Stress and Coping 1

Stress and Coping Project

Saint Leo University

Destiny Coleman

October 1, 2020

For the past 14 days I chose walking and stretching as my relaxation technique. I

decided to walk and stretch because I always enjoyed walking but especially nature

walks. It is also good to always stretch before you walk which in itself is relaxing. In the

beginning it wasn’t all that I had expected but the more I did it the better I felt not just

mentally but physically. I originally expected to feel the same throughout the 14 days.

The past 2 weeks I have been under an immense amount of stress. Between me

just moving into my new home, trying to find furniture and also car problems and staying

afloat in my school work it has been all at once. For this project I decide to walk around

my nearest park and stretch before and after my walks. In the beginning it was all the

same, I haven't walked in a little while so I started off small.When I would start each day

I felt sluggish like I needed an extra push to actually start walking. I would start with a 1

mile walk, day by day I felt the same.By the end of my walks in the beginning I felt a lot

better. It felt like I had the energy to do one more lap but I didn't want to push it. I was

physically tired and my psychology anxiety felt the same. After the 4th day I did notice a

small difference in me, I wasn’t as tired of out of breath which was a good sign. So the
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fifth day I walked an extra ½ mile. I did the same for 2 more days and gradually I felt a

lot better.

By the time my 7th day came around I was almost running around the park. I had

so much energy. I felt a tremendous difference between my first day compared to the 7th.

I was able to do atleast 2 laps, I even wanted to do 3. I started to feel like I was slimming

down as well. Mentally my mind felt more clear, my decision making felt a lot better,

even my skin was clearing up. According to “The Mental Health.” Walking everyday

can help with higher self-esteem, stress reduction, more energy and better sleep. I

definitely felt all of this by the 10th day. My phyicalogical health felt so much more

improved. I wanted to keep this routine up even after this project, I even changed my

dieting. I do believe that once you start one routine it's like a ripple effect for more

positive changes in your life.

In conclusion, I can definitely say that any form of meditation can not only

improve your quality of life but your physiological well being. I would say I intend to

keep up my methods in the future and also try new techniques for stress management. My

results from the past 14 days have been satisfying and well needed.
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References:

Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D, June 2019 “The Mental

Health.”https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-e

xercise.htm