Unit 3: Managing and Caring for Self

1. Intended learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter the students have
1. Explored the different aspects of managing and caring for self
2. Acquired and developed new skills and learning for better management of
one’s self and behavior.
3. Demonstrated critical, reflective thought in integrating the various aspects
of managing and caring for the self.

2. Pre-assessment activity
Students will be asked to take a Self-care Assessment worksheet.

3. Content

3.1 Introduction:
Knowing and discovering self is not the only way to understand the self.
Understanding self fully, entails being able to express, take charge and being
happy of oneself. This means that one has to learn to take time to attend to his or
her needs, regulate emotions and develop positive intrapersonal relationship. This
is what we call self-care and self-management.

Brosko, (2018) describes self-care as intentional planning and attending to

one’s basic physical, mental and emotional needs. As such an individual
consciously take time to engage in self-care behavior such as but not limited to
diet and exercises, resting and taking time to understand what the person
experiences to be able to respond appropriately. Self-care involves healthy
lifestyles, responsible use of all medicine, self-regulation of symptom, self-
monitoring and self-management.

Omisakin and Ncama (2011) define self-management as “the methods,

skills, and strategies by which an individual can effectively direct their own activities
toward the achievement of objectives and includes goal setting, decision making,
focusing, planning, scheduling, task tracking, self-evaluation, self-intervention,
self-management.” These self-management strategies are designed to increase
the individual’s self-control.

To achieve or increase one’s self control, one has to learn how to manage
and care for self. Managing self and increasing self-control is not an easy task.
One needs planning and discipline in every aspect of self. Planning includes goal
setting and choosing the strategies that perfectly fits the individual and his/her
goals. Discipline on the other hand includes the ability to determine which things
to prioritize and value time. He or she religiously apply the strategies learned in
order to achieve her/his goal for himself/herself.
 In this chapter, we will be learning some strategies to manage and care
certain aspects of self. Self-management is the ability to navigate and shift in a
healthy way one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in order to make decisions
and reach goals that benefit oneself and others (https://ggie.berkeley.edu/student-
well-being).

3.2 Managing Stress : Stress and Coping

Stress is inevitable and can be viewed as a

normal part of life. It affects every person regardless of
age and status in life. Stress for Frydenberg and Lewis
(2011), stems from an individual’s perception of the
demands placed upon him or her and the resources
available in order to cope with these demands. There
are two types of stress - the eustress and the distress. Eustress is referred as the
positive stress while distress are the negative stress. Examples are shown in the
chart below.

Eustress Distress

Passing the Licensure Exam Failing a subject

Winning a lotto Death of a love one

Birthday Celebration Losing a favorite toy

Stress, either eustress or a

distress demands a respond from
the individual. People respond to
stress in different ways and this
response to the stressors is called
as the individual “coping style”.
When an individual fails to cope
with these demands or changes in
life, it will cause negative outcomes
in the person.
 To cope effectively with the stressors in life, one needs to be mindful of his or
her coping behavior and reflect to it. The individual need to reflect whether his/her
coping behavior is helping or not.

There are different kinds of

coping strategies and its effectiveness
depends on the individual. The most
common are the emotion focused
coping and the problem focused
coping of Lazarus and Folkman.

In emotion focused coping, the

individual reflects on his or her emotion
and tries to regulate negative
emotions. The purpose of this coping style is “to guide away, accept and/or
manage the emotional responses to an unchangeable and/or uncontrollable
situation (Roncaglia,2014).

Problem focused coping is a coping style that attacks or find solution to the
problem. It tries to know the source of the problem and find solution in order to
solve the problem. As explain by Roncaglia(2014), this can be achieved through
finding out more information on the issue and learning new skills to manage it.
Problem-focus coping is aimed at changing or eliminating the source of the stress.

Example

Situation : A student anxious of upcoming exam

Problem Focused Coping Emotion Focused Coping

• Look for materials to study for • Do “”meditation” to eliminate

the exam. anxiety.
• Ask the teacher for • Praying for guidance and
clarification about the topic strength
which is unclear to him/her • Keeping self-busy before the
• Attend group study for the exam
exam
3.3 Strategies for Managing and Caring Physical Self

Also called as the body, the physical self helps experience sensations and has
an important role in the development of the individual. The Indian tradition explains
that a person’s desires and attachments comes from the body and it is the main
vehicle for spiritual growth and self-realization (Flores, n.d). Thus, when we take
care of our physical self, we are also, at the same time, caring the other aspects of
self.

3.3.1 PLEASE
➢ This skill is intended for taking care for physical self. Attending our
physical self is important for it also affects the other aspects of self. The
PLEASE skill is develop by Linehan and is also intended to reduce
emotional vulnerability (Eich, 2015).

PL – treat Physical illness

E - balance Eating
A – Avoid mood-altering drugs
S – balance Sleep
E- balance Exercise

3.3.2 STRONG

Sleep as much as you need - not too much, not too little.
Take medications your doctor prescribes. When sick take care of
yourself.
Resist using street drugs or alcohol.
Once a day, do something that gives you a feeling of being in control,
mastering your world.
Nutrition - eat a balanced diet, don’t over or under eat. Don’t make
decisions about food based upon your emotional state at the time
(I’m too upset to eat). Keep your blood sugar balanced.
Get exercise - try to do 20 minutes a day. Research shows that exercise
helps people improve their mood.
3.4 Strategies for Managing and Caring Social Self

GIVE
This skill is intended to build and keep relationship. Relationships need to
be tended well in order to grow and flourish.
G – be Gentle - be nice and respectful

I – act Interested – Listen and appear interested in the other person

and the other person’s point of view.

V – Validate with words and actions; show that you understand the
other person’s feelings and thoughts about the situation.

E – Use an Easy Manner – use a little humor

3.5 Strategies for Managing and Caring Emotional Self

Know your emotions

• Primary Emotions
• Secondary Emotions

Strategies for Managing and Caring the Emotional Self

1. Be mindful of your current situation.

• Observe your emotion
• Experience your emotion fully
• Remember: You are not your emotion
• Practice respecting and loving your emotion
2. Change emotion by acting opposite to the current situation:
e.g. a. Fear
o Approach events, places, tasks, people you are afraid of
o When overwhelmed, make a list of small steps or task you can
do

b. Guilt or shame
o Repair the transgression
o Accept the consequences gracefully
o Let it go

c. Sadness or depression
o Get active, approach, don’t avoid it
o Do things that make you feel competent, and Self-confident
 d. Anger
o Gently avoid the person you are angry with rather than attacking
o Do something nice rather than mean or attacking
o Imagine sympathy and empathy

Other self-management skills include:

• Regulating and expressing one’s emotions thoughtfully

• Demonstrating perseverance and resilience to overcome obstacles
• Sustaining healthy boundaries
• Applying strategies to reduce personal and interpersonal stress
• Setting and monitoring short-term and long-term goals
• Advocating for oneself and one’s needs
• Maintaining attention
• Using feedback constructively

According to emotion researcher James Gross, when we regulate our emotions,

we are using processes that affect “which emotions we have, when we have them,
and how we experience and express them.” These processes are used with both
pleasant and unpleasant emotions, and can be done either consciously (biting
one’s nails when nervous) or unconsciously (expressing happiness when receiving
a so-so gift).

While there are countless way we regulate our emotions, one of the most common
methods is suppression, or shoving them deep down inside in order to limit their
expression.

In the West, people often suppress their emotions because they do not want to
accept or experience them, which has been found to negatively affect a person’s
physical and mental health, in addition to lessening their social support.

In contrast, East Asians are more likely to value emotion suppression because
adjusting one’s emotional response to maintain group harmony is of utmost
importance. As a result, research suggests that emotion suppression does not
have the same harmful effects on people as in the West, however a handful of
studies have found otherwise.

1. Emotions influence where we focus our attention; indeed, things that carry
more of an emotional charge for us are more likely to get our attention than
things that do not.
2. The major takeaway from the vast amount of research on emotions and
learning is that emotions in the classroom matter—a lot. Here are a few
examples:
 3. Emotions influence where we focus our attention; indeed, things that carry
more of an emotional charge for us are more likely to get our attention than
things that do not.
4. Emotions help us remember and retrieve information. In fact, emotional
memories are much more vivid and easily recalled than non-emotional
memories.
5. Our emotional state and our emotional reaction to academic content can
affect our ability to reason.

The major takeaway from the vast amount of research on emotions and learning is
that emotions in the classroom matter—a lot. Here are a few examples:

1. Our emotional state and our emotional reaction to academic content can affect
our ability to reason.

One study found that participants who were in a positive mood more easily
solved logic-oriented problems than those in a negative mood. In another
experiment, researchers found that when faced with problems about spiders that
required logical reasoning, participants who suffered from spider-phobia
performed worse than those without this phobia did.

2. Positive emotions help us to think more flexibly and creatively when faced with a
problem to solve.

3.5.1 DEARMAN
Describe the situation if necessary and stick to the facts. Tell the person
exactly what you are reacting to.

Express your feelings and opinions about the situation. Do not assume that
the other person knows how you feel.

Assert yourself by asking for what you want or saying “no”. Do not assume
that the other figures out what you want.

Reinforce or reward the person ahead of time by explaining positive effects

of getting what you want or need. If necessary, clarify the negative
consequences of not getting what you want.
 Stay Mindful by focusing on your goals and maintaining your position. Do
not be distracted and do not get off the topic.

Appear confident in conversing with the other person. Use a confident

voice tone and physical manner.

Negotiate with the person. Be willing to give and to get. Offer and ask for
assistance for other solution to the problem.

3.5.2 Breathing Exercise

OBSERVING YOUR BREATH

Focus your attention on your breath, coming in and out.

Observe your breathing as a way to center yourself in your wise mind.
Observe your breathing as a way to take hold of your mind, dropping off non-
acceptance and fighting reality.

METHODS

A. DEEP BREATHING

Lie on your back. Breathe evenly and gently, focusing your attention on the
movement of your stomach. As you, begin to breathe in, allow your stomach to
rise in order to bring air into the lower half of your lungs. As the upper halves
of your lungs begin to fill with air, your chest begins to rise and your stomach
begins to lower. Do not tire yourself. Continue for 10 breaths. The exhalation
will be longer than the inhalation.

B. MEASURING YOUR BREATH BY YOUR FOOTSTEPS

Walk slowly in a yard, along a sidewalk, or on a path. Breathe normally.

Determine the length of your breath, the exhalation and the inhalation, by the
number of your footsteps. Continue for a few minutes. Begin to lengthen your
exhalation by one-step. Do not force a longer inhalation. Let it be natural. Watch
your inhalation carefully to see whether there is a desire to lengthen it. Continue
for 10 breaths.

C. COUNTING YOUR BREATH

Sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair, lie down, or take a walk.
As you inhale, we ware that “I am inhaling, ONE.” When you exhale, be aware
that “I am exhaling, ONE.” Remember to breathe from the stomach. When
beginning the second inhalation, be aware that “I am inhaling, TWO.” Moreover,
 slowly exhaling, be aware that “I am exhaling, TWO.” Continue up through 10.
After you have reached 10, return to ONE. Whenever you lose count, return to
ONE

3.6 Strategies for Managing and Caring Academic Self

Introduction:

Who is a successful learner? Most of us have truly observed successful and expert
individuals in different field or profession (e.g., a plumber, musician, athlete,
teacher, or artist). These individuals have special knowledge and skills in a
particular field. Similarly, successful learners also possess special knowledge and
skills that differentiate them from less successful learners.

Successful students are not simply individuals who know more than others do.
They also have more effective and efficient learning strategies for accessing and
using their knowledge, can motivate themselves, and can monitor and change their
behaviors when learning does not occur.

WHAT IS ACADEMIC SELF-MANAGEMENT?

The word management is a key term in understanding successful learners. They

self-manage or control the factors influencing their learning. They establish
optimum conditions for learning and remove obstacles that interfere with their
learning. Educators use a variety of terms to describe these students (e.g., self-
regulated, self-directed, strategic, and active). No matter what term is used, the
important factor is that these students find a way to learn. It does not matter if the
instructor is a poor lecturer, the textbook is confusing, the test is difficult, the room
is noisy, or if multiple exams are scheduled for the same week, successful learners
find a way to excel.

WHY ARE SOME STUDENTS LESS SUCCESSFUL LEARNERS?

• They Hold Faulty Beliefs About Their Ability, Learning, and Motivation
• They Are Unaware of Their Ineffective Learning Behavior
• They Fail to Sustain Effective Learning and Motivational Strategies
• They Are Not Ready to Change Their Learning and Study Behavior
HOW CAN I MANAGE MY ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR?

The following are six major components of academic self-management or self-

regulation. Learning the self-management skills related to each of these
components can help you exert control over your own learning and promote your
own academic achievement (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997):

• Motivation
• Use of time
• Physical environment
• Social environment
• Performance

MOTIVATION

“Each semester I write down goals that I want to attain.”

“When I feel down, I talk to myself to motivate me to keep on task.”

According to Dembo (2004), motivation is the internal processes that give behavior
its energy and direction. These internal processes include your goals, beliefs,
perceptions, and expectations. Student motivation in the college classroom
involves three interactive components (adapted from Pintrich, 1994). The first
component is the personal and sociocultural factors that include individual
characteristics, such as the attitudes and values students bring to college based
on prior personal, family, and cultural experiences. The second component is the
classroom environment factors that pertain to instructional experiences in different
courses. The third component is internal factors or students’ beliefs and
perceptions. Internal factors are influenced by both personal and sociocultural
factors and classroom environmental experiences. Current research on motivation
indicates that internal factors (i.e, students’ beliefs and perceptions) are key factors
in understanding behavior.

MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGY

Goal Setting
One of the major goals of the college experience is for students to develop a
coherent sense of identity. This development begins in adolescence and usually
ends by the time an individual graduates from college (around 21 years of age).
According to Erikson (1968), identity involves the search for a consistent image of
who one is and what one wants to become.
 Smith (1994) stated that: “Values explain why you want to accomplish certain
things in life. Long-range goals describe what you want to accomplish.
Intermediate goals and daily tasks show how to do it” (p. 83).

Goal setting is a strategy that helps an individual identify what he/she wants to
accomplish, develop a course of action on attaining it and be motivated towards
achieving it.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN THE GOAL-SETTING PROCESS?

Step 1: Identifying and Defining the Goal

As you set each of your goals, you want to make sure they are SMART
goals (Smith, 1994):
Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Timely
Step 2: Generating and Evaluating Alternative Plans
Here we determine how you are going to attain your goal. The answers to
the following questions can be very helpful:
• How would other people achieve this goal?
• Who can help me achieve this goal?
• How have I achieved similar goals in the past?
Step 3: Making Implementation Plans
It also is important for your plan to be specific so you know exactly what
needs to be done to achieve your goal.
Step 4: Implementing the Plan
The first three steps in the goal-setting process are planning steps. Step 4
requires you to put the plan into operation by completing each of the
planned activities.
Step 5: Evaluating Your Progress
In Step 5, you will evaluate your plans and progress.

BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES

1. TIME MANAGEMENT
What is time management? Smith (1994) defined time as “a continuum in which
events succeed one another from past through present to future” (p. 20). The basic
aspect of time is an event. Everything in our lives is an event. Time is the
occurrence of all the events in our lives in sequence, one after the other. When we
talk about time management, we are really talking about event or task
management. After all, the purpose of time management is to ensure that we
 complete all of our important tasks each day. It is not simply to manage time. Smith
(1994) stated: “Controlling your life means controlling your time, and controlling
your time means controlling the events in your life” (p. 20).

WHAT ARE SOME GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES?

• Set Regular Study Periods
• Study in an Environment That Is Relatively Free of Distractions and
Interruptions
• Schedule Tasks So They Can Be Accomplished in 30- to 60-Minute Blocks of
Time
• Take Short Breaks
• Be Specific in Identifying How You Plan to Use Your Time
• Alternate Subjects When You Have a Long Time Block Available for Study
• Estimate the Time Needed for Each Assignment
• Prioritize Tasks
• Do the Assignments for the Course You Dislike First
• Work Ahead of Your Assignments When Possible
• Carry Your Calendar With You and Write Down Any Appointments as Soon as
You Make Them

2. MANAGEMENT OF PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

An important aspect of self-management is the ability to restructure or modify, when

necessary, one’s physical and social environments to learn more effectively.
Therefore, it is important to understand how environmental and social factors influence
learning and how you can become more resourceful in making the necessary changes
in your environments.

Self-management of social environment relates to the ability to determine when you

need to work alone or with others, or when it is time to seek help from instructors,
tutors, peers, and nonsocial sources such as a reference book, additional textbooks,
or the Internet (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997).

A. Improve your attention and concentration

One strategy on managing of our physical and social environment is to improve our
attention and concentration. Attention is a selective process that controls awareness
of events in the environment. Concentration is the term used to identify the continual
refocusing on a perceived stimulus or message. Note that focus is the key word
identifying attention and refocus is the key word identifying concentration (Wolff &
Marsnik, 1992).

HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION?

 ✓ Establish a study area with minimal distractions
e.g. Study in the library or designated study area in the dorm.
✓ Have necessary materials available
e.g. Borrow notes before a study session.
✓ Control noise levels
e.g. Ask your roommate to lower or shut off the stereo, close the window or
change location
✓ Reduce interruptions
e.g. Place a sign on the door: “Midterm Exam: Do Not Disturb,” place a
message on the your phone: “Call later 10 p.m.”
✓ Protest
e.g. “Please, I’m trying to concentrate on this reading.” Avoid visual contact with
distracter.
✓ Pay attention to, and whenever possible deal with, your physical state
e.g. Take a short nap before your study, get something to eat or drink, or take
an aspirin for your headache.
✓ Carefully determine when you will study in your time-management plan
e.g. If you get tired late in the evening, don’t schedule study times when you
are likely to be tired or don’t attempt to study during your dinner hour.
✓ Daydreaming
e.g. Make a checkmark on a notepad whenever you catch yourself
daydreaming.
Monitoring concentration can help keep you on task.
✓ Instead of worrying, take action
e.g. Talk to the instructor or teaching assistant about course issues or
problems, find a tutor, call your girlfriend or boyfriend to resolve a recent
disagreement before you begin studying.

B. Work more effectively in groups

Another strategy on managing of our physical and social environment is on working
effectively on groups.

HOW CAN I HELP MAKE MY STUDY GROUP MORE PRODUCTIVE?

The following are four categories of important skills used in collaborative settings
(adapted from Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1994).

Forming skills. Group members need to discuss their expectations and how they
will deal with problems that occur when they first meet. It is also important to be
fair in dealing with group members.
 Functioning skills are the second category of cooperative skills. They involve the
management and implementation of the group’s efforts to achieve tasks and to
maintain effective working relationships among members.
Formulating skills are directed at helping group members understand and
remember the material being studied in the group. Such skills include encouraging
group members to summarize what was covered, adding important information
when something is left out of the summary, reviewing important information, and
using learning strategies to remember important ideas.
Fermenting skills are used to stimulate academic controversy so that group
members will rethink and challenge each other’s positions, ideas, and reasoning.
Examples of such skills include challenging ideas but not people, formulating a
coherent and defensible position on an issue, and probing and eliciting information
for achieving answers and solutions to problems.

C. Prepare for and benefit from meetings with tutors and instructors

HOW DO I SEEK ACADEMIC HELP?

• Awareness of a need for help
• Decision to seek help rather than taking alternative actions
• Decision regarding the type of help to seek
• Decision regarding the target person from whom to seek help
• Employment of a help-seeking strategy
• Processing of the help

4. Post-assessment Activity
a. Post-test