HUMN101 – Understanding the Self

LESSON 3 ACTIVITY

GAMAY, GENEROSE Y. BSED 1A1

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.
College Student’s Stressful Event Checklist

X 50

X 45

X 40
X 39
X 39
X
39
X
39

X
37
X 36
X 35

X 29
X 29
X 28

X 24
 TOTAL SCORES: 509 Mild Stress: < 150
Moderate Stress: 150 to 300
Severe Stress: >300
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:

509
SEVERE STRESS

APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT

1. 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.
Filipinos are thought to be the happiest people in the planet. The curves on their face may be seen
even under difficult conditions. Smiles, on the other hand, are supposed to be a mask for every underlying
difficulty that a person encounters. And when you have a difficulty, you will endure tension that is unseen by
others. Our body's response to a challenge or demand is referred to as stress. It might begin with the smallest
of items and progress to larger ones. And everyone is different when it comes to stress levels. There are a
variety of reasons why such a person feels stressed. According to Michael L. Tan's essay, Stress and the
Filipino, Filipinos are subjected to a variety of stressors, the most of which are on job and livelihood. Stress
can be caused by being overburdened at work, as well as worrying about our financial security. Family stress
affects everyone, whether they live in the country or the city. Family might, in fact, be a source of stress as
well. Though Filipinos are renowned for being family-oriented, having our relatives as a shoulder to rest on
can be difficult due to the responsibility that each family member undertakes. Part of them finds it challenging
to meet their family's expectations. "Sure, Filipinos are tenacious, but it doesn't mean we aren't worried."
Filipinos are anxious, but they disguise it far too well. They don't show it off to everyone as much as they
could. The overseas Filipino laborers are a better illustration from the article. They appear to be alright working
thousands of miles away from home, but they are struggling to cope with their stressors.
 Stress is normal, but when it dominates you, it's a different story. There are easy activities that might
make stress more bearable by keeping your mind occupied and diverting your attention away from items that
may create tension. Managing stress, on the other hand, differs from person to person. Despite their cheerful
demeanor, Filipinos are not immune to stress. They are aware of it, but they work hard to find meaning in a
difficult environment through stress management, which includes identifying joy, fulfillment, and pleasure.
Because these are not the greatest of times for Filipinos, it's understandable that we're experiencing more
than just the regular bodily aches and pains. Sure, Filipinos are tough, but as popular medical anthropologist
Michael Tan shows out in our newest report feature as part of our health series, it doesn't mean we're not
anxious. It's possible that this is one of the reasons why heart disease and stroke are among the leading causes
of mortality in the United States. It might also be a cause of "bangungot," the infamous phenomena in which
Filipino men, many of them in their prime, have died in their sleep after a reported nightmare, according to
Tan. According to Tan, an acute observer of Filipino society, as loneliness stresses us out, so do the demands
of family, despite the fact that our family is also one of our key sources of happiness.
We are more sensitive to scents than to sounds (unless perhaps it happens to be a barrage of rumors
about us). "Stressors are not universal," as Tan points out, and what may be comforting to a foreigner (for
example, stillness) may drive Americans insane, and vice versa. "Not enough is being done to understand
stress in its local context," Tan adds, "although stress is mediated by culture: from the fundamental nature of
the stressors to the ways we respond to stress." Understanding the local environment may aid in the
development of more culturally acceptable, and thus more successful, stress management strategies.
2. Self-Care Plan. Design for your self-care plan for the whole school year.
3. Reflection Paper. Make a self-compassionate letter and make a reflection paper about it.

Dear Self,

How are you? I know it’s hard, but you have to know – you did your best. Every day, I wish for your happiness, because
I know you deserved it. I know you’ve been missing it, since the day that your childhood had died, so did your happiness. It’s
been difficult and lonely all the same time.

I don't particularly like you most of the time. I don't agree with everything about you. Despite the fact that some
people tell you that you are kind, gorgeous, and fantastic, I still feel bad about you. The majority of the time, I am dissatisfied.
I wish you could be someone else since I despise you and your life in general. Some strangers would tell you how valuable you
are, but I feel like the people you care about have failed to show you that. And it is quite important for you. I'm so disappointed
when the people that matter the most in your life make you feel unhappy and useless. It's disappointing because I'd like them
to see you in a different light, and I just want to be liked. It has an impact on how you perceive yourself, so when they make
you feel horrible about yourself, I begin to doubt your worth too. For a long time, I despised you. I have a strong desire for love
and attention. 'Please be kind to yourself, or at least treat yourself well— because you’re having a hard time loving yourself
here,' I'd like to say to everyone.

I want to believe that your presence is also significant to someone. And I'd like you to wake up every day without
feeling lonely or hurt.