HW410

Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Unit 9 Final Project

Shontinique Kay

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

3Jan2021
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Stress Management and Prevention Program

Introduction (African Americans? How has stress impacted a culture?)

GEL-1.02: Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials of

Standard English.

Stress has caused centuries of harm to African Americans. It has led to diseases such as

hypertension, heart disease, and PTSD, to name a few. It has made it difficult to address the issue of

stress in a culture that is envisioned as resilient and capable of handling whatever comes its way.

Stress management has made other cultures blind to the need for mental health maintenance among

black women because they often fall victim to the “strong black woman” stereotype, but this “strong

black woman” is prone to neglecting her personal needs to address the concerns of others. There is a

constant need to push and work harder than the last time, which blinds one to the ailments brought on

by stress because the need to be productive and take care of others will often take priority (National

Research Council (US) Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life, 2004). There is always a

need to be twice as good.

Explain 10 stressors of this population?

HW410-1: Describe how stress is defined and measured.

1. Systemic racism

2. Lack of access to affordable health options

3. Personal health neglect

4. Access to educational resources

5. Environment
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6. Poor public-school funding

7. Excessive policing and brutality

8. Low importance of the need to maintain mental health

9. Low self-esteem among youth

10. Low to no funding for public amenities like grocery stores, which are leading to food deserts

in some states.

Why are these stressors important to consider for this population?

HW410-2: Explain the causes of stress

HW410-3: Discuss health consequences of stress.

Causes:

Systemic racism still plagues the United States. Although it has decreased over the last

century, remnants still linger. This is to be expected. People that were very happy with the

oppression of minorities, were also very proactive in maintaining and promoting those

inequalities throughout and pass the 1950s. In a country where everyone was free, African

American people were still facing fewer job opportunities and less or no access to public

services if they had access at all. Black Americans were also either unable to vote or

penalized cruelly for embracing the freedoms given to them at every turn. The American

lynching still has not ended, there are people that still believe they can take a life based on

unfair, biased judgments.

Access to affordable health options does not exist for a lot of Americans. People still

argue that no matter what, you can receive health care, that may be true in doctrine, but it is

not exercised everywhere. It was only 50-60 years ago that black Americans were still unable

to get treated in every hospital, simply because many hospitals still refused to treat them, no
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matter how serious the injury. Still today, there are excessive deaths due to unprofessional

medical neglect that sees many black and Native American mothers more likely to die than

any other ethnicity regardless of financial status.

This distrust in the medical system has caused a lot of black people to constantly tell

themselves that they are always fine, that the pain is not too bad, there is no such thing as

depression, there is no need for mental health wellness. There is an inflated level of gratitude

thinking, that creates a level of resiliency that is so strong, it is sometimes emotionally

numbing. This overcompensated resiliency sometimes makes people blind to real health

dangers- tumors that are years old, only caring for illnesses that pose immediate threats,

always putting off their health to care for others. Mental health comes off as imaginary - if

everyone can see that they have a roof over their heads, a bed to sleep in, and food to eat, then

they have zero reason to be depressed-there is nothing wrong, be thankful. It is old thinking,

but it is still a strong and valuable sentiment.

Black families are very adamant about making sure their loved ones are well fed, but

the nutritional value may be lost in some meals due to low or no access to grocery stores in

the area, so children may have difficulty focusing on their academic endeavors because they

are forced to consume foods high in sodium and processed sugars from local gas stations,

food and liquor stores, corner stores, or pharmacies. This leads to obesity at an early age,

which leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, juvenile diabetes, and the mental burdens

associated with these illnesses. It is often predatorial the ways corporations will prey on

certain communities to corner them into certain lifestyles.

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Education is a sore subject for Americans of all ethnicities. Information should be free and

shared. Affirmative action is supposed to allow marginalized cultures a chance to catch up for

centuries of being held back. Affirmative action does not fix as much as it should.

In a society where people believe in meritocracy always, people get blinded to the

injustices still plaguing the country because:

• It has not happened to them.

• They would never do anything that hurtful, so why would someone else?

• They have lived in predominantly European American or fair-skinned communities, so

they never witnessed racism or racist behaviors because they have never really been

exposed to African Americans.

• They explain away injustices because they have never witnessed or held a role in the

black experience.

Funding is constantly being reduced in certain parts of the country. It is a common reason

fewer grocery stores, struggling public schools that resort to making deals with snack food

corporations, and low funding for higher education resources. If more black communit ies

were routinely exposed to paths for attaining viable and accredited education, it would spread

like wildfire. Placing equal importance on trade school certifications and college degrees

would open the community up more to the world and how they can help each other improve

their communities. Reaching out to children is key at any stage, they are the seedlings of

hope.

Lastly, with excessive policing, profiling, and colorism, some children of black

communities have learned to aspire to be a different color or have different features before
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they thought about what career path would suit them best. Self-hate perpetuated and enforced

by adults- a side effect of centuries spent framing black self-esteem and love as a flaw or

taboo. In the year 2020, more little black girls wake up, they love who they are, they love

people around them, and they have a million ideas about what they want to achieve when they

grow up.

Describe at least three (3) stress management/mindfulness techniques and their benefits.

HW410-4: Describe current approaches to stress reduction and prevention.

Group Involvement

• Monthly Field Days

• Weekend Dances

• Block events

• Fellowship gatherings

• Community improvement initiatives

• Weekend Wellness Mornings

• Fitness Groups

• Youth education and support groups

Being black is being celebratory because the end is unpredictable. Being black is spiritual as well

and group events provide fellowship that allows people to open up to their peers for support.
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Meditation and breathing groups have not always been common in the black community, but they

are great noninvasive ways to decrease anxiety and stress. The decrease in stress and anxiety would

assist in lower cases of hypertension and heart disease.

Wellness cookouts- the family cookout is synonymous with being black in America. Everyone

gathering to try each other’s mindful meals would send people over the moon. They would try new

things, share a few tricks or tips, and exchange recipes.

Stress Identification and Redirection Initiatives- Teaching people to identify their anger and

how to express it productively is key. It is equally important to immerse children in these

practices for better stress management in the future to build stronger communication and

problem-solving skills. This holds true, especially in cases of toxic stress and abuse prevention

(Morsy, Rothstein, 2019).

How would you implement this program?

• Building a community organization with explicit vision and mission statements.

• Organizing a simple event, six months prior to event execution date.

• Advertise the event on banners 3 months prior.

• Engage in direct marketing weekly, 2 months prior to event and to introduce the

community to the organization.

• Start the event, make it clear who is running the event, encourage participation and

advertise for the next event and where to find out more.
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• Host outreach programs to achieve a loyal support system.

What obstacles could you face and how would you overcome them?

Reluctance to attend the event would be the biggest threat to the program’s success.

Ensuring it is a mindful version of a common event is key. This will ensure some form of

familiarity, while easing the older community into a new lifestyle. Ensuring that the events are

all-inclusive is key as well, the programs should welcome families and enforce a shame-free

atmosphere. Reassurance and follow-up are key. If needed, a word-of-mouth campaign can be

started to get people chatting about the events and showing up, even if it is out of curiosity.

Identify at least two (2) types of health professionals that could support this program.

• Grief counselors

• Psychologists

• Support group leads

• Community outreach leaders and elders

• Life coaches

How would the success of this program be measured?

HW410-5: Summarize current research in stress management and prevention.

GEL-6.04: Evaluate the usefulness of resources.

• Increased support programs available in predominantly black communities at all

income levels.

• Increased assistance and acceptance of help by black Americans.

• Decreased suicide, self-harm, and abuse/violence rates.

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• Increased involvement of children learning to engage in redirection and emotional

expression.

Summary (Concluding Thoughts)

There have been numerous breakthroughs in America and the African American

community, but there is much progress to be made. Unfortunately, even in stressful times, it

has to be acknowledged that things are better than they were before, but that does not make

them good or appropriate in any way. African Americans are making more efforts to value

themselves and they are teaching their children to do the same. Gratitude thinking is not overly

conducted to a fault, but still teaches everyone that there is room for improvement, not

complacency. There are more practitioners and consultants that are providing guidance on stress

management and there is a greater understanding that it is okay to be stressed, and it does not

always have to be managed alone. Whatever the support system or management method is, there

are options that best suit the individual and lifestyle needs on a culturally competent level.
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References

Morsy, L., & Rothstein, R. (2019, May 1). Toxic stress and children’s outcomes. Retrieved from

Economic Policy Institute: https://www.epi.org/publication/toxic-stress-and-childrens-

outcomes-african-american-children-growing-up-poor-are-at-greater-risk-of-disrupted-

physiological-functioning-and-depressed-academic-achievement/

National Research Council (US) Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life. (2004).

Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life: A Research Agenda.

Retrieved from NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK24685/

Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (9th

ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook (2nd ed.).

New Harbinger Publications.

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Title: My Community Health Concerns 2020 has Pushed to the Forefront

Food Insecurity

Malnutrition

Food Safety