Part 2: Coping with stress
Describe the stress response in plain language and identify one’s own habitual response to stress.
Estimated time to complete: 2 hour 30 minutes
Quiz 2.1: Stress response scenarios
2 mins
Activity 2.1: Matching what happens in the body and brain during a stress response
3 mins
Reflection 2.1: 5-day journal
3 mins
In addition to what’s below, there is a Word document you can download and do offline over the next week (click into this assignment by clicking the title “Reflection 2.1: 5-Day Journal”). You can either submit this document here or by going to Tools –> Assignments.
Podcast 2.1: Don’t Call Me Resilient – Episode 2
30 mins
In this episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient Vinita is joined by the Reverend angel Kyodo williams, a visionary author, Zen priest, and activist. They explore the difficult topic of dealing with the pain of racism and how we can become better advocates and anti-racist activists in today’s social climate.
Although racism is a chronic, unacceptable form of stress, which does not promote resilience for those experiencing it, we all have the ability to take steps to become engaged in working towards a solution. Doing so demonstrates planning and problem-solving, which are forms of active coping.
As we will explore in the remainder of this module, active coping contributes to resilience and good mental health – and keeps important conversations about harmful and oppressive attitudes and behaviours front and center as we work to build a better, more equitable future for all people.
Once you have finished listening to this podcast episode, don’t forget to take the quiz to check your understanding of the discussed content.
Quiz 2.2: How do you respond to stress?
15 mins
The following questions walk you through several weeks during an academic term, during which predictable and unpredictable stressors will be added to your life. Your task will be to consider how each of these stressors, as they accumulate, may impact your stress levels.
Activity 2.2: Get to know your coping Style
2 mins
Reflection 2.2: Coping styles
5 mins
Here is a summary of the five coping styles from the quiz in Activity 2.2 (you would have only seen one of these by doing the quiz once, so check out the others).
Podcast 2.2: Don’t Call me Resilient – Episode 3
30 mins
In this episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient, Vinita is joined by Carl James, a professor of education at York University and a former adviser to the Ontario minister of education, and Kulsoom Anwer, a high school teacher who works out of one of Toronto’s most marginalized neighbourhoods. Together, they discuss systemic racism in our education system that begins from our first point of contact with it, is reinforced by the media and society, and has lasting consequences for children as they grow up.
The focus of much of this episode is on the changes we can and must make to change the narrative for racialized children. Systemic oppression is an extreme form of stress, which negatively impacts resilience, so anti-racist education and the implementation of other initiatives to reduce the impact of ha rmful attitudes and behaviours are critical to improve the situation.
Working together towards a more equitable education system is a sign of active coping, and activating our social support systems can be a good resource as we make small changes that can have a ripple-like effect for our communities. As we build a better educational experience for all, we are showing active coping and simultaneously working to reduce the harm and oppression of racialized groups, both of which pave the way for improved resilience for all.
Once you have finished listening to this podcast episode, don’t forget to take the quiz to check your understanding of the discussed content.