Lecture Summary Model
The following lecture summary was well written. I am including it as an illustration of how to write a lecture summary. It contained a good balance between lecture information and the application of the information to the student's personal situation. A good summary should flow smoothly and be written in essay form, not outlined. There should be no spelling errors. This is accomplished in two ways: using a spell checker and proof-reading for proper word usage.
Summary
The fact that we, as a society, have stress and that it must be managed is demonstrated in this lecture. Whether the result is distress or eustress (good stress), our body responds to outside stimuli, both physical and emotional, by exhibiting a wide array of symptoms. As this lecture points out, all people deal with stress in some way shape or form, even if we don't notice it. Sometimes we try to ignore our negative stresses, but the benefits of this course of action are only temporary.
Stress can be positive and useful, it does not have to be a bad thing that effects our environment, body or mind. There are good stressors that help us perform, compete or even brighten up our day. On the flip side, negative stress can cause an increased heart rate, high blood pressure, sweating, and tense muscles. Problems arise when there is an overabundance of stress in our lifes.
There are five ways to measure our stress at any time during the busy day. Once we have this awareness it is necessary to distinguish the source so as to combat it. Practices for measuring stress are: checking for muscle tension, increased hand temperature, nervous sweating, pulse above 75 bpm, and increased breathing rate.
Of the three categories of stress (situational, body, and mind), the most important one to you is the one that occurs most frequently and may cause further stress in your life. The first of the three is situational stress, this happens in your current surroundings. These stressors could be a deadline at school or a long car drive, basically anything that is happening NOW. The second category of stress is body stress and this is displayed by obvious physical symptoms. The culprits of this kind of stress are alcohol, lack of sleep, or poor nutrition (to name a few). A good tip for body stress is to look for other things being played out in your life that are causing this taxation on your body. The last, but not least, kind of stress is mind stress, one that I can say I experience most of the time. Worrying, reading into things, and inventing chaos, all promote mind stress. Creating a larger problem than necessary could be avoided to promote a better sense of well being.
Situational stress can be dealt with by making changes in a number of areas. Make a change in your personal environment, communicate with people who are making you stressed, say "no" when you know your agenda is already full, manage your time better with the use of lists, and trust other people enough to let them take some of your responsibilities. I think many people, including myself, could benefit from practicing a combination of these things. Body stress management involves addressing evident symptoms seen in the body, such as relaxing when you notice yourself tense, exercising frequently, and taking up some yoga classes. To me, a real important practice is to avoid substances that cause anguish, such as drugs, alcohol and certain foods. Once your body is in working order you can focus on de-stressing your mind in various ways. Managing mind stress takes a lot more concentration and discipline, but is very beneficial in the end result. This lecture demonstrates several ways to combat negative thinking such as, using mental imagery, posting positive notes to view regularly, practice meditation in order to focus or create mandalas.
Application:
After reading this lecture on stress management I realized that I experience situational, physical, and mental stress, and I am also doing some things to manage them. I have found it important to evaluate my stress levels using the five quick methods discussed in the lecture. I often find myself stressed by these standards and I understand that it is important to recognize that stress falls into one of three mentioned categories: situation, body, and mind stress. Above all, I can say that I have mind stress more that any of the mentioned categories. I have 19 units, I cram huge lists of things to do in my head, and still have time to needlessly worry and blow things out of proportion. My way of rationalizing is to say that, at least I'm not in denial about my "worry wart" behavior.
I have experienced good stress, such as a fast heart rate just before a job interview, that really kept me on my toes and performing my best. I have also experienced distress. Although they are not extreme cases I notice outside strains taking their toll on me. I have a tendency to take on too much in my life. I try to please everyone and do everything so much that I can forget about myself. I find myself being physically stressed by staying up too late when I know I have class at 8:00 the next morning. I even get so busy throughout the day that it slips my mind to eat a good meal. I get a good lecture from my mom about the importance of nutrition all the time, but sometimes it just doesn't sink in.
I do some things to help my stress levels. At Cuesta I attend a wonderful step aerobics class, followed by a stretch for relaxation class. Once I started taking them I noticed differences in my stress levels and felt relieved and free when finished. After reading this lecture I am definitely more aware of my stress levels and know now that I will never give up my exercise and stretching. With the two years of university life ahead I don't have time to neglect my environment, body or mind. Though it is sometimes an uphill struggle, I try to maintain healthy levels of stress in my life. And when the stresses become more than I can bare, I attempt to practice some type of stress reducing activity.