Sneak Peek
Learn to Better Deal with Stress
If you are feeling stressed by life, our 20 hour short course will help you with strategies and understanding on Managing Stress.
The Managing Stress short course is a 20 hour course in understanding the many psychological and physical aspects of stress and the many ways in which you can manage stress and negative emotions. Using a self paced, interactive study guide, you can take as much or little time as you wish to complete this course.
Stress occurs when a system is put under pressure. Likewise, when people are overtaxed they become stressed. If this stress continues indefinitely, they experience strain and this can make us vulnerable to a range of psychological, physical and emotional difficulties. It is therefore good for one’s well-being to keep stress within tolerable levels.
Some topics covered in this course include understanding negative emotions, controlling stress, managing anger, understanding depression and anxiety, how to deal with shame, guilt and self doubt, coping with negative emotions at home and at work and most importantly, achieving balance.
Start today, learn today, learn when you like. You could finish this course in a weekend if you wanted or take a year- it’s up to you.
How do our short courses work?
As you progress through each lesson; you will be provided with a range of ways you can expand your learning. By choosing what tasks you do and don't undertake; you can expand in areas that interest you most, and skip areas of less interest.
You won't miss anything important that you need to know about stress management though; so long as you read the notes that are presented alongside these "learn more" suggestions.
At the end of each lesson, you will be given a short interactive test to undertake, which will provide an indication of how your learning is progressing. Upon completing the very last lesson, you will be offered a more thorough automated test or examination. This final assessment can be undertaken at any time of day or night; and any day of the week; and if you achieve an overall pass; you will be able to obtain a "certificate of completion".
The Lessons
LESSON 1 NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
Introduction
What are negative emotions?
The need for control
Overview of negative emotions
Causes of negative emotions
Physiological arousal
The impact of negative emotions
Negative emotions and mental health disorders
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 2 STRESS CONTROL
Why do we need to control our stress?
Physiological response to stress
General adaptation syndrome
Responses to chronic stress
Long-term outcomes
Cognitive responses to stress
Defence mechanisms
The stress epidemic
Stress and war
Stress and disease
Stress and relationships
Stress and crime
Dealing with stress
Stress management techniques
Poor coping strategies
Useful coping strategies
Relaxation strategies
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 3 ANGER MANAGEMENT
The impact of anger
Anger as physiological arousal
Ways of conceptualising anger
Passive aggressive anger
Aggressive anger
Anger management
Ways to diffuse anger
Counselling strategies
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 4 DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
Depression
Depressive disorders
Symptoms of depression
Causes of depression
Other physical illnesses
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders
Symptoms of anxiety
Causes of anxiety
Combating anxiety and depression
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 5 DEALING WITH SHAME, GUILT AND SELF-DOUBT
Other common negative emotions
Shame
Guilt
Self-doubt and reduced self-esteem
Other negative emotions
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 6 COPING WITH NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AT HOME
Overcoming negative thoughts
Helpful techniques for well-being
Things to avoid
Case studies
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 7 COPING WITH NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AT WORK
Work life
Causes of negative emotions at work
Anger
Stress
Fear
Disappointment
Dislike
Bringing negative emotions to work
Helpful techniques for well-being at work
Case studies
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 8 ACHIEVING BALANCE
Too much positivism
What is normal? What is healthy?
Some stress is fine
Dealing with conflict
Case studies
Hedonistic and eudemonic approaches
Review what you have been learning
FINAL ASSESSMENT
HOW LONG TO COMPLETE THIS COURSE?
20 hours; self paced; take a few days or spread it over weeks or months - whatever suits you
LEARN WHY STRESS NEEDS TO BE MANAGED; AND HOW TO DO IT
Negative emotions are very unpleasant, and not just for the person who is experiencing them, but often for those people around them. A person who has negative emotions will often hate themselves and other people, making them difficult company to keep. They are also likely to have low self-esteem which can restrict their involvement in social activities and their willingness to try and find solutions to their problems.
Prolonged negative thoughts and feelings are one of the chief causes of mental health disorders. In particular, they can underpin conditions such as depression, stress-related disorders, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Stress can cause people to behave differently and if it is chronic then it gradually wears down a person's ability to cope with it, and ultimately with everyday life.
One thing is clear though, the longer a person is trapped in a negative cycle the more difficult it becomes to escape. When this occurs, people often fail to see things from a different perspective. If you like, they cannot see the wood for the trees. They become consumed with their negative feelings. These feelings can then cause them psychological harm.
People who have reached such a state may also respond poorly to their negative emotions because their judgement is also clouded. For instance, a depressed person may consume excessive alcohol or an angry person may lash out at people around them. In fact, many of society's social woes may be attributed to negative emotions. It is therefore in the interest of everyone that people are not left to become consumed by such negative thoughts and feelings.
YOUR STRESS HAS MANY AFFECTS
Negative emotions can affect us in many ways which extend beyond how we are feeling.
Behaviour - some typical responses to negative emotions include acting out and acting in, or external and internal behaviours. Anger and hostility are examples of how people might act out. Aggressive acts may be born of frustration or from stressors in our environment. Aggressive acts may be verbal or physical, sometimes both. Internal expressions of negative emotions may include consuming comfort foods, drugs or alcohol through to self-harm and attempts at suicide.
Physical Health - stressful life events are part of everyday life, but continuous stress can be linked to physical health problems such as heart conditions, tumours and high blood pressure. Overeating, alcoholism, smoking and other maladaptive coping mechanisms can bring about a range of other health-related problems.
Psychological Health - negative emotions can slowly undermine psychological health if they persist. People can feel so snowed under that the negative thoughts and feelings override more positive and adaptive ways of living. They can lead to poor behavioural choices like alcohol and drug abuse.
Clearly there is overlap between these factors. Someone who is struggling under the weight of negative emotions may drink excessive quantities of alcohol to dampen their feelings. This can cause them to develop physical problems, it could impede their quality of sleep, make them feel irritated, they could become angry, frustrated and begin to act aggressively.
Support along the Way from Experts
You have access to expert
tutors through our student help desk all the time you are studying this
course. Our school maintains help desks in both of our offices -in
Australia and the UK; and has staff on duty five days a week manning
phones, online chat and emails. Any questions that you have about what
you are studying will be dealt with promptly (usually the same working
day, often immediately).
If there is something you read or research that you don't understand, ask for help.
If you want to learn more about something you encounter through these
studies, have a conversation with one of our faculty tutors
If you need direction to find more information, ask
If you need advice on moving forward with your work, career or studies
after the course ask. (Free career and business advice).
SAMPLE COURSE PAGES
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM MENTAL EFFECTS OF STRESS?
As well as possible problems related to physical health, there are many different ways that negative events and chronic stress can impact upon an individual's psychological wellbeing. Those under stress have been observed to show heightened irritability and more negative thinking patterns which can also maintain stress. Some of the long term psychological implications of ongoing stress, grief or trauma may include:
Learned helplessness
Memory problems
Concentration problems
Poor judgment
Negativity
Constant worrying
Moodiness
Irritability
Agitation
Feelings of being overwhelmed
Feelings of loneliness
Eating more or less
Sleep disturbances – sleeping too much or disturbed sleep patterns
Alcohol, cigarette, or drug use
Nervous habits such as nail biting
Loss of sex drive
Long-term stress may also act as a trigger to mental health disorders such as:
Mood disorders e.g. chronic depression, bipolar disorders
Anxiety disorders e.g. post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder, panic disorders, phobias
Substance abuse disorders
Burnout
Burnout is characterised by a feeling of lethargy and disinterest in one's work is also caused by enduring stress. It is a particular problem for health care professionals who are continuously offering support to others. Due to the ongoing stressful nature of their work they can under the influence of the general adaptation syndrome and become physically and mentally exhausted.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is caused when a person is exposed to actual or threatened death or serious injury. Many war veterans have been diagnosed with this condition following their service in war zones. Others who fall victim to this disorder include those who have been sexually assaulted, physically attacked, those injured in accidents or through natural disasters, kidnap victims, those present during home invasions, and so forth. However, it should be pointed out that PTSD only affects a minority of people exposed to these stressful events or situations.
Those who do develop PTSD have recurring thoughts about the event through flashbacks, nightmares, or constantly replaying the event in their mind. They also become hyper-vigilant ad mistrusting of people or situations which remind them of what happened. In addition they have a high level of physical arousal caused by activity of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) which increases raises their startle response to sights or sounds and increases their heart rate.
How does this course work?
You can enrol at any time.
Once you have paid for the course, you will be able to start straight away.
Study when and where you like. Work through at your own pace.
You can download your study-guide to your smart phone, tablet or laptop to read offline.
There are automated self-assessment tests you can complete at the end of each lesson. You can attempt these as many times as you wish and each time, upon completion, you can see your results. You will need internet access to complete the self assessment tests.
At the end of the course, you are presented with a large assessment which can be attempted online, anywhere, anytime. If you achieve a 60% pass in the exam; you immediately receive a downloadable certificate of completion with your name on it. If you do not achieve a 60% pass rate, you can contact us to re-sit your exam. ( email- admin@acs.edu.au )
Contact us at anytime if you have any issues with the course. admin@acs.edu.au