SOS 3200 Module 6 Stress Management Plan: The Relaxation Response, Mindfulness and a Personal Plan Example

Twelve Minutes a Day and Four Changes: My Stress Management Plan

Student Name

B.S. in Health Studies, Thomas Edison State University

SOS-3200: The Management of Stress and Tension

Mentor Name

Month Day, Year

Twelve Minutes a Day and Four Changes: My Stress Management Plan

Introduction

This plan brings together what I learned in the first five modules. My perceived stress score was 24 out of 40, driven by daily hassles at work and in caring for my father. My stress response shows in headaches, night waking and colds. My resilience score was 71, with weak self-regulation and community ties. My coping relies on venting, distraction and self-blame at home. My sleep and activity fall short of recommendations. The plan adds one new practice, relaxation, and organizes the changes I have already chosen.

The Relaxation Response

Benson et al. (1974) described the relaxation response as an integrated response that is the opposite of the fight-or-flight reaction. In studies of meditators, it was marked by less oxygen use, a slower pulse, slower breathing and quieter sympathetic nerves. They identified four elements that elicit it: a mental device, such as a repeated word, sound or phrase; a passive attitude, letting distracting thoughts go without dwelling on them; decreased muscle tone in a comfortable position; and a quiet environment. They argued that these elements are common to many religious and secular practices, so people can choose a form that fits their beliefs.

This was important for me, since I have drifted from my church. A practice using a short prayer phrase as the mental device would combine relaxation with the meaning and spiritual connection I lost.

Evidence for Meditation

Goyal et al. (2014) systematically reviewed randomized trials of meditation programs aimed at stress and well-being. They found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation programs improve anxiety, depression and pain over about eight weeks, with small to moderate effects, and low evidence for improvements in stress and quality of life. Meditation did not outperform active comparisons such as exercise or medication. They concluded that clinicians should be prepared to talk with patients about meditation as a way to address psychological stress.

Khoury et al. (2015) focused on mindfulness-based stress reduction, an eight-week program of guided meditation, body scanning and gentle yoga, in people without diagnosed illness. Across their studies, the program had a large effect on stress, medium-sized gains in anxiety, depression, distress and quality of life and a small effect on burnout. Effects were maintained at follow-up in studies that measured them.

Goals

Goal 1: Practice the relaxation response for 12 minutes a day, six days a week, for eight weeks.

Goal 2: Sleep at least seven hours on weeknights, in bed by 10:45 p.m.

Goal 3: Take three or more half-hour walks each week.

Goal 4: Replace venting and self-blame at home with acceptance and next-day problem solving, and attend the church caregivers' group twice a month.

Goal 5: Ease caregiving overload by splitting pharmacy calls with my brother and setting up an alarmed pill box at my father's house.

Why This Technique

I considered other techniques before choosing the relaxation response. Progressive muscle relaxation, which tenses and releases muscle groups, would target my neck and shoulder tension directly, and I will use a short version at my desk. Yoga would add movement but needs more time and space than I have most mornings. Deep breathing alone is quick but may not hold my attention. The relaxation response fits best because it needs only twelve minutes, a chair and a phrase, and because I can make the phrase a prayer, which reconnects me with the spiritual part of the holistic approach this course describes. Mindfulness practice adds a way to notice worry without following it, which suits my 3 a.m. waking.

Steps

I will practice relaxation after my children leave for school, seated in the kitchen with my phone in another room, repeating a short phrase from a prayer my mother used and returning to it gently when my mind wanders. I will add a free mindfulness app's guided body scan on two days. If the practice helps, I will join an eight-week mindfulness course offered at a nearby hospital in the spring. The lifestyle, coping and caregiving steps follow from my earlier papers.

Evaluation

I will track each goal in a weekly journal and repeat three measures after eight weeks: the Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief COPE scales for acceptance, venting and self-blame and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. I will also count headache days and nights woken at 3 a.m. A successful plan would lower my perceived stress score by at least five points and halve my headache days.

Anticipating Setbacks

My father's illness will bring crises that disrupt my routine. When that happens, I will keep the shortest version of each habit, five minutes of relaxation and a ten-minute walk, rather than dropping them. Once a month, after Sunday dinner, I will reread the plan, with my husband if he is willing, and adjust it, since the goal is a habit I can sustain, not a perfect record.

Presenting the Plan

The course's final project includes a recorded presentation using a webcam. I will present my assessment results in one slide, my five goals in another and my evaluation measures in a third, speaking for no more than ten minutes and demonstrating one minute of the relaxation practice.

Limits

The meditation evidence shows modest average effects, and my results may differ. Self-report measures may change because I expect them to. The plan depends on my family's cooperation.

Conclusion

My plan joins one new daily practice, grounded in Benson's relaxation response and supported by Goyal and colleagues' and Khoury and colleagues' reviews, with the changes I chose after measuring my stressors, stress response, resilience, coping and habits. Clear goals, simple steps, repeated measures and a plan for setbacks make it something I can follow and judge.

References

Benson, H., Beary, J. F., & Carol, M. P. (1974). The relaxation response. Psychiatry, 37(1), 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1974.11023785

Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M. S., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., Berger, Z., Sleicher, D., Maron, D. D., Shihab, H. M., Ranasinghe, P. D., Linn, S., Saha, S., Bass, E. B., & Haythornthwaite, J. A. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357-368. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018

Khoury, B., Sharma, M., Rush, S. E., & Fournier, C. (2015). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 78(6), 519-528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.03.009