activity

For 2 weeks straight, you are to engage in some stress management / relaxation technique for 10-15 minutes per day then report on your experience as explained below.

Activity

Begin by choosing an activity you wish to take on and engage in for 14 days. Here are some ideas: walking, jogging, stretching, bicycling, swimming, weight training, jumping rope, yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, progressive relaxation, body scanning, visualization, repetitive prayer, listening to soothing music, painting or coloring, journaling about 3 things for which you are thankful, something you wish for or dream about, or a positive experience you had during the day.  The idea is to try something that you do not currently practice each day and stick with it every day for 2 full weeks.  If you are interested in body scanning meditation or visualization, here are sample audio/video guides: Body Scan Meditation or Visualization - Forest.

Each day before you engage in your activity, track your overall mood using a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being very negative, 5 being neutral, and 10 being very positive.  You should also track how you feel, use a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being very agitated, 5 being neutral, and 10 being very calm.  When you finish your activity, once again, track your overall mood and how you feel.  Write down this information every day and even though you need not submit it, you will need to summarize your overall results in your report.

At the end of the 14 days, review the tracking of your moods and feelings throughout that time period, and to prepare to write your essay, evaluate the findings of how your mood and feelings changed or did not change.

Writing

Begin your essay by clearly describing the stress management / relaxation technique you chose to use.  Then discuss the findings that you tracked each day before and after engaging in your activity.  Be sure to thoroughly address what you originally expected to find and then anything that may have surprised you, as this is 25% of your grade on the essay.

Next, write an overview of your technique in reference to the benefits to your psychological well-being.  You should also address any challenges you encountered and what you learned from the overall experience.  Lastly, be certain to disclose whether or not you intend to continue to use the technique in the future.  Again, please provide a thorough discussion, as this part is also worth another 25% of your grade on the essay.

Stress and Coping Rubric

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