Stress Management Coping Strategies Project

Stress management is an important feature of our lives since it helps lead a happier and healthier life. The reason for saying so is that it aids in relaxing and having fun in activities with friends and family so that even the people living around us feel good if we are resilient enough to handle pressure or stress. Coping with stress is a better preparation method for a person to accept challenges in life, boost the immune system, improve blood regulation, give strength to the disease-fighting hormones, and release glands that are effective for psychological well-being. Exercise is suggested to be the best way the body releases endorphins that give power to the neurological system. Engaging in 20-30 minutes of exercise daily is an effective strategy for coping with stress and relaxing with daily stress.

The following project focuses on the importance of engagement in physical activity and its effect on psychological well-being. The aim of this paper is personal management in stress management and relaxation technique for 10-15 minutes per day and reporting on personal experience. For this purpose, I was engaged in physical activities for two weeks, such as playing golf, eating well, meditating, going to Church, and reading the Bible. I reported the daily mood and feelings on a scale that rated from 1 to 10. The findings were then evaluated based on daily progress due to physical activities, motivation, stress levels, and an overall psychological impact. Literature evidence was then presented concerning the stress management techniques that I chose for myself. The challenges I faced during the entire process and how I overcame them have been elucidated as well. The paper concludes with a future intention of whether I would engage in these activities if they had a better impact on my physical and psychological health and well-being.

The stress management and relaxation techniques that I opted for myself to be carried out for fourteen days and at least 10-15 minutes per day are playing golf, exercising, and meditation. I thought of engaging in religious activities like going to Church on Sundays and reading Bible. The reason for selecting these activities is that I am on my way to San Antonio, and I plan to play golf over there. If I do not meditate while having days off, I would feel bad since I have noticed that when I eat badly, I feel sluggish. I do not feel that I have a clear mind. I know the importance of workout and am also aware that I will not be as strong in golf if I do not exercise. I am sure that meditation is best for a person, along with some engagement in religious activities, for which I have planned that I would go to Church every Sunday besides reading Bible.

Mood

Feel

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Mood: Rating 1-10 (1 being very negative, 5 being neutral, 10 being very positive)

Feel: Rating 1-10 (1 being very agitated, 5 being neutral, 10 being very calm)

My mood and feelings are rated at 1 on day 1 since I was negative about how I felt about my health. Since I had not been engaged in any regular workout routine before, I was lazy to implement this routine. The mood and feelings remained the same on the second day as it was still difficult for me to overcome my laziness, and I had to fight with myself, making me feel agitated.

On the third day, I rated myself on a scale of 3 for both mood and felt since I had started to feel positive about my daily routine as I witnessed other people running and jogging in the nearby areas and appeared fit. It gave me motivation and improved my temper. The ratings kept on increasing for this very reason till the eighth day. One week passed, and I could observe feeling positive than before concerning my fitness, health, and emotional and psychological well-being. I felt fresh and motivated than before.

From the ninth day onwards, I gave myself a rating of 10, which meant that I was extremely confident about my mood and felt about the relaxation techniques that I had opted for myself. I had developed an optimistic view of life and planned to stay healthy and active in the future. Planning is strength in itself, which I have done for personal well-being, especially for emotional, physical, and psychological comfort. This is the very attitude that I did not expect to find in myself when I started this two-week relaxation routine that I am surprised to have discovered.

Research has given considerable evidence that engagement in physical activities, be it golf, gives several health benefits that directly or indirectly impact mental health in a positive way (Murray et al. 1). There has been limited data that shows the direct effect of playing golf on mental health; however, engaging in moderate physical activity like golf is favorable for health improvement.

The next relaxation technique that I followed was meditation that has a positive influence on psychological health. Research had corroborated this fact when a study was conducted on students who, before meditation, gave a score of 65%. After meditation and relaxation tactics, the score increased up to 82% for psychological well-being (Vijayaraghavan and Chandran 675). Moreover, being involved in religious activities like going to Church, reading Bible, and being close to God creates a mental balance compared to those who do not believe in God and do not go to Church or pray (Francis and Kaldor 183).

The only challenge that I encountered was overcoming my laziness towards adopting an active routine for two weeks. I knew beforehand that sticking to an active routine would help me physically but was unaware of its innumerable psychological health benefits. I had to convince myself in the initial days, where I rated myself 1 for my mood and feel, to push myself harder for sticking to this routine.

I learned from the overall experience that exercise improves mental health and boosts mood as it has an inherent factor of uplifting a person’s energies. A decrease in symptoms of stress and a natural effect of calmness are reiterated on a person’s health. There is an improvement in mood and personal pride in participating in physical activity, such as golf. There is an improvement in body posture. I felt composed and energetic. I also learned that by keeping myself active, there comes confidence in my physical abilities as the decrease in stressful signs is observed and an increase in better management in coping with stress. Therefore, the value of engaging in exercise daily at least for 20-30 minutes is never overstated in terms of psychological and physical well-being.