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Less Stress at K-State: New Online Courses Offered in Stress Management

April 18, 2007

Ever have one of those days, like when the car won't start, the gas bill is due, the coffeepot is empty and you get to work just in time to be unprepared for your meeting?

In our hectic daily lives, events – both large and small – can be stressors that cause us to function at levels that are less than optimum. That's where Kansas State University can help.

Fred Newton, professor and director of Counseling Services at K-State, along with Arthur Rathbun, counselor and biofeedback specialist, will team-teach online graduate and undergraduate courses in stress management beginning in fall 2007.

“The class is designed so that it's beneficial to the individual,” Newton said. “Whether you're in journalism or engineering, architecture or accounting, you can understand about stress and stress management theory and techniques and apply them to yourself.”

And with an estimated 50 to 200 stressors that can bog us down each day, applying stress management techniques may be key in surviving the week and avoiding the physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional symptoms of chronic stress, according to Newton and Rathbun.

Rathbun suggests beginning the process of stress management by taking a self-assessment of the stressors in your life and determining how to handle those stressors in a more productive way.

“If you overbooked yourself today, you might need to look at how you manage your time tomorrow,” he said. “That reduces the number of stressors.”

But here's a stressor tidbit you may not have known: stressors can be positive, too. “Stress is a continuum, so if you got excited about getting a check in the mail, that could be stressful, even though it's a positive thing,” Newton said.

K-State's stress management course is helpful to both graduate and undergraduate students in any field of study, as well as to working professionals seeking to manage stress in the workplace.

“If you work in an accounting firm, you might be able to design a stress management program for your firm,” Rathbun said.

The online courses are taught in a modular format and include PowerPoint slideshows, online assignments, video captures of lectures and biofeedback labs. K-State uses advanced technology, including the homegrown learning management system K-State Online, to make courses available to students worldwide and during times that fit into their busy schedules.

To learn more about the stress management course content, visit the course Web site at: http://www.k-state.edu/counseling/EDCEP502_802/

Enrollment in the online course for the fall 2007 semester is available at http://www.dce.k-state.edu/courses/ and entering “EDCEP 502” or “EDCEP 802” in the appropriate field.