This exercise is designed to help you learn from someone else about a specific area of stress in a person’s life. Individual experiences are important in building on our skills and learning how stress changes individuals. Students will pick an individual to interview who can give you an in depth look into a time they experienced a stressful event.
The stressful event could have been good (wedding, graduation, bought a house, new job) or something they perceived as negative (car accident, injury, lost job, break – up). You will interview the person and write a reflection / summary of what you learned from the interview. The paper should be 500 words in length, double – spaced, 12-point font, and 1-inch margins.
Please include the following information in your document: Interviewer: You, Interviewee: Person you are interviewing, Interview setting: In-person, on phone, email, text, Skype, etc., Affiliation with interviewee: How do you know this person?
You will ask a series of questions. The questions should be in three areas:
- Stress Topic: What was the cause of the stress for the individual? What was the event? Did the person see this as positive or negative? Describe the scenario and answer the questions (100 words). How did the stressful event change the person? How did the individual adapt?
- What was different after the event? What were some coping mechanisms / strategies used to deal with the stressful event? Coping mechanisms may be positive (breathing exercises) or challenging (increased alcohol use). What support systems did the person have or put into place? (200 words)
- How did this stressful event effect each of the five areas of holistic health for the person: physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual? (200 words).