Chapter III - Managing and Caring for the Self

CHAPTER III

MANAGING AND CARING FOR THE SELF

Lesson 1: Learning To Be a Better Learner

Learning Outcomes

 Understand the theoretical underpinnings for how to manage and care

for different aspects of the self.
 Explain how learning occurs
 Enumerate various metacognition and studying techniques.
 Identify the metacognitive techniques that you find most appropriate
for yourself.

Introduction

Learning, planning, and language, these are skills that make us human. Good
judgment takes a long time, and a lot of experience to acquire. On the other hand,
learning style is an individual’s approach to learning based on strengths, weaknesses,
and preferences. And knowing yourself as a learner is important if you want to
achieve to the best of your ability…And if you know how you learn best, you can also
communicate more effectively with your instructors and with your peers.

In this lesson, we will be describing several techniques that you can adapt
depending on your situation and preferences to make you a better learner. Successful

leaners are described as persons with enthusiasm and motivation for learning,
determination to reach high standards of achievement, and openness to new thinking
and ideas.

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ACTIVITY

How Do You Think About Thinking?

Answer the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) and evaluate yourself

as a learner. A copy of the MAI can also be downloaded from the following
link:

https://www2.viu.ca/studentsuccessservices/learningstrategist/documents/Meta
cognitiveAwarenessInventory.pdf (accessed October 1, 2017).

ANALYSIS

Answer the questions below. Use the attached sheet for your answer.

1. Do you agree with the results of your MAI? Why or why not?

2. Make a list of your “Top 5 Tips/Secrets for Studying” based on your personal
experiences/preferences. Share your answer in class.

3. Does your MAI result consistent with your personal Top 5 Tips/Secrets for
Studying?

DISCUSSION

• Metacognition

- Commonly defined as “thinking about thinking”

- It is the awareness of the scope and limitations of your current knowledge and
skills.

- Enables the person to adapt their existing knowledge and skills to approach a
learning task, seeking for the optimum result of the learning experience

- Includes keeping one’s emotions and motivations while learning in check

- The goal of metacognition is for the student to be a self-regulated learner.

Metacognition basically has two aspects:

 self-appraisal is your personal reflection on your knowledge and

capabilities

 self-management is the mental process you employ using what you

have in planning and adapting to successfully learn or accomplish a
certain task.

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Lesson 1

(Activity)

Managing and Caring for the Self

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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 Chapter III - Managing and Caring for the Self

Lesson 1

(Analysis)

Managing and Caring for the Self

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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- Similar concepts:

 metacognitive knowledge or what you know about how you think

 metacognition regulation or how you adjust your thinking processes

to help you learn better

- Under metacognitive knowledge, there are several variables that affect how
you know or assess yourself as a thinker:

 personal variable, which is your evaluation of your strengths and

weaknesses in learning

 task variable, which is what you know or what you think about the
nature of the task, as well as what strategies the task requires

 strategy variable refers to what strategies or skills you already have

in dealing with certain tasks.

- You must have an accurate self-assessment—you must be honest about what

you know and capable of in order to find ways to utilize your strengths and
improve on your weaknesses.

- The following are other skills that can help you in exercising metacognition:

• Knowing your limits.

The scope and limitations of your resources so that you can work with what you
have at the moment and look for ways to cope with other necessities

• Modifying your approach.

The recognition that your strategy is not appropriate with the task, to
modify your strategy in comprehending your material

• Skimming.
Browsing over a material and keeping an eye on keywords, phrases, or
sentences
It is also about knowing where to search for such key terms.

• Rehearsing. It’s not just about repeatedly talking, writing, and/or

doing what you have learned, but also trying to make a personal
interpretation or summary of the learning experience.
• Self-Test. Trying to test your comprehension of your learning
experience or the skills you have acquired during learning.
- Other strategies that you need to develop include asking questions about your
methods, self-reflection, finding a mentor or support group if necessary,
thinking out loud (though you have to be considerate of others also when
doing this), and welcoming errors as learning experiences.

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- Other tips that you can use in studying are the following:
1. Make an outline of the things you want to learn, the things you are
reading or doing, and/or the things you remember.
2. Break down the task in smaller and more manageable details.
3. Integrate variation in your schedule and learning experience. Change
reading material every hour and do not put similar topics together.
4. Try to incubate your ideas.
5. Revise, summarize, and take down notes, then reread them to help you
minimize cramming in the last minute.
6. Engage what you have learned.

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

Scenario:

You are about to study for your final examinations and it is as if the universe
conspired for a heavy finals week, all your subjects provided at least three new
reading materials and topics one week (7 days) before the examination period.

Create a diagram or schedule using at least five of the metacognitive strategies,

skills, and studying techniques mentioned in this lesson on how you would
prepare for the next seven days before your final examinations. Provide your
answer on a separate paper.

REFERENCES

Alata, Eden Joy P., Caslib, Jr., Bernard N., Serafica, Janice Patria J., and Pawilen,
R.A. 2018. Understanding the Self. Manila, Philippines: REX Book Store.

Cambridge International Examinations. 2015. “Metacognition: Education

Brief”Accessed September 13, 2017. http://www.cambridgeinternational
.org/images/272307- Metacognition-pdf.

Hogg, Michael, and Graham Vaughan. 2010. Essentials of Social Psychology.

Italy:Pearson Education Limited.

Livingstone, Jennifer. 1997. “Metacognition: An Overview”. Accessed September

13, 2017. http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/fas/shuell/cep564/Metacog.htm.

Metacognitive Awareness Inventory. n.d. Accessed September 9, 2017. https://www2.

viu.ca/studentssuccessservices/learningstrategist/documents/

Wolter, Derek C. 2012. In Search of the Self: Eastern versus Western Perspectives.”
Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research Vol. 1:Iss. 1, Article 1.
Accessed October 14, 2017.
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://ww
w.google. com.ph/&httpsredir=1&article=1003&context=o

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Lesson 1
(Application and Assessment)

Managing and Caring for the Self

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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 Chapter III - Managing and Caring for the Self

Lesson 2: Do not Just Dream, Make it Happen

Learning Outcomes

 Acquire and hone new skills and learning for better managing of one’s
self and behaviors

 Use Bandura’s self-efficacy theory for self-assessment

 Differentiate growth and fixed mindset by Dweck

 Design personal goals adapting Locke’s goal setting theory.

Introduction

According to Walt Disney, if you can dream it, you can do it. Always
remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse ---. He stated
that to live your life to the fullest, one key factor you need to remember is the size of
your dreams. If your dreams are small,
you will miss many things in life. You will miss them not because they are out of
reach, but because your limiting beliefs hinder you from reaching them.

In this lesson, you will be learning and be inspired by the stories of great
people. We often forget that all “great people” started somewhere, no matter what
they eventually became, they all had humble beginnings. Reading their stories,
especially how they start will inspire you and open your mind to new possibilities.
But, do not just read their stories as spectator. Instead, put yourself in their position,
overcoming challenges and defying expectations. This will inspire you to have bigger
dreams for yourself.

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ACTIVITY

On each designated box, draw your envisioned “Future Self.” Who would you
be:

Please provide your answer on a separate paper.

1. Five years from now

2. 10 years from now

3. 25 years from now

ANALYSIS

Envisioned Self Plan

Answer the following questions. Who are you or what would you become:

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a. In five years?

b. In 10 years?

c. In 20 years?

2. What are your motivations for your envisioned self:

a. In five years

b. In 10 years?

c. In 20 years?

3. Outline your plans on how you will make your envisioned self into reality:

a. In five years

b. In 10 years

c. In 20 years

4. How do you feel after doing this exercise?

5. What is your perception on goal setting?

DISCUSSION

• Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

- The Bobo Doll Experiment:

- Sample children were presented with new social models of violent and
nonviolent behavior toward an inflatable redounding Bobo doll.
- Result were: The group of children who saw the violent behavior model
became violent to the doll, while the control group who was presented with
the nonviolent behavior model was rarely violent to the doll.

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Lesson 2
(Activity)

Do not Just Dream, Make it Happen

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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(Analysis)

Do not Just Dream, Make it Happen

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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- This experiment has proven right the hypothesis that social modeling is a very
effective way of learning.
- Bandura’s social cognitive theory states that people are active participants in
their environment and are not simply shaped by that environment.

 Summary of Self-efficacy Theory:

- Distinguishes between expectations of efficacy and response-outcome
expectancies:
- Outcome expectancy is “a person’s estimate that a given behavior will
lead to certain outcomes.”
- Efficacy expectation is “the conviction that one can successfully
execute the behavior required to produce the outcomes.”
- Outcome and efficacy expectations are differentiated because individuals can
believe that a particular course of action will produce certain outcomes.
- Self-efficacy typically comes into play when there is an actual or perceived
threat to one’s personal safety, or one’s ability to deal with potentially
aversive events.
- Dr. Bandura defined self-efficacy as “people’s beliefs about their capabilities
to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence over
events that affect their lives.”

- He identified acts of people with “high assurance in their capabilities,” such

as:
1. Approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered;
2. Set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them;
3. Heighten or sustain efforts in the face of failures or setbacks;
4. Attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills
which are acquirable; and
5. Approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise
control over them.

- He identified acts of people with “high assurance in their capabilities,” such

as:
1. approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered;
2. set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them;
3. heighten or sustain efforts in the face of failures or setbacks;
4. attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which
are acquirable; and
5. approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control
over them.
In contrast, people “who doubt their capabilities”:
1. shy away from tasks they view as personal threats;

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2. have low aspirations and weak commitment to goals they choose to

pursue;
3. dwell on personal deficiencies, obstacles they will encounter, and all
kinds of adverse outcomes, rather than concentrating on how to
perform successfully;
4. slacken their efforts and give up quickly in the face of difficulties;
5. are slow to recover their sense of efficacy following failure or
setbacks; and
6. fall easy victim to stress and depression

4. Dr. Bandura described four main sources of influence by which a person’s

self-efficacy is developed and maintained. These are:
1. performance accomplishments or mastery experiences;

2. vicarious experiences;

3. verbal or social persuasion; and

4. physiological (somatic and emotional) states.

• Carol S. Dweck’s Fixed and Growth Mindset Theory

- Dr. Dweck described people with two types of mindset:

People who believe that success is based on their innate abilities have a
“fixed” theory of

intelligence, and goes under fixed mindset.

People who believe that success is based on hardwork, learning, training, and

perseverance have growth theory of intelligence, which goes under growth

mindset.

- Fixed-mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on

their basic abilities;

- Growth-mindset individuals do not mind or fear failure as much because they

realize their performance can be improved and learning comes from failure.

- Individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own mindset, but their
mindset can still be discerned based on their behavior.

- Edwin A. Locke’s Goal Setting Theory

- The basic contents of goal setting theory are summarized in terms of 14

categories of findings:

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1. The more difficult the goal, the greater the achievement.

2. The more specific or explicit the goal, the more precisely performance is
regulated.

3. Goals that are both specific and difficult lead to the highest performance.

4. Commitment to goals is most critical when goals are specific and difficult.

5. High commitment to goals is attained when:

a. the individual is convinced that the goal is important; and

b. the individual is convinced that the goal is attainable (or that, at least,
progress can be made toward it).

There are many ways to convince a person that a goal is important:

• In most laboratory settings, it is quite sufficient to simply ask for compliance

after providing a plausible rationale for the study.

• In work situations, the supervisor or leader can use legitimate authority to get
initial commitment.

• Continued commitment might require additional incentives such as

supportiveness, recognition, and rewards.

Financial incentives may facilitate commitment and performance; participation by

subordinates in setting goals leads to higher commitment than curtly telling people
what to do with no explanation; self-set goals can be highly effective in gaining
commitment.

Commitment can be enhanced by effective leadership. Relevant leadership techniques

include:

 providing and communicating an inspiring vision;

 acting as role model for the employees;
 expecting outstanding performance;
 promoting employees who embrace the vision and dismissing those who reject
it;
 delegating responsibility (“ownership”) for key tasks;
 goal setting itself can be delegated for capable, responsible employees;
 expressing (genuine) confidence in employee capabilities;
 enhancing capabilities through training; and
 asking for commitment in public.

6.In addition to having a direct effect on performance, self-efficacy influences:

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a. the difficulty level of the goal chosen or accepted;

b. commitment to goals;

c. the response to negative feedback or failure; and

d. the choice of task strategies.

7. Goal setting is most effective when there is feedback that shows progress in
relation to the goal.

8. Goal setting (along with self-efficacy) mediates the effect of knowledge of

past performance on subsequent performance.

9. Goals affect performance by affecting the direction of action, the degree of

effort exerted, and the persistence of action over time.

10. Goals stimulate planning in general. Often, the planning quality is higher than
that which occurs without goals. When people possess task or goal-relevant
plans as a result of experience or training, they activate them automatically
when confronted with a performance goal. Newly learned plans or strategies
are most likely to be utilized under the stimulus of a specific, difficult goal.

11. When people strive for goals on complex tasks, they are least effective in
discovering suitable task strategies if:

a. they have no prior experience or training on the task;

b. there is high pressure to perform well; and
c. there is high time pressure (to perform well immediately).
12. Goals (including goal commitment), in combination with self-efficacy,
mediate or partially mediate the effects of several personality traits and
incentives on performance.

13. Goal-setting and goal-related mechanisms can be trained and/or adopted in the
absence of training for the purpose of self-regulation.

14. Goals serve as standards of self-satisfaction, with harder goals demanding

higher accomplishment in order to attain self-satisfaction than easy goals.
Goals can also be used to enhance task interest, reduce boredom, and promote
goal clarity. When used to punish or intimidate people, however, goals
increase stress and anxiety.

Application and Assessment

Jack Canfield Quote Hunt. Using Canfield’s quote on success at the beginning of this
lesson, identify the elements of Bandura, Dweck, and Locke’s Theories. Give
explanation to your answer.

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1. Self-efficacy Collage. Make a collage of your own perceived self-efficacy

using Dr. Albert Bandura’s four sources of influence for the development and
maintenance of self-efficacy.

2. Graphic Organizer. Make an artistic graphic organizer to differentiate fixed

mindset from growth mindset of Dr. Carol Dweck. Highlight the definition,
description, characteristics, examples of situations where each mindset are
developed, and their advantages and disadvantages.

3. Goal Setting Plan. Make a goal setting plan (short term for one semester only)
based on what you learned from Locke’s goal setting theory.

4. Dream Board. Make your dream board, five years after college graduation.

REFERENCES

Alata, Eden Joy P., Caslib, Jr., Bernard N., Serafica, Janice Patria J., and Pawilen,
R.A. 2018. Understanding the Self. Manila, Philippines: REX Book Store.

Bandura, Albert. 1994. “Self-Efficacy”. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.) Encyclopedia of

Human Behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press. (Reprinted
in H. Friedman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mental Health San Diego: Academic
Press, 1998).

Brown, Joel. 2016. “34 Thought Provoking Jack Canfield Quotes”. In Addicted 2
Success. Accessed October 30, 2017. https://addicted2success.com/quotes/34-
thought-provoking-jackcanfield-quotes/.

Canfield, Jack. 2017. “Maximixing Your Potential”. Self Esteem Seminars. Accessed
October 30, 2017. http://jackcanfield.com/about-jack-canfield/.

Kendra, Cherry. 2017. “Albert Bandura Biography: His Life, Work and Theories”.
Verywell Accessed October 30, 2017. https://www.verywell.com/albert-
bandura-biography-1925-2795537

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Lesson 2
(Application and Assessment)

Do not Just Dream, Make it Happen

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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 Chapter III - Managing and Caring for the Self

Lesson 3: Less Stress, More Care

Learning Outcomes

 Apply the new skills to one’s self and functioning for a better quality
of life

 Explain the effects of stress to one’s health;

 Examine cultural dimension of stress and coping; and

 Design a self-care plan.

Introduction

According to Dan Mager from psychologytoday.com, stress is unavoidable,

but how we respond to it makes all the difference. Stress affects everyone. It impacts
the mind and body in direct and powerful ways. Ongoing stress makes us more
susceptible to emotional imbalance, illness, and disease. Stress is frequently talked
about, but what exactly it is?

In this lesson, you will be made to understand that stress does not only come
from negative or problematic experiences. Positive experiences can also create
considerable stress. You will be taught in managing and decreasing your stress and
fear, as well as anxiety. Methods and practices in helping you manage and reduce
your level of stress represent tools to help you self-calm in particular, these self-
calming practices generally combine intentional breathing and focused attention to
help relax and quiet the mind and the body, and there are many more practices that
you will be learning on this topic

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ACTIVITY

Self Stress Assessment

To handle life stress is to identify sources of life stress. Arizona State

University adopted “The Social Readjustment Scale” of T. H. Holmes and R. H. Rahe
to come up with the “College Student’s Stressful Event Checklist.” Use the Event
Checklist to assess your stress level as college student. Follow these instructions for
your guidance:

1. Get a copy of the “College Student’s Stressful Event Checklist” from the
Arizona State University available through Research Gate. Use the link
provided:

(https://www.researchgate.net/file.PostFileLoader.html?id=57361005f7b67ee8
fb041dc2&assetKey=AS%3A361336895 754242%401463160837813)

2. Answer the questionnaire honestly. To put the checklist in our context, change
the third item about “Divorce between parents,” to “Separation between
parents.”

3. Write your score and its interpretation inside the box:

4. Circle all events you identified.

ANALYSIS

Answer the following questions: Please provide your answer on a separate paper)

1. How do you feel while you were doing the checklist?

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2. Is the result near to your present perceived stress level? How do you
feel with the result?

3. How do these identified life events affect your life now?

4. What is your reflection after sharing your answers with a classmate?

5. What is your perception about stress and self-care?

DISCUSSION

• Stress and Human Response

- Selye hypothesized a general adaptation or stress syndrome. This general

stress syndrome affects the whole body. Stress always manifests itself by a
syndrome, a sum of changes, and not by simply one change.

- The general stress syndrome has three components:

1. The alarm stage

2. The stage of resistance

3. The exhaustion stage

- Stress diseases are maladies caused principally by errors in the body’s general
adaptation process.

- If stress is induced chronically, our defense response lowers its resistance

since fewer antibodies are produced and an inflammatory response dwindles.

- The stress response begins in the brain.

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Lesson 3
(Activity)

Less Stress, More Care

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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Lesson 3
(Analysis)

Less Stress, More Care

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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- When someone experiences a stressful event, the amygdala, an area of the

brain that contributes to emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the
hypothalamus.

- The hypothalamus is a bit like a command center. This area of the brain
communicates with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous
system.

- The autonomic nervous system has two components:

The sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight response,

providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers.

The parasympathetic nervous system promotes the “rest and digest”

response that calms the body down after the danger has passed.

 Techniques to Counter Chronic Stress

1. Relaxation response. These include deep abdominal breathing, focus

on a soothing word (such as peace or calm), visualization of tranquil
scenes, repetitive prayer, yoga, and tai chi.

2. Physical activity. People can use exercise to stifle the buildup of stress
in several ways. Exercise, such as taking a brisk walk shortly after
feeling stressed, not only deepens breathing but also helps relieve
muscle tension.

3. Social support. Confidants, friends, acquaintances, co-workers,

relatives, spouses, and companions all provide a life-enhancing social
net, and may increase longevity.

• The Cultural Dimension of Stress and Coping

- a person’s internalized cultural values, beliefs, and norms affect the appraisal
process of stressors and the perceived appropriateness of coping responses;

- stress and coping are universal experiences faced by individuals regardless of

culture, ethnicity, and race;

- members of different cultures might consider and respond to stressors

differently with respect to coping goals, strategies, and outcomes.

- avoidance, withdrawal, and forbearance coping methods are common among

Asians;

- spiritual, religious, and ritual based coping are common among African-
Americans and African-Canadians;

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- spiritual and religious coping and coping through family support are common
among individuals of Latino/Latina backgrounds

• Self-care Therapy

1. Stop, breathe, and tell yourself: “This is hard and I will get through this one
step at a time.”

2. Acknowledge to yourself what you are feeling. All feelings are normal so
accept whatever you are feeling.

3. Find someone who listens and is accepting. You do not need advice. You need
to be heard.

4. Maintain your normal routine as much as possible

5. Allow plenty of time for a task.

6. Take good care of yourself. Remember to:

1. Get enough rest and sleep.

2. Eat regularly and make healthy choices.

3. Know your limits and when you need to let go.

4. Identify or create a nurturing place in your home.

5. Practice relaxation or meditation.

6. Escape for a while through meditation, reading a book, watching a

movie, or taking a short trip.

• Self-compassion Therapy

- Being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail, or feel
inadequate, rather than flagellating ourselves with self-criticism;

- Being imperfect and experiencing life difficulties is inevitable, so we soothe

and nurture ourselves when confronting our pain rather than getting angry
when life falls short of our ideals;

- Recognizes that life challenges and personal failures are part of being human,
an experience we all share. In this way, it helps us to feel less desolate and
isolated when we are in pain.

• Self-compassion Phrases

- This is a moment of suffering.

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- Suffering is a part of life.

- May I be kind to myself.

- May I give myself the compassion I need.

The first phrase helps to mindfully open to the sting of emotional pain. The
second phrase reminds us that suffering unites all living beings and reduces the
tendency to feel ashamed and isolated when things go wrong in our lives. The third
phrase begins the process of responding with self-kindness rather than self-criticism.
The final phrase reinforces the idea that you both need and deserve compassion in
difficult moments.

Other phrases that may feel more authentic in a given situation are: “May I
accept myself as I am,” “May I forgive myself,” or “May I learn to accept what I
cannot change.”

• Self-compassion and Emotional Well-being

- A key feature of self-compassion is the lack of self-criticism, and self-

criticism is known to be an important predictor of anxiety and depression.

- Self-compassion is not merely a matter of looking on the bright side of things

or avoiding negative feelings. Self-compassionate people recognize when they
are suffering, but are kind toward themselves.

- Self-compassion is associated with greater wisdom and emotional intelligence,

suggesting that self-compassion represents a wise way of dealing with difficult
emotions.

- By wrapping one’s pain in the warm embrace of self-compassion, positive

feelings are generated that help balance the negative ones.

• Self-compassion, Motivation, and Health

- Research supports the idea that self-compassion enhances motivation rather

than self-indulgence.

- Self-compassionate people aim just as high, but also recognize and accept that
they cannot always reach their goal.

- Self-compassionate people have been found to have less motivational anxiety

and engage in fewer self-handicapping behaviors such as procrastination than
those who lack self-compassion.

- Self-compassion was positively associated with mastery goals (the intrinsic

motivation to learn and grow) and negatively associated with performance
goals (the desire to enhance one’s self-image)

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- Self-compassionate people are motivated to achieve, but for intrinsic reasons,

not because they want to garner social approval.

• Self-compassion versus Self-esteem

Self-compassion:

- Predicts greater happiness and optimism as well as less depression and anxiety
when controlling for self-esteem

- Are less focused on evaluating themselves, feeling superior to others,

worrying about whether or not others are evaluating them, defending their
viewpoints, or angrily reacting against those who disagree with them

Self-esteem :

- Robust association with narcissism

- Evaluation of superiority/inferiority that helps to establish social rank stability

and is related to alerting, energizing impulses and dopamine activation

• Self-compassionate Letter

1. Candidly describe a problem that tends to make you feel bad about yourself.

2. Next, think of an imaginary friend who is unconditionally accepting and

compassionate.

3. Finally, write a letter to yourself from that perspective. What would your
friend say about your perceived problem? What words would he or she use to
convey deep compassion? How would your friend remind you that you are
only human? If your friend were to make any suggestions, how would they
reflect unconditional understanding?

4. When you are done writing, put the letter down for a while and come back to
it later. Then read the letter again, letting the words sink in, allowing yourself
to be soothed and comforted.

• Less Stress, Care More

We should be in control of the stress that confronts us every day. Otherwise,

when we are overwhelmed by stress, it can be detrimental to our health. Self-care and
self-compassion are two ways to positively confront stress. We should love and care
for our self-more and more each day.

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 Chapter III - Managing and Caring for the Self

Application and Assessment

Reaction Paper. Make a reaction paper about the article “Stress and Filipino” by
Michael L. Tan from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. (2006). The
article is available through this link: http://pcij.org/ stories/stress-and-the-filipino/.
Use the lesson on the social and cultural dimension of stress in making your reaction
paper.

1. Self-Care Plan. Design for your self-care plan for the whole school year.

2. Reflection Paper. Make a self-compassionate letter and make a reflection

paper about it.

REFERENCES

Alata, Eden Joy P., Caslib, Jr., Bernard N., Serafica, Janice Patria J., and Pawilen,
R.A. 2018. Understanding the Self. Manila, Philippines: REX Book Store.

American Psychological Association. n.d. “Understanding Chronic Stress”. Accessed

October 31, 2017. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-chronic-
stress.aspx.

Kuo, Ben. 2010. “Culture’s Consequences on Coping: Theories, Evidences, and

Dimensionalities”. In Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. Vol. 42 Issue 6,
1084-1100.AccessedOctober 31, 2017.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022110381126.

The American Institute of Stress. n.d. “What is Stress?”. Accessed October 31, 2017.
https://www.stress.org/what-is-stress/.

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 Chapter III - Managing and Caring for the Self

Lesson 3
(Application and Assessment))

Less Stress, More Care

Name:___________________________________________ Date_____________
Section: _________________________________________ Score:____________

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