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Unit 9 - Stress Management for the Recent Veteran

Corey Batts

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress – Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Dr. Dorette Nysewander

February 15, 2022

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Unit 9 – Stress Management for the Recent Veteran

Stress plays a vital role in everyone’s life. It has the potential to impact some more than

others. One group that has to manage a large number of stressors all at once is recent veterans.

The reason for this is because they are transitioning from one way of life to another. Seaward

writes, “Times of change and uncertainty tend to magnify our personal stress” (Seaward, 2017).

That is what the veterans are going through. I myself am a veteran. This is the reason I wanted to

develop a stress management plan for this population. Before a stress management plan can be

implemented, stress has to be defined.

Stress and Stressors

Stress is defined as, “The experience of a perceived threat (real or imagined) to one’s

mental, physical, or spiritual well-being, resulting from a series of physiological responses and

adaptations” (Seaward, 2017). An easy way to think of stress is the tension or anxiety felt during

situations. These situations can be negative or positive. For example, starting a new job versus

losing a job. Just as like the moments, stress to can be a negative or a positive.

In total there are three types of stress, neustress, eustress, and distress. Neustress is

stimuli with no meaningful consequence and is neutral. Eustress is the result of enjoyable

moments that are inspiring or motivating. It is a good form of stress. Distress is the bad form of

stress and is what most people think of when they hear the word stress. Within distress are two

subtypes of stress, acute stress and chronic stress. These three types of stress (neustress, eustress,

and distress) are the result of stressors. Recent veterans have to deal with many of the following

stressors.

Unemployment
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Leaving the military means leaving a secure job. This means leaving behind the benefits

and pay the military provides. It leaves a feeling of uncertainty about the future.

Education

Many veterans choose to further their education after leaving the military. Education

programs can be stressful due to their deadlines and time requirements. The stress here can be

both good and bad. Depending how well the individual is able to adjust to the new demands.

Starting a New Job

Similar to education, starting a new job can result in both good and bad stress. There is

often an anxiety that goes along with starting a new job. This is due to worrying about

unknowns. Will I be successful in this new position? Will I fit into the social dynamic? What will

the workload be like? All of these are questions that can lead to anxiety and stress when starting

a new job.

Moving

Some veterans relocate after separating from the military. Moving to the location of a

potential job or to their hometown. It requires a lot of coordination and is financially demanding.

It is a major life change that opens up a great deal of questions. These questions can lead to

anxiety and stress.

Buying a Home

Tied into the moving process is the stressor of buying a home. This too leads to additional

questions that can cause anxiety and stress. One has to determine what they can afford. If the

home and property meet all of the needs of one’s family. Having to coordinate all of the

appraisals and inspections as part of the home buying process. These are all additional demands

placed on the home buyer while purchasing a home.

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Unplanned Expenses

These can happen to anyone at any time. The risk to recent veterans is compounded when

you look at all of the events coinciding in their life. It is usually a quick stressor, but impactful.

Financial Obligations

The American Psychological Association (APA) found, “Approximately 64% of

Americans report feeling stressed about money, according to the APA’s 2020 Stress in America

survey” (Dealing with Financial Stress, 2020). Recent veterans are leaving a secure paying job

but their financial obligations remain. For some, on top of previous financial obligations, new

ones can emerge. These include paying for benefits the military provided previously.

Social Interaction

Veterans leaving friends behind after separating can leave one feeling lonely. It is a tight

knit bond amongst military peers. Friends are made over shared experiences that others will

never get to live through. Leaving this group of peers behind leaves one wondering where they

fit in society.

Family Obligation

With everything going on, life continues to move forward. Along with caring for

themselves, veterans must ensure the wellness of their family. Family members (parents,

spouses, children) each place additional demands on veterans. These demands can cause stress.

Freedom

At first it sounds like a joke, that freedom can cause stress. However, Nauert (2006)

writes, “Having choices (freedom) makes people happy to a point, after which too many choices

make people feel overwhelmed and eventually stressed” (as cited in Seaward, 2017). Veterans
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are leaving a rigid structured lifestyle. When they separate from the military, they are given back

freedom over many areas of their life. This freedom can lead to indecisiveness and uncertainty.

Consequences of Stress

These stressors are important to this population because they are major life events that

will immediately impact veterans. A few of the stressors mentioned can be either eustress or

distress depending on how the situation is managed. Similarly, distress can be acute or chronic

depending on the situation. All three types of stress result in different consequences.

Eustress

Eustress is often exciting, short lasting, and can be beneficial. It can be used as

motivation. Focusing the individual on the task at hand and improving performance.

Distress

Acute Stress. According to Elizabeth Scott, PhD this is the most common type of stress.

It is experienced multiple times a day and can be easily managed with relaxation techniques. It

triggers in the body the fight-or-flight response. Increasing the body’s levels of adrenaline,

cortisol and extra hormones. Resulting in a higher blood pressure, quickened heart rate, and

faster breathing pattern (Scott, 2021).

Chronic Stress. This is prolonged distress active on the body. Because it constantly

triggers the body’s reaction to stress, it impacts bodily function and results in negative health

consequences. As reported by the Cleveland Clinic, chronic stress results in emotional, physical,

and behavioral symptoms. The physical symptoms include: aches, insomnia, headaches, tension,

suppressed immune response, sexual performance issues, and high blood pressure. Emotional

symptoms include: depression, anxiety, sadness, and panic attacks (Stress, 2021).

Stress Management
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To avoid the negative health symptoms of stress, veterans should be taught stress

management techniques prior to separation. Ideally the stress management techniques will be

self-reliant. The reason for this is to ensure the veteran is able to properly manage stress during

the transitional period. Three techniques that could be taught are meditation, journaling, and deep

breathing.

Meditation

Meditation has been around for thousands of years. It costs nothing and can be practiced

by anyone at any time. It has many forms that all aim to bring the user to a relaxed mental state.

With the various forms of meditation, people are able to choose which form works best for them.

The Mayo Clinic informs us that meditation helps mentally by clearing information overload,

providing new insight, managing stress, reducing negative emotions, and increasing tolerance

and patience. Additional health benefits include managing symptoms of depression, insomnia,

and anxiety. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020).

Journaling

Journaling is writing down what we are feeling. The benefits of Journaling for Stress

Management provide insight into why journaling is an effective stress management technique.

Noting that journaling, even randomly, can be stress relieving. Journaling results in the following

health benefits: decreased arthritis and asthma symptoms, improved immune system, increased

cognitive function, and counters negative stress effects (Scott, 2020).

Deep Breathing

As simple as it sounds, deep breathing techniques are an effective stress management

tool. Healthwise Staff writes, “Breathing exercises are a good way to relax, reduce tension, and

relieve stress” (Healthwise Staff, 2020). By controlling your breathing through deep breathes,
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you are interrupting the stress response of rapid breathes. This breathing pattern mimics how we

breathe in a relaxed state and signals that response in the brain. All three of the techniques are

effective stress management techniques but a program must be implemented to teach them to

veterans.

Program Description

Unfortunately for current veterans, the best way to help future veterans is to provide them

with the knowledge while they are still active-duty in the military. It is a requirement to

participate in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for all separating military members.

While this program teaches various subjects helping to transition, it does not include a stress

management portion. This would be a great addition and is the ideal time to teach members stress

management. By adding this program into an already existing program all of the framework is

already there.

Health Professionals

Because TAP already has various organizations coming and speaking to members, the

addition of two more health professionals is highly possible. One of the professionals that should

come speak to members is a Physician. The physician will be able to go into detail on the

negative effects stress has on the body. The second professional should be a psychologist. The

psychologist will be able to go into greater detail on the stress management techniques. Both of

these health professionals are already in the military’s arsenal of tools. Although it may create an

inconvenience, teaching members these topics is achievable.

Program Obstacles

The main obstacle that must be overcome with this program is a reliable way to gauge its

success. Because the members are separating, they no longer have to interact with the military.
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This creates a situation where it may not be feasible to measure success. A creative way of

measuring program success should overcome this dilemma.

Measuring the Program

The program should be started at a few select bases before being administered across the

entire military. This will provide a way to measure if the program is successful. Veteran Affairs

(VA) interacts with recently separated members already. By using VA members can be

questioned about their stress levels after separation. The stress levels of those who went through

the stress management program can then be compared to those who did not receive the training.

A drawback to this method is that not everyone will report back to the VA. In addition to asking

about stress levels, the VA can also ask how often the taught stress management techniques are

being used. Revealing if the techniques are of use. A final way to measure the program is to look

at who is using the VA for stress related symptoms. The data will have to be an average to give

an accurate measurement of the program’s success. There will be a larger pool of individuals not

receiving the stress management training.

Summary

In conclusion, stress comes in many different forms. Stress can be a reaction that pushes

us to achieve more or a detriment to one’s health. How stressors are handled, change how they

impact the body. Recently separated veterans are confronted with various stressors all at once.

This is why it is beneficial for them to be able to healthily manage stress. By implementing a

program before they separate members can be taught self-reliant stress management techniques.

Ensuring they do not succumb to the overload of stressors they face.

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References

American Psychological Association. (2020, December 3). Dealing with Financial Stress.

American Psychological Association. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/holiday-money

Cleveland Clinic. (2021, January 28). Stress. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress

Healthwise Staff. (2020, August 31). Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation.

University of Michigan Health: Michigan Medicine. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from

https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz2255

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020, April 22). Meditation: A Simple, Fast Way to Reduce Stress. Mayo

Clinic. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

Scott, E. (2020, March 27). The Benefits of Journaling for Stress Management. Verywell Mind.

Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/the-benefits-of-

journaling-for-stress-management-3144611

Scott, E. (2021, March 19). All About Acute Stress. Verywell Mind. Retrieved February 8, 2022,

from https://www.verywellmind.com/all-about-acute-stress-3145064#:~:text=During

%20an%20acute%20stress%20response,rate%2C%20and%20higher%20blood

%20pressure.

Seaward, B. L. (2017). Managing Stress, Ninth Edition (9th Edition). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Retrieved February 8, 2022, from

https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/books/9781284148534