HW410

Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Unit 9 Final Project

David Krause

HW410: Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

25 September 2020
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Stress Management and Prevention Program

Population

After almost 17 years in the service I would like to focus my stress management program

toward assisting active duty military. Although the military generally receives full coverage

health care and free mental health, there are some stipulations that may deter active duty

members from seeking help from mental health clinics. One is fear of a paper trail that

seeking mental health therapy may affect their qualifications in their careers. This is not

necessarily true, but sessions are documented and filed in every service members records and

can be brought out to light whenever necessary. My program will be non-profit and assist

military members who need the help and are uncomfortable following the standard procedures

of the healthcare system.

Explain 10 stressors of this population?

Training- Active duty military members are exposed to unpredictable and harsh training

environments throughout their careers. Their physical abilities are tested during all seasons

and during unforeseen inclement weather conditions. Some of these environments are rural

parts of the world where dining facilities are not present. The only source of sustenance in

these areas is MRE’s (meals ready to eat). These meals are chalked full of carbohydrates,

calories, and sodium. Vital macro/micronutrients are missing from these provided meals and

malnutrition is very common in these circumstances.

Separation anxiety- Deployments and TDYs (temporary duty- typically out of state or

overseas) come with the unfortunate stress of missing loved ones for extended periods of

time. Timing typically never lines up conveniently when couples have their first new born
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and the father gets tasked with a 6 month deployment leaving 100% responsibility on the

mother.

Lifestyle- In the military typically you can spend anywhere from 2 to 8 years at one base

before being relocated. There are many challenges to face when military members are forced

to move when they are rooted somewhere and have become comfortable with their

environment and community.

Deployment Stress- This category of stress deserves to be on its own. Although the

government does provide very well for military on deployment sites, nothing can really

prepare members when surprised with constant bombings, gunfire, and potential guerilla

warfare in certain territories around the world. These events are highly stressful especially

when trained to operate hastily and professionally under these conditions.

Physical stress- On top of long hours and lack of sleep, injuries will always occur. As

military members we do our best to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) and practice

ORM (operational risk management). Top injuries I’ve seen are chronic back pain, exposed

injuries, broken bones, and head trauma. Most injuries are treated on site however chronic

pain throughout the body over the years more than likely will not go away, but can be

alleviated through mind/body wellness practices.

Mental stress- PTSD is one of the most prevalent stressors that follow a service member back

home after a deployment or TDY somewhere. It is vitally important to seek care immediately

for this, especially for any member who would like to regain confidence and normalcy within

their comfortable lifestyle again.

Emotional stress- From personal experience active duty military is prone to naturally detach

themselves from their home state mission, family, and friends. The emotional disconnect that
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occurs makes it difficult to assimilate back into everyday routine. Additionally, members also

adapt and grow as individuals when separated from family and may not be committed to their

loved ones when they return home.

Loss of life- Experiencing the loss of loved ones either at home station or while deployed is

incredibly difficult. Grieving may take years it is mentally/physically exhausting to recover

from losing a loved one.

Retraining- To put it simply, retraining is when you change jobs within your career. Two

ways of changing career fields is by volunteering or it’s mandatory. When the Air Force

needs to fill specific slots in career fields, top level hierarchy will reposition people without

warning. This means changing states, schools, communities, and possibly being further away

from family and friends.

Expendable- I use this as a stressor because in a way when you sign up for military service

you become government property. There are certain things active duty do not have a choice

in denying. A couple examples are flu shots and anthrax shots. Although the idea is to

protect us when in certain environments, the choice is not ours and the negative health effects

are plentiful. Another example would be receiving orders to another base.

Why are these important?

All the stressors listed above affect mood, overall happiness and the ability to fully function

while on active duty status. The short and long term physical/mental injuries and instabilities

will continue to degrade wellness of military members without the proper support and or

healthcare. PTSD is known to cause nightmares, loss of appetite, chronic anxiety, depression,

and emotional detachment (Seaward, B. 2018). Physical exercise has been proven to release

endorphins, dopamine, boost up self confidence, and assist with displaying positive self image
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which will help improve self-esteem (Ben, G. 2019). Evidence suggests that participating in a

community also helps alleviate sadness and isolation this is where group functions play a vital

role in improving overall mental health (Ben, G. 2019).

Stress management/mindfulness techniques

Yoga- A published article by the AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association)

proved that practicing yoga for military members helped reduce anxiety and manage their

PTSD (Seaward, B. 2018). The practice of yoga incorporates slow deep breathing techniques

along with active stretching throughout the entire body.

Meditation- Practicing meditation will help bring about awareness of the present which will

help soften the stress and anxiety of past events. Meditation has been historically known as a

popular relaxation technique dating back to Ancient Chinese Medicine. A research study

performed by Dr. Amishi Jha demonstrates that mindfulness meditation exercises positively

support active-duty soldiers in safeguarding and training their minds and helping better

prepare them for high-stress combat scenarios while improving cognitive resilience and

performance (Melissa, M. 2015).

Massage therapy- Massage therapy is an excellent technique for helping to reduce

inflammation and chronic muscle/joint pain. Tendons become like rubber bands and they pull

on joints stressing them out. This is an incredible technique that will help decrease muscular

soreness and pain. For military members this hands-on approach to resolving tension

throughout the body should be a top consideration.

How would you implement this program?

After doing some research in my local community, I located a church that will provide one big

room to use for therapy/yoga/meditation etc. After networking I’ve located a few qualified
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individuals that are willing to dedicate a couple hours a week to this new stress management

program. So far the program is 100% voluntary, but donations are welcome for the practitioners

for taking the time to devote to our military members. The flexibility of having this room will

allow us to create a schedule that will accommodate day, night, and swing shift times. The

church is only 15 minutes from two joint service Marine bases. This will allow for a concrete

meet up location to avoid additional stresses by changing venues.

Obstacles

What I foresee possibly becoming an obstacle is with scheduling and logistics. Military

members do work a variety of shifts that may not compliment the hours we have scheduled

through the church. As far as logistics go, a large portion of local active duty military are young

members who may not have transportation quite yet and will have to get rides possibly.

Two solutions for these obstacles will be mobile meet ups for yoga or therapy in a public park,

free community center, or at the public beach as well. I’ve already seen a great number of

practitioners doing this in the area and my wellness professionals are on board with this idea.

The Bikram yoga teacher already has the ideal location for conducting beach yoga and has

already taught multiple classes.

Health professionals to support

For the stress Management program I will have a certified Bikram Yoga instructor to lead classes

to support of relaxation, muscle relief, and flexibility. Also, I’ve coordinated with a certified

couple therapist that will provide classes to help support families during forced moves,

deployments, TDY’s, and general overall wellness.

Measuring devices
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The measurement devices I plan to use are standardized questionnaires for preliminary baseline

information and for post-therapy/Yoga sessions. Standardized questionnaires provide more

consistent reliability across the board. The questionnaires are for tracking progression but even

more importantly for the military members who are participating in the program. Considering

these services are being provided for free with donations being optional this should eliminate any

dishonesty on the questionnaires (Boynton, P. M., & Greenhalgh, T. 2004). Another

measurement device in place is the sit and reach test. I have sourced the equipment necessary to

utilize this flexibility test. The sit and reach test is designed to measure overall flexibility more

specifically lower back and the ham strings. Initially a baseline sit and reach test will be

established this way members who participate in the yoga sessions can track their progress and

see tangible results (Verywellfit.com, 2020).

Summary

This was an exciting assignment because I was able to do some research and network within

the local community. I was lucky to have a few contacts here in town and was able to find

certified practitioners that would assist me in implementing this program with incredibly low

start-up costs. The church is such a positive environment to hold group therapy sessions and

yoga classes. The local pastors here are more than accommodating and empathize with the

common stressors of military lifestyle. I’m looking forward to progressing into the next

semester and absorbing new and exciting information within my Health and Wellness Degree.
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References

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.

Ben, G. (2019). Emotional Impact of Physical Injury. Challengethestorm.org. Source here:

http://challengethestorm.org/emotional-impact-of-physical-injury/

Melissa, M. (2015). Improving Military Resilience through Mindfulness Training. Army.mil.

Source here:

https://www.army.mil/article/149615/improving_military_resilience_through_mindfulnes

s_training#:~:text=Amishi%20Jha%2C%20and%20funded%20by,while%20also

%20improving%20overall%20cognitive

Boynton, P. M., & Greenhalgh, T. (2004). Selecting, designing, and developing your

questionnaire. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 328(7451), 1312–1315.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7451.1312

Verywellfit.com. (2020). How to Perform the Sit and Reach Flexibility Test. Source here:

https://www.verywellfit.com/sit-and-reach-flexibility-test-3120279