Description
Complete a worksheet outlining your plan for applying a coping strategy and a relaxation technique to stressors in your own life.
Stress and trauma are found in all of our lives, but they do not need to define our lives nor do they need to have a negative outcome. We can integrate stressful experiences and pursue a path of wellness every day. In this course, we will spend some time getting to know a variety of coping strategies and relaxation techniques that can help manage stress. We will be exploring these strategies and techniques to be able to effectively recommend tools that support people in their stress. At the same time, you just might find some strategies that work well for you!
This first assessment, which links to the fourth assessment, will have you examine a variety of coping strategies and relaxation techniques and choose one of each type to explore in depth. As you think about what you will choose, think of how you can use (or potentially use) each in your own life. There are many ways you can incorporate wellness techniques into your life—from focusing on your own breathing, to journaling. This first assessment could allow you to find some wellness pick-me-ups that you can use!
There are small things we can do each day to reduce our feelings of stress and enhance wellness. We'll provide a couple of ideas alongside each assessment.
- Think of one thing that you are grateful for—just one. It can be your significant other, your child, your health, your favorite video game. It doesn't need to be big. Just the act of being grateful can allow us to process stress differently (Gu et al., 2022).
- Much of our stress arises from trying to change things that cannot be changed, or worrying about the future or thinking "if only things were different." Too often we miss life as it is happening right before us. I encourage you to be present today.
Reference
Gu, Y., Ocampo, J. M., Algoe, S. B., & Oveis, C. (2022). Gratitude expressions improve teammates' cardiovascular stress responses. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,151(12), 3281–3291. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001238
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, you will need to select one coping strategy and one relaxation technique listed below to explore in greater detail for this assessment and Assessment 4. Consider how you can use or potentially use each in your own life. Ideally you should plan to spend some time trying each out during your time in this course and report back on your experiences.
Coping Strategies: | Relaxation Techniques: |
Cognitive restructuring. | Breathing. |
Healthy balance. | Meditation and mindfulness. |
Journal writing. | Yoga. |
Expressive art therapy. | Mental imagery and visualization. |
Humor therapy. | Music therapy. |
Creative problem-solving. | Massage therapy. |
Communication skills in the digital age. | T’ai Chi. |
Resource management-managing time and money. | Progressive muscle relaxation. |
Additional coping strategies:
| Biofeedback. |
Exercise and nutrition. | |
Ecotherapy. |
More information about each of these can be found in the Assessment 1 resources.
Download the Planning Worksheet: Coping Strategies and Relaxation Techniques [DOCX] Download Planning Worksheet: Coping Strategies and Relaxation Techniques [DOCX]resource. Complete the worksheet, where you will be asked to address the following elements:
- Identify and briefly describe the coping strategy and the relaxation technique you have chosen.
- Identify three or more stressors in your life that you can focus on during this course.
- Explain why your selected coping strategy and relaxation technique appeal to you.
- Describe how you will use the coping strategy and relaxation technique.
- Describe the challenges that you see to applying your chosen strategies and techniques.
- Note: Please provide supporting evidence by citing your textbook and two peer-reviewed journal articles (one on your coping strategy and one on your relaxation technique) within your responses.
As you complete the planning worksheet, be sure to look ahead to the instructions and requirements for Assessment 4, Coping and Relaxation Presentation, which will directly relate to this assessment.
Submit your complete worksheet.
- Written communication: Written communication is in professional style with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
- Resources: Use your textbook and a minimum of two peer-reviewed journal articles found in the Capella University Library.
- APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting.
- Refer to Academic Writer for guidance in using the proper APA style. See the Evidence and APA section of the Writing Center for instructions on accessing and using Academic Writer.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Apply current theory and research to specific topics in stress, trauma, and wellness.
- Identify a coping strategy and relaxation technique.
- Describe a plan for using the coping strategy and relaxation technique.
- Competency 2: Analyze ways in which stress and trauma impact the lives of individuals.
- Explain why the coping strategy and relaxation technique are appealing as they relate to personal stressors.
- Describe the challenges in applying the chosen strategy and technique.
- Competency 4: Communicate with appropriate purpose, organization, evidence, tone, and sentence structure.
- Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.
- Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Scoring Guide
Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.
Identify a coping strategy and relaxation technique.Distinguished
Describes both a coping strategy and a relaxation technique.
Explain why the coping strategy and relaxation technique are appealing as they relate to personal stressors.
Distinguished
Explains why the coping strategy and relaxation technique are appealing as they relate to personal stressors, with supporting evidence.
Describe a plan for using the coping strategy and relaxation technique.
Distinguished
Describes a plan for using the coping strategy and relaxation technique, with supporting evidence.
Describe the challenges in applying the chosen strategy and technique.
Distinguished
Explains the challenges in applying the chosen strategy and technique, with supporting evidence.
Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.
Distinguished
Uses proper APA style formatting for citations and reference list.
Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Distinguished
Presents a focused purpose through strong organizational skills. Presents evidence through strong paraphrasing and summarizing as well as appropriate tone and sentence structure.
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Explanation & Answer

Attached.
Planning Worksheet: Coping Strategies and
Relaxation Techniques
1. Using your textbook, select a coping strategy and a relaxation technique to address in your
final assessment, which will be a PowerPoint presentation. Briefly describe what each one
entails.
Coping Strategy:
Journal writing
A therapeutic practice of expressing thoughts, feelings, and
experiences through written reflection, helping to process
emotions and gain insights into stressors (Nakashima &
Gallegos, 2020).
Relaxation Technique:
Breathing techniques
Controlled breathing exercises that regulate the autonomic
nervous system, reduce stress hormones, and promote
relaxation through focused breath awareness (Birdee et al.,
2023).
2. Using the following list, identify three or more stressors in your life that you can focus on for
this assessment.
☒ Work, Life, School-Life
Balance
☐ Marital Issues
☐ Legal Issues
☐ Parenting
☐ Change in Career
Status
☒ Health Concerns
☒ Financial Concerns
☐ Death of a Loved One
☐ Other ______________
3. Now that you have identified a coping strategy and relaxation technique to focus on and you
have identified several stressors to address, in 2–3 sentences, explain why your selected
strategy and technique appeal to you. Include supporting evidence.
1
Journal writing appeals to me as it provides a private space to process complex emotions and
identify stress patterns, with research showing it can reduce anxiety by up to 37%
(Nakashima & Gallegos, 2020). Combined with breathing techniques, which have been
demonstrated to lower cortisol levels and blood pressure within minutes (Birdee et al., 2023),
these approaches offer practical, accessible tools for daily stress management. Moreover,
both methods can be practiced independently without special equipment or training...
