Revised 5/2025

HLT 215 - Personal Stress Management (3 CR.)

Course Description

Provides a basic understanding of stress and explores its physical, psychological and social effects. Includes the relationships among stress and change, self-evaluation, sources of stress, and ways to develop current coping skills for handling stress. The assignments in the course require college-level reading fluency and coherent communication through written reports. Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

HLT 215 explores basic concepts of personal stress and identifies personal stress management strategies.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

Communication

  • Communicate openly and accurately with others regarding the stress response and techniques for managing stress

 Critical Thinking

  • Recognize the importance of taking a preventative approach to managing stress
  • Explore and evaluate strategies for managing time and financial stressors
  • Describe the interaction between mind and body in response to stress
  • Compare and contrast characteristics of healthy and unhealthy responses to stress

Social and Cultural Understanding

  • Apply communication and conflict resolution techniques to manage stressors in personal and professional relationships

Information Literacy

  • Select and utilize credible sources of health information

Personal Development

  • Develop and employ a personalized plan to manage stress
  • Assess personal goals, time and financial management skills
  • Recognize the role of emotions and perception in managing stress
  • Explore a variety of relaxation techniques for mind and body
  • Utilize techniques for managing existing sources of stress
  • Develop and employ a personalized plan to manage stress

Defining Stress

  • Define the terms stress and stressor
  • Explain the difference between eustress and distress
  • Differentiate between duration and degree with respect to stress
  • Differentiate between acute and chronic stress
  • Describe the dimensions of health/wellness
  • Classify stressors into the dimensions of wellness
  • Describe homeostasis and the impact of stress on homeostasis
  • Explain the fight-or-flight response
  • Share personal examples of the fight or flight response
  • Describe the phases of the General Adaptation Syndrome
  • Recognize examples of the phases of the General Adaptation Syndrome
  • Formulate an explanation of how human response to stress has changed over time
  • Define the Yerkes Dodson principle
  • Discuss a variety of theories related to stress (life events, daily hassles, tend and befriend, hardiness, Dynamic Systems Theory (DST)
  • Given a situation, provide examples of each of the three approaches to a stressor
  • Assess their current stress levels based on a variety of stress assessments
  • Determine needed actions based on results of the stress assessments
  • Identify primary and secondary sources for stress in their life
  • Define why stress is a problem
  • Explain how stress is both a stimulus and response
  • Describe Allostasis and why it is detrimental to long-term health
  • Identify the Transactional Model of Stress

Mind, Body and Stress

  • Identify the biological mechanisms of stress in the body’s systems (*Endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, immune, digestive, etc.)
  • Explain physiological and psychological indicators of stress
  • Identify major fight or flight responses in the body
  • Discuss the role of the CNS and Limbic system in stress response
  • Identify the physiological HPA process of stress in the body
  • Describe the role of Cortisol in the body in its relation to a perceived threat
  • Explore the role of Dopamine as a motivator of stress response
  • List the physiological changes associated with the stress response
  • Identify the stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome
  • Explain how the science of stress relates to stress management and prevention
  • Describe the role of stress in disease
  • Discuss how stress can affect each of the body systems
  • Discuss various diseases associated with stress
  • Explain the relationship between stress and the immune response
  • Explain the terms psychosomatic, placebo effect, and nocebo effect as they relate to the relationship between mind and body

Values and Goals

  • Define the term value
  • Describe the processes of values acquisition and values clarification
  • Discuss values of various cultures
  • Clarify and prioritize the values most important in your life
  • Define the terms Niagara Syndrome, dharma, and altruism as they relate to values
  • Explain the connection between values clarification and stress management
  • Differentiate between a value and a priority
  • Establish their own "top ten list" of priorities
  • Describe the components of the "SMART" acronym of goal writing
  • Based on their goals, establish a set of goals that meet the "SMART" criteria

Time Management

  • Access how they spend their time
  • Identify time management strategies to complete undesirable tasks
  • Identify and apply methods to overcome procrastination
  • Explain how to delegate tasks as a time management
  • Describe the ABC123 and Quadrant Planning techniques
  • Classify tasks based on the ABC123 and Quadrant Planning techniques
  • Distinguish between principles of life balance and serendipity
  • Explain Pareto's Law (the 80:20 rule) and how it relates to time management
  • Select time management techniques that work for them
  • Reduce their stress by being more efficient and effective
  • Define procrastination and describe how it keeps them from completing tasks

Communication and Conflict

  • Define communication styles to include assertive, aggressive and non-assertive
  • Recognize differences in body language for each communication style
  • Explain the benefits of assertiveness
  • List attributes of assertive body language
  • List and explain the "six steps" for effective verbal communication
  • Apply the "six steps" for effective verbal communication to communication scenarios
  • Define conflict
  • Discuss the benefits and detriments of conflict
  • Identify five styles of conflict management
  • Describe attributes of each style of conflict management
  • Explain situations in which each style of conflict management is best used
  • Demonstrate use of each conflict negotiation style

Emotions and Relationships

  • Describe the connection between social support and stress
  • Describe the types of social support
  • Explain how effective listening is the key to healthy communication you statements vs. I statements
  • Differentiate between verbal and non-verbal communication
  • Discuss how different genders handle stress
  • Explain how negative emotions such as guilt, worry, fear, anger, and hostility relate to stress
  • Describe the physiological manifestations of certain emotions
  • Distinguish between guilt and worry
  • Explain the differences between anger and hostility
  • Take action to prevent and control stress-causing emotions
  • Define Emotional Intelligence, and how it relates to stress and communication

Perception and Cognitive Methods

  • Define perception and the impact of perceptions on our experience with stress
  • Describe cognitive appraisal and cognitive restructuring
  • Describe how the hardiness characteristics of commitment, challenge and control can be developed to facilitate a more positive perception
  • Define locus of control and describe its relationship to stress
  • Recognize and distinguish between examples of internal and external locus of control
  • Define and provide personal examples of conditioned response
  • Define and distinguish among cognitive dissonance, cognitive distortion and cognitive restructuring
  • Define thought-stopping, personalizing, positive self-talk and power language
  • Distinguish among self esteem, self awareness, self efficacy and self-limiting beliefs
  • Recognize examples of cognitive techniques of stress management
  • Apply cognitive techniques to personal situations
  • Identify and distinguish among the seven levels of response (effective and ineffective)
  • Identify their thought patterns that have positive or negative effects on stress response

Financial Matters

  • Explain the ABCs of money management
  • Create and implement a plan for financial fitness
  • Set financial goals to reduce money-related stress
  • Discuss how doodads and credit cards contribute to financial stress
  • Investigate what the research says about the relationship between money and satisfaction in life

Healthy Behaviors

  • Explain the health and stress-relieving benefits of a balanced exercise program
  • Describe the components of a healthy diet
  • Explain the impact of stress on nutritional needs and body fat
  • Assess the amount of sleep they require
  • Explain unhealthy coping strategies, including negative effects of tobacco, alcohol and drugs
  • Incorporate healthy lifestyle habits into their life to reduce and eliminate stress
  • Describe the relationship of sleep and stress
  • Identify digital detoxification strategies
  • Describe the impact of stress and being around positive and/or negative individuals

Spirituality and Healing Methods for Stress Reduction Environments

  • Describe the influence of spirituality on stress
  • Differentiate between religiosity and spirituality
  • Discuss the research linking spirituality and health
  • Summarize the barriers to research on spirituality
  • Delineate the five qualities of spiritual health
  • Develop a personal plan to reduce stress through spiritual balance
  • Describe what is meant by a “healing environment”
  • Describe the role our senses play in both stress induction and stress reduction
  • Describe the role of the aesthetic qualities of surroundings in creating a healing environment
  • Explain how a healing environment helps to prevent stress
  • Evaluate their personal level of technostress
  • Explain how technology can be managed to prevent stress

Physical Methods for Stress Reduction

  • Describe the purpose and types of progressive relaxation
  • Outline the steps in various progressive relaxation techniques
  • Define and recognize examples of biofeedback
  • Describe the purpose of and types of yoga
  • Compare and contrast various deep breathing techniques
  • Differentiate among the different types and techniques of massage
  • Recognize and discuss the health and stress relief benefits of various relaxation techniques for the body
  • Describe precautions for various relaxation techniques for the body
  • Locate resources to assist with select relaxation techniques
  • Practice/experience select relaxation techniques for the body
  • Recognize and discuss the health and stress relief benefits of physical activity for the body

Psychological Methods for Stress Reduction

  • Explain the mind-body connection in relaxation and stress reduction
  • Describe mindfulness
  • Explain the types of meditation (Transcendental, MBSR, Visual, Walking)
  • Describe the elements of a meditative process
  • Describe the physical, emotional and psychological benefits to meditation
  • Describe the purpose, benefits and precautions of aromatherapy
  • Describe the process of guided imagery
  • Explain how laughter can be used to cope with stress
  • Explain how and why music can be used to cope with stress
  • Recognize and discuss the health and stress relief benefits of various relaxation techniques for the mind
  • Describe precautions for various relaxation techniques for the mind
  • Locate resources to assist with select relaxation techniques
  • Practice/experience select relaxation techniques for the mind
  • Discuss how “me” time can be used to cope with stress

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Defining Stress
  • Mind, Body and Stress
  • Values and Goals
  • Time Management
  • Communication and Conflict
  • Emotions and Relationships
  • Perception and Cognitive Methods
  • Financial Matters
  • Healthy Behaviors
  • Spirituality and Healing Methods for Stress Reduction Environments
  • Physical Methods for Stress Reduction
  • Psychological Methods for Stress Reduction