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Unit 9 Assignment: Final Project

Kaitlyn S. Greene

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress-Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Professor’s Name

October 4, 2022
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Unit 9 Assignment: Final Project

Being apart of the United States Military is once of the most highly rated stress jobs in

the country. Military men and women endure unpredictable work hours, being on call 24/7, and

having to adapt to any environment they are thrown in around the world. It is important for

service members to acknowledge the root of their stressors and learn how to cope and build

resilience in order to live a long, healthy, and joy filled life. Having firsthand experience as a

service member and dealing with my own coping mechanisms has pulled me to select this

population for research.

Explained Stressors

Stress can be defined as a “as a loss of emotional control” (Seaward, B. 2018). Or the

“absence of inner peace” (Seaward, B. 2018). Some examples of stressors for a service member

may include the following: unpredictable work hours, being on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a

week, having to move to a new location every 1 to 3 years, causing stress on their family by

being unavailable, not being able to detach from work, having to live where you work, being

responsible for soldier’s livelihood, pulling 24 hour shifts 1-2 times a month, possibility of doing

an entirely different job at every new duty station, maintaining physical fitness.

Unpredictable workdays can put a strain on a family by making a stay at home mom

stressed from needing a break from the kids or even a service member having plans with their

family that needs to get cancelled last minute. Being a single Soldier in the Army may feel less

of the strain but at the end of the day, everyone wants to get off work on time and enjoy their

down time to relax, get some college homework done, or speak to family. As a Soldier you are

on call 24/7, this means you can get a call at 3 am, 6pm, 8pm, on weekends and holidays

regarding work. Having this on call job does not allow you to have work life balance and may
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lead to a state of chronic stress. Being in the military you get 1 to 3 years in each duty station

depending on the location. Service members must uproot their family and leave behind

friendships and family sometimes to adapt to a new environment. These moves are very stressful

on everyone involved and most of the time you are unable to take all your stuff with you due to

weight limitations. For single and most married soldiers, housing is on base and more or less in

the vicinity of the job. This can make some people feel trapped and unable to separate home and

work.

Stressor Importance

These stressors are important because the country needs soldiers that are strong and

resilient. The Army life is not for everyone which is why not everyone joins, let alone stays in

the military. Prolonged periods of stress can lead to chronic stress. This can result in Anxiety,

depression, digestion problems and even lead to more serious illness like high blood pressure,

heart disease, and stroke (Chronic Stress Puts Your Health at Risk, 2021). It is important for

service members to be able to pinpoint their main stressors in their active life and learn how to

cope with it. The Army, like any big corporation conducts trainings to educate the masses on

various different topics. One topic the Army focuses on is resilience. Resilience is the ability to

bounce back in the face of adversity. This class that every single Soldier in the Army is required

to take is intended to help everyone identify stress and ways to work through it mentally.

Unfortunately, that class is only given about 1 every 3 years which is not as nearly as much as

soldiers need.

Program Descriptions

The Army prides itself on maintaining physically and mentally tough. It’s a line they

drill in you during basic combat training while yelling the Soldier’s Creed every day. The Army
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has succeeded in maintaining an Army that is physically fit but not so much mentally. There are

many resources available and research that focuses on strengthening one’s mental agility. For

example, Diaphragmatic breathing, Meditation, practicing mindfulness, yoga/ exercise and

nutrition, music therapy, and massage therapy. The Army dumps a ton of money in hiring

professional fitness coached, dietitians, physical therapists, and even psychologists. Sometimes

the answer to the problems needs a more holistic approach, after all, everyone has different

needs. Diaphragmatic beathing is the act of taking intentional controlled belly breaths as a way

to relax and destress. Yoga can be grouped into a physical and mental exercise as way to reduce

stress, boost immune system, and increase spiritual connectedness. Meditation is a practice of

taking a quiet or guided minute to gain mental clarity and awaken a higher power within oneself

to achieve the desired results and goals. Music and massage therapy uses two different

stimulations to increase joy and pleasure to reduce the thought and feeling of stress. If the Army

invented just a percent of their resources into the holistic side of stress reduction, the Army

would be a better and more well-rounded place for the country.

Program Implementation

The proposed program would be a holistic center on every base that offers a wellness

coach, guided and unguided meditation classes throughout the day and week, breathing classes,

and an art center for service members to go and unwind through visual release. The proposed

program would be for service member only but would host dependent events and days

periodically for special events. Service members share a lot of resources on base with

dependents and contract workers (well earned), but I think it is important for service members to

be given a safe space that isn’t overfilled dependents taking up all of the available slots. I think
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this will help units encourage everyone to join and create a better climate around trying new

thighs and the importance of mental health.

Program Obstacles

Some possible program obstacles could be getting the holistic program approved,

dependents being upset by having specific days of the week to use the center, unit involvement

and overall support of the program. The Army prides itself on tradition and can be very resistant

to change. The Army culture for mental health is usually to ignore it and pretend everything is

okay which can lead to toxic leadership who are unhappy and stressed and overwhelm soldiers

who do not deserve maltreatment. Unit involvement is important because soldiers may need

encouragement to use the program. Meditation to some, can seem taboo but education and

advertisement would entice people to tr it and at least know the benefits.

Health Professionals

The health professionals needed to support the program would be a program director,

wellness coach, life coach, certified yoga instructor, and a meditation specialist. Having multiple

qualified staff will ensure soldiers are receiving timely support and resources. It would also be

nice to include volunteer opportunities to soldiers, spouses, and dependents to get involved in the

community, a voice in the creative aspect of the program, and gain some positive public

recognition for the involvement.

Program Measurements

Just like the commanders on post measure physical fitness within the formations, stress

and mental fitness could be measured as well. The Army could implement mandatory,

anonymous surveys quarterly that ask about mental, spiritual, and emotional health. These

surveys would include whether they use the wellness center and if they believe it is helping them
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manage their health. Service member can be afraid to sue resources like a therapist because it

gets placed on your record and many feel judged by it. With the wellness center, it would be

more spiritual and allow more leniency for accountability. Through the use of surveys,

commanders will be able to gauge the level of usage of the program and the morale of the

personnel. Service member will be able to disclose any information anonymously that has been

contributing to their stress levels which would help command teams identify stress categories

and find ways to combat them locally. Additionally, the success of the program could also be

measured through a wellness center sign in roster. The sign in roster could be digital and ask if

service member would like to stay anonymous. The wellness centers could provide monthly

numbers of usage by unit and omit the names.

Summary

The Army is a large organization that needs mentally and physically healthy troops

serving the country. The Army trains its troops on day one but after integration that mental

resilience training falls by the waistlines. It is crucial that leaders of the Army emphasize the

importance of mental health just as boldly as they do for physical health. It is no surprise that

being a Soldier in the Army is one of the top stressful jobs in the country with good reason.

Equipping troops with the tools and resources to truly take charge of their mental health will

breed a need Army of enlightened resilient Soldiers. That is why implementing a holistic

wellness center will be the best way to go to reduce stress across the Army, increase awareness,

and train soldiers to better handle stressful scenarios that they will encounter during their

enlistment.
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References

Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (9th

ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook (2nd ed.). New

Harbinger Publications.

Chronic stress puts your health at risk. (2021, July 8). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved October 5, 2022,

from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-

20046037?reDate=05102022