Discussion Post

This is a discussion board post. Only thing that needs to be answered is the question. This course is managing stress. Please use the book and references

Case Scenario

35 year old Sam Smith has been spending his days lining up job interviews. He is married and the father of two young children. His wife is unable to work because of a chronic illness. He was laid off from his previous job eight months ago after 10 years of excellent service. Sam was devastated believing this doesn’t happen to someone who has given his heart, soul and talents to a company. He is starting to fall behind on his mortgage payments and doesn’t have health insurance any longer for his family. This economy and job loss is severe in his part of the country. Sam hasn’t been receiving interview requests or after interviewing has been receiving rejections. At this point, he thinks he will never be able to find another job that will be interesting and pay well. Sam has even stopped networking with colleagues. He is finding it more and more difficult to remain positive.

Sam received a phone call Wednesday morning asking if he could come in Friday for an interview. Unfortunately, his car broke down Monday and he doesn’t have any other means of transportation or money to repair it. Sam is thinking what’s the point I’ll probably only be given another rejection. Sam is in a dilemma.

The first question in this discussion is opinion and experience-based, so you can begin immediately.

·We all experience difficult times in our lives. It can be very easy to fall into negative thinking. In your opinion: What are some of Sam’s negative thoughts and what events or stressors might be leading him to these thoughts? If these tragedies weren’t happening in “Sam’s life, what might have been some of his long term stressors, and would they seem as overwhelming?

For each of the subsequent questions, please meaningfully integrate your readings including the text, articles, videos, and module notes in our conversation with each other.

For this discussion, we will read the Sam Smith case scenario and consider the following questions together.

·We have talked about negative thoughts Sam evinced. Which cognitive distortions is he experiencing?

·What might a cognitive restructuring plan look like for Sam? How about a behavior modification plan?

·Based on what we have learned through the course materials, would cognitive restructuring or behavior modification work better for Sam? How so?

·How would one or more of these coping techniques (e.g., journal writing, art therapy, or humor) be beneficial for Sam? What might you want to avoid?