Practical Stress Management is a focused, personal, worksheet-based text that combines theory and principles with hands-on exercises to help students manage the negative impact of stress in their lives. The Fifth Edition has been revised to include pre-test and post-test assessment to focus a broad range of topics and to rate students’ personal stress level and stress coping skills. As a practical tool for recognizing and preventing stress, the action-oriented approach enables students to make personal change through self-reflection and behavior change techniques.

The workbook emphasizes a positive approach to stress management, covering topics such as relaxation techniques, coping with anxiety, managing anger, communication skills, and exercise and nutrition. In this edition, the authors cover financial stress and expand their section on alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse to include information on binge drinking. Worksheets and Thoughts for Reflection boxes help students determine their own levels of stress and apply effective stress management techniques.

Features

• Worksheets in every chapter allow students to self-assess and gauge their stress levels and coping skills. Guided practice encourages students to apply what they learn about stress and stress management, while helping them identify and react to their own personal stressors and stress responses.
• Feedback on Worksheets helps students interpret the results of the guided practice and often provides suggestions for how the knowledge can be used to avoid or treat stress.
• Stress Management Principles give students practical advice on how to recognize and handle stress in their own lives.
• Thoughts for Reflection provide ideas on ways to improve physical and emotional health and self-reflective questions or statements that help students think about the concepts introduced.
• Feature boxes introduce additional interesting information, and often focus on Eastern principles related to stress management.
• The text comes packaged with an audio CD-ROM titled “Relaxation Techniques.” The CD-ROM contains an introduction to the issues of stress and its impact on human health, and leads students through a variety of relaxation exercises.

New To This Edition

• NEW! A pre-test assessment has been added to the front of the text and a post-test has been added to the end of the text, focusing a broad range of topics and rating the students’ personal stress level and stress coping skills.
• A section on Financial Stress has been added to Time Management (Chapter 9), and contains a concise overview of financial stress/management and has an accompanying worksheet activity.
• An expanded section on alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse (Chapter 7) now includes information on binge drinking.
• Worksheets and feedback have been moved to the end of the chapter to increase accessibility.
• A new design gives the book a fresh look and makes it easier-to-navigate.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding Stress

2. Enhancing Awareness About Managing Stress

3. Relaxation

4. Effective Communication

5. Managing Anger and Resolving Conflicts

6. Coping with Anxiety

7. Eating Behaviors for Healthy Lifestyles

8. Regular Physical Activity and Exercise

9. Efficient Time Management

10. Implementing a Stress Reduction Plan