I watched the Lilly Conference 2022 session entitled “Using Evidence-Based Stress Management Strategies for a Reflective Semester-Long Assignment.” Caitlin A. Demsky, Associate Professor of Management at Oakland University, focused on an assignment they developed and had the goal of describing the importance of stress management in the classroom and workplace. Demsky emphasized stress management and why it is important by explaining what stress is as “the physiological or psychological response to internal or external stressors” citing APA. Data shared from APA 2020 highlighted the impact: “87% of college students said their education was a source of stress.” Examples of stress management include mindfulness, gratitude, relaxation, and exercise. Demsky taught the course at the undergraduate and MBA levels with weekly assignments in which students choose from 2-3 activities. Demsky noted that all of the activities that are assigned are evidence-based and most from The How of Happiness book by Donja Lyubomirsky. Mindfulness, Demsky noted, focuses on the awareness of the present moment without judgment. Demsky shared a prompt used as part of the assignment. The prompt includes links to other resources and specific details. Gratitude, Demsky explained, focuses on thankfulness and appreciation for what we have at this moment. Students keep a gratitude log and receive explicit details. Relaxation was the third strategy that Demsky has taken a research interest in. The prompts again provide specific details and also allow flexibility. Demsky explained that the assessment was each week and based on a reflection of the activity. The reflections were graded as completed/not completed. Demsky ended by providing examples of potential adaptions: offering as extra credit, one-off assignments… This was an enjoyable session with several examples of assignments and prompts. I appreciate how the focus is on the reflection.
