EDACS 364 – Assignment 8
Embodied, Spiritual, and narrative learning
Jeff Kushel
Project Name: Reducing stress in a work environment.
See this link for the formal project presentation: Project 8
Goal: Everyone in a professional career encounters stress at some point in their day. Whether it’s dealing with customers, bosses, or even co-workers, stress at work can come from anywhere. In this class, we will learn several techniques to help reduce stress while at work or in a busy environment.
Objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to identify several techniques to help them reduce stress, including:
- Breathing Techniques
- Stretching Exercises
- Meditation
Rationales: Spirituality has become a popular topic in even as unlikely a site as America’s profit-driven corporate world. Dozens of articles and books are calling for management to integrate spirituality into workplace practices and allow for its expression in the workplace” (Merriam et al., 2020).
This course will utilize the spirituality design of adult learning. We will focus on helping our inner-selves achieve peace while in a hectic and stress-inducing environment. We will engage our minds and bodies to shed the physical and mental tension caused by stress.
Kinesthetic: Focusing on the movement and form of the body.
Affective: Controlling our emotions and achieving a sense of calm and purpose.
Sensory: Accessing information through our senses.
Module 1: Breathing Techniques |
Breathing is a great and effective way to reduce stress. The teacher will guide the students through the techniques which you can use at the desk, in your vehicle, or on the jobsite that can immediately reduce stress in the body. This course will discuss the following four techniques: 4-7-8, Ujjayi Pranayama, Lion’s Breath, and Box Breathing. |
4-7-8 Technique: Dr Weil, the developer of this technique, is seen here demonstrating how to perform it. This is one of the most popular and effective breathing techniques. |
Ujjayi Pranayama: A Yoga breathing exercise designed to relax the body. Here is a great video designed to teach you this ancient technique. |
Lion’s Breath: Don’t let the screen fool you, this is a great method for boosting energy and reducing stress. Another Yoga technique that can be done easily in the office. |
Box Breathing: A great technique actually employed by the US Navy SEALs, also known as tactical breathing. Simple and effective way to regain calm and reduce stress. |
Discussion: Class will practice some of these techniques and discuss their feelings afterwards. |
Summary of Module 1: Breathing techniques are "a powerful tool to ease stress and make you feel less anxious" (Fowler, 2018). The act of breathing allows us to focus and control our emotions while relieving the physical tension from our body and returning us to a regular emotional state. Kinesthetic Learning: We utilized the movement of our body in the form of controlled breathing, proper posture, and even our fingers to achieve a sense of calm. Affective Learning: We controlled our emotions, reducing the anxiety and increasing our calm, thereby improving our emotional health. Sensory Learning: We listened to our mind and body when it told us that we were stressed, we listened to our breathing to help us center ourselves in a busy or stressful environment. We achieved a spiritual center, a calmness within ourselves that will allow us to continue through the day. |
Module 2 - Stretching |
Stretching reduces the muscle tension, thereby reversing the cycle of tension, then tightening, and pain. Stretching has been shown to increase serotonin levels — i.e., the hormone that helps stabilize our mood, reduce stress, and overall makes us feel good — which causes a decrease in depression and anxiety (Adams-Colon, 2021) Here are a few techniques that will help. The following exercises are courtesy of Everyday Health (Quick Stretches for Stress Relief You Can Do Right Now | Everyday Health, n.d.) |
Students will also be given instructions for properly performing these stretches, written by the authors on the website. (Instructions were too lengthy to post in the forum) |
Discussion: Students will perform the stretches and then discuss how the stretches made them feel afterwards. They will also be given the opportunity to provide stretches that they may utilize on their own which has helped them relieve stress. |
Summary of Module 2: Instead of only utilizing their breathing, students are now utilizing the whole body to relieve tension and reduce stress. These are only a few exercises that can be performed in the office, but with each exercise we stretch our muscles and return closer to a regular emotional state. Kinesthetic Learning: Students utilized their bodies in a series of stretches to reduce stress. Through stretching, they've eased muscle tension and allowed their bodies to release serotonin to improve our mood. Affective Learning: Concentrating on the stretching movement instead of what is causing them stress, students were able to control their emotions and concentrate on themselves and their health. Sensory Learning: We feel the tension leaving our muscles, feel the release of serotonin, and reach an understanding that the stretching is benefiting our health. |
Module 3 - Meditation |
"If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help restore your calm and inner peace. Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive. And it doesn't require any special equipment. And you can practice meditation wherever you are — whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting" (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020). The following are videos providing great meditation techniques for stress reduction using meditation in a work environment. |
| Psychub: Meditation |
| Links to an external site. |
Discussion: Students will practice one of these meditation techniques and discuss how it makes them feel afterwards. They will discuss their experiences with meditation and offer other meditation ideas that they’ve utilized before. |
"Meditation has been utilized since before the birth of Christ. The earliest documented records that mentioned meditation involved Vedantism, which is a Hindu tradition in India, around 1500 BCE. However, historians believe that meditation was practiced before this time, as early as 3000 BCE" (Meditation History, 2010). It has a long been known to help achieve a spiritual balance within a person, and continues to help us relieve stress, anxiety, and several other mental conditions. Kinesthetic Learning: While stretching made active use of the body, meditation asks that students be calm and reposed to allow the mind to achieve calm. Students will utilize a relaxed, and familiar posture that will help them achieve this calm. Affective Learning: Students will control their emotions and thoughts, using techniques in the video to allow their minds to ease stress and release tension and emotion. Sensory Learning: These techniques are almost the absence of sensory learning, instead focusing inward and tuning out the world around them. With practice, sights and sounds will be ignored in favor of inner dialogue. |
Additional Resources The following are apps for your smartphone that can help with meditation and other exercises to reduce stress: |
Calm - The #1 App for Meditation and Sleep
The activities are comprehensive and good, please check my comments about the connection between activities and the framework. Bo
References
Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., Baumgartner, L., & Jossey-Bass Inc. (2020). Learning in adulthood : a comprehensive guide. Jossey-Bass, . © By John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Fowler, P. (2018, January 11). Breathing techniques for stress relief. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-relief-
Links to an external site.breathing-techniquesAdams-Colon, B. (2021, June 23). The Simple Act of Stretching. Center for Healthy Aging. https://www.research.colostate.edu/healthyagingcenter/2021/06/23/the-simple-act-of-
Links to an external site.stretching/#:~:text=Stretching%20reduces%20the%20muscle%20tensionQuick Stretches for Stress Relief You Can Do Right Now | Everyday Health. (n.d.). EverydayHealth.com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/quick-
Links to an external site.stretches-for-stress-relief/Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020, April 22). Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-
Links to an external site.procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858Meditation History. (2010, May 18). News-Medical.net. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Meditation-History.aspx#:~:text=Ancient%20history
No comments:
Post a Comment