PSY 100 Psychology for Life Worksheet Assignment

PSY 100 Psychology for Life Worksheet Assignment

PSY 100 Grand Canyon Week 1 Discussion 1

Describe a stressful period in your life. What factors contributed to the stress? How did the Module 1 assigned readings help in understanding stress?

 PSY 100 Grand Canyon Week 1 Discussion 2

Please share the results of your stress self-assessment. Identify one stress factor to modify and provide suggestions on how you would modify this.

PSY 100 Grand Canyon Week 1 Assignment

Psychology for Life Worksheet

Directions:

Answer each of the following three questions in 100-150 words each.

1. Complete “Interactive Stress Quiz for Instant Health Risk Results!” located on the Stress Management Web site at .stress-management.net/stress-test.htm”>http://www.stress-management.net/stress-test.htm

What did the self-assessment tell you about your level of stress? Were you surprised by the results? Explain.

2. The readings for this Module discuss the relationship between motivation, emotion, and stress. After taking the quiz do you have a new perspective on this dynamic? Describe some times that your motivation and emotion have been affected by stressors in your life.
3. Describe how psychology is applicable to everyday life. Discuss topics such as relationships with others, work, school, etc. How might understanding psychology help you in your everyday life?

Normal and Abnormal Behavior Scenarios

To reflect on what you have read or studied so far in a course is an essential part of understanding. This worksheet form will provide a place for you to take some time and reflect on understanding how psychology can help you in your everyday life. Please use this week’s readings to assist you.

As you have learned, your mental health and wellness can affect your life and how you interact with others as a student, professional, and in your personal relationships.

A GCU student learns through the 4 Pillars that physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing is vital to success in academics in a chosen career field and in life in general. Explain what abnormal and normal behavior is and how to apply wellness strategies by completing the following:

Select woof the four case scenarios. Read the scenarios and answer all the questions that follow. Then complete the Wrap-up questions at the end of the assignment.

Jamie Single Mom

Jamie enrolled in the online Bachelors of Science in Psychology program at GCU in the spring of 2011. She is a single mom with two children under the age of 5 and she works a full-time job as a customer service representative.

Jamie is starting to feel overwhelmed with juggling school, work, and spending time with her children. Her physical symptoms are: wanting to cry every day, sometimes being short with her children, withdrawing from friends and family, and being tired and worn out. She is considering quitting school so that her life will return to some normalcy, but then she worries about how she will pay back her student loans when her current job barely covers her bills. Not only that, but she doesnot want to give up on her dream of becoming a counselor. Jamie feels as though she is in an endless cycle and does not know how to resolve her feelings and physical symptoms. Her negative thought processes have skewed her thinking.

As Jamie’s friend, what steps would you take to assist her?

What resources could Jamie use (both at school, home, and at work) to help her not feel so alone and isolated?

How could Jamie shift her thinking from a negative perspective to a more hopeful perspective?

John- Anxiety Disorder – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

John is single and has not worked in sometime. On a daily basis he fears what the day might bring. To make sure that the day goes right he takes 2 showers daily, one after getting up in the morning and one at mid-day. He also makes sure that each household task such as vacuuming, washing dishes, scrubbing the floors, etc is completed by noon every day and marks off these tasks on a checklist. Lastly, at night, he checks his house to make sure all windows and doors are locked. He unlocks and locks the front door at least three (3) times to assure that the lock is working.

John is also going to school, as he knows that he needs to find a job and is hoping to be able to do online computer work when he completes his degree. He is currently struggling with his schoolwork as he has started to obsess about certain routines in it as well, such as double- checking with the instructor every day that he has completed all of his work, posting 5 and 6 times to the classroom, and e-mailing his classmates daily to see if he has missed something. John recognizes that he needs some help, but does not know where to begin.

As his friend, what recommendations could you make in helping him reduce his anxiety?

What resources on the Internet could John use to help him daily?

What might be some types of therapy for John to use to reduce his symptoms of compulsion?

Tim – Young Adult

Tim is finding the freedom of being out on his own exciting and cannot seem to experience enough of his friends and having fun. He is going to school online per his family’s request to “make something of himself.” Although this is the case, he does see the value of going to school and would eventually like to complete a degree in business. He finds himself not completing his schoolwork on time and is considering dropping out, but does not want to let his parents know he is failing. He is feeling anxious about this as he is getting further and further behind. He does not want to give up on having fun with his friends either and is stuck in not knowing how to manage responsibility to his family’s wishes and maintaining a sense of freedom and autonomy.

What are some strategies that Tim could use to balance out his needing to have fun and be a young adult with the increasing need to be responsible?

How might you as his friend help Tim stay focused and on track with his schoolwork?

If you were Tim’s parent, how might you approach the actions that you are seeing in him in a positive and supportive way?

Alice Sleep Disorder – Insomnia

Alice is an executive at a local business and has struggled since her early adulthood with falling asleep most nights. She says that she feels “mentally hyperactive” at bedtime, and is unable to stop the thoughts of the day, especially those issues that were unresolved. She also feels that when she does not get all of her work done for the day that she does not “deserve to go to bed.” Any evening excitement such as a TV show, movie, or a party leaves her unable to quiet herself for hours, which leaves her tossing and turning in bed. Sometimes she finds herself waking up in the middle of the night and her thoughts are again racing about the day’s activities and problems. The lack of sleep leaves her feeling on edge at work the next day with her co-workers and with her fiancé. She has tried sleep-aids, but they make her feel groggy the next day and she does not want to become dependent on them.

As Alice’s friend, what strategies could you recommend to her towards alleviating her symptoms?

What resources are available to assist Alice in finding a solution to her problem?

What steps could Alice take in her life to find more balance with work and home?

Wrap up:

After reading the stories and answering the questions, complete this worksheet entry form by answering the following prompts:

1) Based on the 4 scenarios, which scenarios would be considered abnormal behavior? Why?

2) Of the people you chose to read about, how did their symptoms impact their life in a negative way? Explain.

3) How do you relate to the people in the stories you chose?

4) What positive psychology strategies might you use to combat the negative effects of these stressors and/or disorder symptoms?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Understanding stress and the factors that contribute to stress

Introduction

Stress is a normal part of life. It’s a response to any situation that causes you to feel overwhelmed and out of control. But stress can be harmful if it goes on for too long, causing physical and emotional problems. There are many factors contributing to stress:

What is stress?

Stress is a normal reaction to events that threaten our body, mind or social well-being. It’s also an important part of life. Stress can help us adapt to change and prepare for challenges—it’s an essential part of building resilience and coping with adversity.

Stress can be good or bad depending on what type you experience:

• Positive stress comes from challenges we enjoy (like challenging fitness goals), learning new skills, getting feedback from others about how we’re doing in our jobs/personal projects/etc., getting out of bed early on a Saturday morning so you can spend the day with friends before heading off for another fun weekend adventure!

• Negative stress comes from threats such as losing your job or having an accident at work causing physical damage; this kind of negative stress leads back into our lives because it makes us fearful which causes anxiety but there are ways around this problem which we’ll talk about later in this article (including journaling).

What contributes to stress?

Stress can be caused by external factors, such as the cost of living and work environment. It can also be caused by internal factors like anxiety and depression. The cost of living is a direct cause of stress because it makes it harder to pay bills on time and make ends meet. Work environments that are stressful are also a contributing factor to stress because they require more effort from you in order for you to succeed at your job, but the amount paid per hour isn’t enough for someone who needs food on their table every day; this pressure puts a lot of stress on people who work full-time jobs in order to provide for themselves financially without going into debt (which would mean even less money coming into their bank account). Relationships with loved ones or friends may also contribute negatively towards one’s mental health if there isn’t enough time spent together due to busy schedules outside of work hours—this can lead directly into feelings

of loneliness when feeling left out because someone else has more free time than others do! Finally–and most importantly–health issues such as diabetes must also be taken seriously when considering how much impact these conditions have on daily life activities like grocery shopping trips or meal preparation times.”

How we react to stress

Stress is a normal response to a situation. When we’re under stress, our bodies release chemicals that make us feel energized. We also experience heightened arousal and endorphin release, which makes us feel good about ourselves and less likely to be stressed out by the same thing again. The problem comes when stress becomes chronic—we may experience symptoms like headaches, chest pains or dizziness when we’re under pressure because there are too many different kinds of stressors acting on our body at once: physical demands (like running), emotional demands (like dealing with personal issues) or both combined into one big package!

There’s no one-size fits all solution for managing your health after experiencing significant life changes like moving across country or having an unexpected pregnancy; however there are ways you can minimize the impact these events have on both yourself as well as those around you such as avoiding caffeine during late pregnancy so as not cause more harm than good…

Is stress a bad thing?

Stress is a natural part of life. It’s part of the human experience, and we all feel it to some degree. The good news is that stress can also be a good thing if it motivates us to do things that are good for us—like exercising regularly or eating right—and bad if it causes us to behave in ways that are not good for us, such as eating too much junk food or spending too much money on clothes we don’t need.

The physical responses of stress

Stress causes the body to release adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels, suppresses the immune system, and breaks down muscle tissue. These hormones can be good for short periods of time when you need them—like during a physical confrontation with an attacker or during a battle with an unfamiliar situation in which your life is potentially at stake. However, prolonged use of these chemicals over time can lead to serious health problems like increased risk for heart disease or stroke (1).

While stress may not seem like it causes much immediate harm on its own—after all it’s only temporary—it can affect your entire body in ways that are long-term rather than immediate.

How does stress affect our health?

Stress can cause a number of health problems, including headaches, muscle tension and aches and pains. Stress also leads to sleep problems such as insomnia or sleeping too much. It can also lead to heart disease and digestive issues.

Stress can trigger anxiety and depression in some people who are prone to these disorders.

Managing stress

• Take time to relax.

• Do something you enjoy.

• Get enough sleep and eat well.

• Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime (it’s good for your health).

• Talk with someone about your feelings (a friend, a therapist).

• Avoid stress triggers like smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine, watching TV and eating high-fat foods late at night when it’s time for bed because they make you feel tired or depressed instead of energized like they should be; these activities will only increase anxiety levels instead of reducing them!

Stress may not be completely avoidable, but you can manage it

Stress is a natural part of life. It can sometimes be helpful and motivate us to do things we wouldn’t normally do, but it’s also common for stress to get in the way of our health and well-being.

Stress management techniques are ways we can reduce or manage our levels of stress so that they don’t have too much impact on our lives.

Conclusion

Stress is a part of life. It’s unavoidable, but you can learn to manage it and improve your mental health. The first step in managing stress is getting educated about the factors that contribute to it. You’ll want know where your stress comes from, how long it lasts and what actually happens when we experience this feeling on an emotional level. Next time someone asks how they’re doing or what’s wrong with them, instead of saying “nothing” (which doesn’t help), try saying “I’m stressed out because…”