PSBB080 Stress management & Mindfulness

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Filip Kňažek (lecturer)
Mgr. Bc. Lucie Robošová (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Hana Přikrylová Kučerová, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Kateřina Šefčíková
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Fri 20. 3. 9:00–16:40 C51, Sat 21. 3. 9:00–16:40 C51, Sun 22. 3. 9:00–16:40 C51
Prerequisites
SOUHLAS
The course is primarily intended for psychology students at the FF MU. Given that it is an introduction to the topic of stress and mindfulness, the course is particularly suitable for first-year students. Course participants do not need to have any previous knowledge and skills in this area. The subject is taught in the Czech language. Some (optional) educational resources are listed in English. The course takes place irregularly during the semester.


To enroll, it is necessary to submit an application for consent to enroll in the course and attach a motivation letter to this application.

A motivation letter of no more than 0.5 standard pages should contain the reasons for interest in the course and the expectations associated with it. The teacher will grant consent to selected students with regard to the time of application, individual motivation and support for diversity for group dynamics.

Please apply for consent to enroll in the course only if you are seriously interested in completing the entire course. Given the date of the introductory lessons, we hope that the course will not be subsequently written off and places that could have been filled will not be released.

Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 18 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 19/18, only registered: 5/18
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Abstract
The aim of the course is to acquire basic theoretical knowledge and practical skills for managing personal and work (academic) stress in students. The subject also aims to support the integration of non-formal education methods into university teaching, to support the social skills of students, to increase their proactivity and to act preventively against the development of burnout syndrome.

Learning outcomes
After successfully completing the course, students will be able to:

- identify stress, individual manifestations of stress and their functions
- understand the basic mechanisms by which stress can lead to diseases
- take a critical look at the role of stress in a wider context (bio-psycho-socio-spiritual approach)
- name and communicate one's own manifestations of stress
- independently use basic stress management techniques (breathing techniques, relaxation, imagination, mindfulness and movement exercises, cognitive techniques) and self-reflective methods
- work more effectively and consciously with stressful life situations
- orient themselves in resources that can be used to help themselves or help others

The outcomes of the course largely depend on the personal commitment of individual students and their willingness to use the knowledge and skills acquired within the course in their lives.

Key topics

  • In the spring semester 2026, teaching will take place as follows:

  • a 3-day block lesson will take place first (face-to-face, from Friday 20th March to Sunday 22nd March)
  • the following weeks will be devoted to practicing the learned skills, completing tasks and individual consultations (if needed)
  • then the final meeting will take place (we will agree on the course of this meeting on the weekend)

    The content and order of the weekend lessons is indicative and may vary according to the current needs of the group:

  • 1. Introduction to stress – What is stress? How does it manifest itself and what is it for? What is the mechanism of the acute stress response? How does the disease develop on the basis of chronic stress? What does the role of stress look like in the broader context?
  • 2. Mindfulness, resilience and coping mechanisms – What is mindfulness and where does it have its roots? In what ways can mindfulness be practiced in everyday life? What is resilience and what is it shaped by? What are the coping mechanisms of stress and their consequences?
  • 3. Breath, the 4A's of stress management – What types of breath are there? What breathing techniques can be used when working with stress? What does hyperventilation and panic attack look like, and what to do about them? How to reflect on a stressful situation and come to a solution?
  • 4. Thought traps, stress in the social context and prevention of burnout – What thought traps do we fall into? How to deal with them? How to use positive affirmations? What roles do we take in relation to others? How to prevent burnout by working with roles?
  • 5. Movement, imagination and relaxation – How to combine movement and mindfulness? How to use imagination to reduce stress and promote health? How to induce relaxation?
  • 6. Nature – What effect does nature have on human health? What is forest bathing? How to take a conscious walk?
Study resources and literature
    recommended literature
  • Principles and practice of stress management. Edited by Paul M. Lehrer - Robert L. Woolfolk - Omer Van den Bergh. Fourth edition. New York: The Guilford Press, 2021, xvi, 672. ISBN 9781462545117. info
  • Harkness, Kate L., and Elizabeth P. Hayden (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Stress and Mental Health, Oxford Library of Psychology (2020; online edn, Oxford Academic, 7 June 2018), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190681777.001.0001
  • Folkman, Susan (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping, Oxford Library of Psychology (2010; online edn, Oxford Academic, 18 Sept. 2012), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195375343.001.0001
    not specified
  • Porges, S. W., & Porges, S. (2023). Our polyvagal world: How safety and trauma change us. WW Norton & Company.
  • LEVINE, Peter A. and Maggie KLINE. Prevence traumatu u dětí : průvodce k obnovení důvěry, vitality a odolnosti. Translated by Klára Meissnerová. První vydání v českém j. Praha: Maitrea, 2014, 275 stran. ISBN 9788087249611. info
  • JANEČKOVÁ, Barbora; Yvonna LUCKÁ and Tatiana NEVES. Od fragmentace k integraci : trauma pohledem biosyntetické psychoterapie. Translated by Michal Strenk. V Praze: Stanislav Juhaňák - Triton, 2023, 277 stran. ISBN 9788076842663. info
  • John A. Romas, Manoj Sharma. (2017). Practical Stress Management: A Comprehensive Workbook (7th edition, 236 s.) Academic Press, Elsevier Inc
  • PEŠEK, Tomáš et. al. Slabikář neformálního vzdělávání. Vydání první. Asociace neformálního vzdělávání (ANEV), 2019. 192 stran. ISBN: 978-80-907579-1-2 (online ; PDF). https://www.slabikarnfv.eu/cs
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Lessons are interactive in nature. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of knowledge, critical thinking, practical skills, self-experience and self-reflection. Active participation in individual and group exercises with subsequent analysis is required.

Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements

Requirements for obtaining credit for the course:

1. Full and active participation in all of the weekend lessons and participation in the final meeting
2. Completion of all tasks in the  interactive syllabus (including completion of an online written evaluation of the entire course)

Alternate completion
The course cannot be completed in an alternative form.
Language of instruction
Czech
Study support
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/phil/jaro2026/PSBB080/index.qwarp
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught each semester.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024, Spring 2025, Autumn 2025, Autumn 2026, Spring 2027.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2026/PSBB080