reading, make sure to complete the checkpoint exercises at the end of the text.
11.10: Sexual Health
Read this section. Make sure to complete the self-assessment; know that this assessment is confidential and can be kept in your notebook for your own personal information. Complete the checkpoint exercises at the end of the reading.
Pay special attention to the careful definitions of various terms used in the text. Knowing how your values are related to these issues is an important part of building your own value system.
If you are sexually assaulted or know someone that has been, talk to someone. Call 911, a rape crisis center, your student health center, and/or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) for a confidential conversation.
Read this page. Think about how you can prevent sexual assault and violence. Make a list of important emergency phone numbers for your own campus and/or home. Be sure to program these phone numbers into your cell phone.
11.11: Evaluate Your Stress Levels
Complete this self-evaluation. At the end of the evaluation, print or save your "Stress Numbers," and then click on the "What Your Scores Mean" button. Read the explanations on this page, and then print or save this page as well. You will need this information to answer the questions for the next assignment.
Using your results from the "Oxygen Plan Stress Test," which you completed in the activity above, answer the questions in this activity.
Unit 11 Assessment
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In this assessment, you will be asked to think about strategies for protecting yourself and safely dealing with stress. Please take note of the suggestions and resources that will appear after you submit your reflections. You may want to keep some of these phone numbers in your cell phone's contacts.