Reference no: EM132371272

Assignment: As we have reviewed in the readings this week (chapter 11), stress is unavoidable. It is a part of our daily lives. For this week's activity, please try each of the activities below when you feel stress enters into your life:

1. Breathe deep. Taking a deep breath has been shown to lower cortisol levels, which can help reduce stress and anxiety. Studies suggest deep breathing can also cause a temporary drop in blood pressure.

2. Try progressive relaxation. All the way from fingers to toes - tense and then release each muscle group in the body (lower arm, upper arm, chest, back and abdominals, etc.). Once the body is relaxed, the mind soon follows.

3. Listen to music. Research points to multiple ways in which music can help relieve stress, reduce triggering biochemical stress reducers to assisting in treating stress associated with medical procedures.

Try each technique throughout the week when you feel stressed. At the end of the week, please submit a 1-page journal (double-spaced) defining your thoughts and findings on how each experience went.

• Did it help relieve the stress you were feeling?

• Did you find a certain technique that you preferred?

• Did outside factors influence how effective or ineffective the technique(s) was?

Please cite from the book only.