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Unit 9 Assignment: Final Project

Heather St.Myer

Purdue University Global

HW410 Models of Health & Wellness

Professor Tywanna Purkett

December 14, 2021

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Unit 9 Assignment: Final Project

Women can experience many things during their lives to cause stress. For example, as a

young woman might have stress in college from difficult courses and creating new relationships

in a new environment. Older women experience different kinds of stress, but they might still

need to learn new ways to cope with and relieve stress. A stress management and prevention

program for women would be very helpful considering roughly half of the world’s population is

female. Women not only have different stressors than men, but they also respond to stress in

different ways. Teaching women how to cope with stress would be valuable since many of them

are caretakers. Even if a woman does not have children, they are generally nurturing and might

be a caretaker type at work, towards their boyfriends or husbands, or for their parents. Women

need to learn to take care of themselves first so they will be better able to take care of others.

Explained Stressors

Women experience many sources of stress. Many stressors come with being a mother,

wife, or employee. For some, the burden of responsibilities of being a mom and/or wife causes a

lot of stress (Seaward, 2017). A mother wants the best for her children and worries if she is

doing everything right. Kids are not always perfectly behaved which can also cause stress.

Relationship conflicts in a marriage or with other family members can cause a lot of stress. A

couple might not see eye-to-eye on child rearing practices or perhaps the husband could work

long hours leaving the wife to take care most of the household duties causing added stress.

Conflict with family members such as arguments between siblings or with parents is also a

stressor. Many times, women spend more time taking care of others than making sure their own

needs are met (clevelandclinic.org, 2019).

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Women experience daily hassles in addition to those at home which can cause stress

(Seaward, 2017). On-the-job hassles such as not having enough time to complete work and

traffic are just two examples of daily hassles. Another stressor that many women encounter is

the lack of a support system (Seaward, 2017). Whether they are a single mom trying to work and

raise their children or someone that does not have many family or friends to rely on, the lack of

support adds to their stress. Money matters are additional stressors for women

(clevelandclinic.org, 2019). Managing a family budget is a difficult task and insufficient income

or unexpected expenses can cause added stress. Losing one’s job would be a major stressor. Job

security is another concern that women might get stressed about (clevelandclinic.org, 2019). A

woman has a job to not only receive income to take care of herself (and her family if she has

one), but also for self-fulfillment. If there are troubles at the company she works at or her

performance has suffered recently, it can cause more stress.

A woman’s health can be a cause of stress (clevelandclinic.org, 2019). There are so many

different aspects of health that could cause stress. If one is so busy they have not had much time

to exercise and they have been eating a lot of fast food which is not healthy, they could

experience guilt and stress knowing they aren’t taking care of themselves, especially if they

experience weight gain. Finding out that they have a serious illness or condition will cause a lot

of stress as well. Sleep deprivation is another aspect of health that can be caused by stress and it

can also cause stress and other health conditions. Many women experience discrimination in the

workplace which can cause stress (womenshealth.gov, 2019). Discrimination based on gender,

race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation can cause anxiety and depression (womenshealth.gov,

2019).
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Experiencing trauma or a traumatic event can cause stress (womenshealth.gov, 2019).

Being in an accident or disaster or going through abuse are examples of trauma that can put one

at risk for depression and other disorders (womenshealth.gov, 2019). Significant life events can

also be causes of stress in women (Sievert, Jaff and Woods, 2018). Examples would be serving a

term in jail, the death of a family member or a major financial event (Seivert, Jaff and Woods,

2018).

Stressor Importance

Women and men can have many of the same or similar stressors, but usually react to

them in different ways and are affected in different ways. When women are exposed to stress for

a long time, they experience depression and anxiety and other psychological disorders such as

panic disorder more often than men (clevelandclinic.org, 2019). Women experience tension

headaches and are more susceptible to stress-related weight gain than men (clevelandclinic.org,

2019). Women also experience heart problems, pregnancy issues, bowel problems and menstrual

problems with increased stress (clevelandclinic.org, 2019). There are many steps one can use to

reduce stress such as deep breathing, meditation, journaling, exercise and eating right, talking

with family members or a professional if necessary (womenshealth.gov, 2019). Women can also

seek spiritual fulfillment and work on having a positive outlook to relieve stress

(clevelandclinic.org, 2019).

Program Descriptions

A program to teach women how to manage their stress and prevent future stress could be

created to be implemented online or at a facility such as a school, church, or business. Since the

world is still dealing with Covid-19 and women might not be able to attend activities in-person,

an online program might be best to start right now. Women could receive information about the
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program from their physician, workplace, family, or friends. Sign-up would be free, and the

program could offer many ways to reduce stress that could be accessed online and could offer in-

person benefits as well.

There are many stress management and mindfulness techniques that could benefit women

and help them to alleviate and prevent stress. Exercise would be an excellent way for women to

relieve stress. According to womenshealth.gov (2019), physical activity can “relax your muscles

and improve your mood . . . relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety” and it “boosts the

levels of ‘feel-good’ chemicals in your body called endorphins” (n.p.). In order to maintain

health and well-being, the body needs proper rest, food and exercise (Stahl and Goldstein, 2019).

Skipping exercise might seem to help in the long term because one needed the time for

something else, but long term, the lack of exercise and increased stress will negatively impact

one’s health.

Meditation is an easy to learn stress relief technique. It is safe, free and improves anxiety

and reduces stress (womenshealth.gov, 2019). Meditation can may also lower blood pressure

and improve menopause symptoms and side effects of cancer treatments (womenshealth.gov,

2019). The stress relief program could offer access to meditation programs and apps that clients

can access on their computers and smart phones. An in-person benefit would be to provide a

trained professional that could guide the participants in meditation.

Women need support of friends, family members and/or professionals. Friends or family

members can make one see their problems in a new way and possibly offer solutions

(womenshealth.gov, 2019). A stress management program for women will facilitate groups

where they can gather and talk to other members and hopefully, they will become friends. At the

minimum, it will provide a space to vent frustrations and feelings which can relieve stress.
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Access to a counselor or therapist can be provided for women that need professional help.

Group gatherings and counseling can all be provided virtually if meeting in person is not

possible.

According to Womenshealth.gov (2019), “volunteering in your community can help you

make new friends and feel good about helping others” (n.p.) This program can offer

opportunities to help others in the program. For example, volunteers can facilitate group

sessions or teach a meditation or exercise class. The program will also connect members to other

places in the community where they can volunteer.

Program Implementation

To implement this program virtually, a website would need to be created to organize

everything that will be offered to women to help them reduce and prevent stress. Funding could

be obtained by applying for grants from local, state, or federal government. A local hospital or

business could also provide funds in exchange for advertising on the website. The funding

would need to be sufficient to employ a person or business to maintain the website. If not

enough volunteers were secured and there was not enough funding for teachers to provide online

meditation and exercise classes, the website could link to free resources. Group sessions can be

done online via a web-based platform and even though the women do not meet in person, they

can form relationships as they continue to meet online.

To implement this program in person, a location or locations would need to be secured.

Exercise classes could be provided at a church or school or discount memberships to a local

health center could be secured for those participating in the program. Meditation classes could

also be offered where the exercise classes and equipment are provided. Meeting for group walks

can help alleviate stress by getting exercise as well as interacting with other women and forming
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relationships and gaining support. Online meditation classes could also be offered that the

clients could access online when they can’t attend in person. If a facility is secured, group

sessions can be started for women to be able to talk to each other. A therapist or counselor could

be found to meet with groups or with members individually. Ideally it would be a counselor that

would volunteer some time each week.

Program Obstacles

One obstacle that could be encountered when implementing an online program would be

finding the necessary funding to launch and maintain the website. Advertising to get members to

join and participate could be another obstacle.

Obstacles for an in-person program would be similar to an online program. Funding

could still be an obstacle. If a facility could not be found that would allow it to be used at no

cost, perhaps a discounted membership at a local health center could be secured. Since relieving

stress can reduce illness and chronic conditions, employers could be motivated to help provide

funding. If their employees participate, it could reduce healthcare costs for the company.

Women have the tendency to think they are too busy taking care of others to have any time to

devote to themselves. Another obstacle could be to find women that will take the time to

participate. One way to overcome this would be to offer free childcare. Ideally, funding from

the community or local business members would cover the cost of daycare providers. If not,

members could take turns volunteering to provide childcare or the older children of members

could be employed at a lower pay rate than a daycare company.

Health Professionals
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There are many health professionals that would support a program to help women reduce

and prevent stress. A counselor or therapist would be great to have to help the women in the

program. If stress is being caused by relationships, a licensed counselor could help clients learn

new relationship and emotional skills (womenshealth.gov, 2019). The counselor could help

facilitate group sessions too. A certified health and wellness coach would be a great addition to

the program. They could help members with their fitness and nutrition goals. They could

facilitate exercise classes and group walks. A personal trainer would also be an asset to teach

exercise classes or guide members how to use exercise equipment at a fitness center on their

own. A meditation instructor would not have to be licensed but having someone to teach classes

would be beneficial to the women of the program.

Program Measurements

In the beginning, one way to measure the success of the program would be to see how

many people participate in the program. Attendance at the events and classes that are offered

would be another way to see if it is successful. Feedback from participants would be an

important tool to see if what is being offered is beneficial to the participants and if there are more

things that members want to be added to the stress management program that are not currently

offered. Health assessments would be a great way to ascertain the success of the program. It

could start with a simple survey when someone starts with the program of such things as their

perceived stress level and blood pressure. Assessments could be more thorough as more people

participate in exercise activities and could include weight, BMI, fat mass, and muscle mass. To

keep the program going, members could be asked to share their success stories on the website

and/or with their family, friends, coworkers, and physician. Members could become meditation

teachers or lead group sessions and help secure funding to keep the program going.
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Summary

Women can experience different stressors than men and women respond to stress

differently than men. A stress management and prevention program targeting women would be

highly valued since women tend to put others first. A program that would be easy to access and

easy to participate in would be great for women with busy lives. There could be obstacles in

getting such a program up and running such as securing funding and getting participants, but

those can be overcome when people realize how important such a program is.
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References

Cleveland Clinic.org (2019). Women and Stress.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/5545-women-and-stress

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

ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Sievert, L. L., Jaff, N., & Woods, N. F. (2018). Stress and midlife women's health. Women's

midlife health, 4, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40695-018-0034-

1https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6297937/

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

Harbinger Publications.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office on Women’s Health.(2019) Stress

and your health.

https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/good-mental-health/stress-and-your-health