Stress is a part of our modern lives, but if we pay attention to how it affects us, we can minimize its negative effects. We’ve all heard the phrase “stressed out”. When we notice everyday stress is affecting us, we need to take action or it can easily overwhelm us, possibly leading to physical and/or mental health issues.
Stress
How Stressed Are You?
To get an idea of how much stress you might be under, go down the list below and identify all of the life events that have happened to you in the past year. Add up the points next to all of the events that happened to you and you’ll get a final stress score. Look at the ranges below the grid to see if you are at risk of developing health problems due to stress. This list leaves out some important (stressful) events that are probably happening in your life, but it will give you an idea of how stressed you might be.
| Life Event | Life Change Units |
|---|---|
| Getting married | 101 |
| Unwed pregnancy | 92 |
| Death of parent | 87 |
| Acquiring a visible deformity | 81 |
| Divorce of parents | 77 |
| Fathering an unwed pregnancy | 77 |
| Becoming involved with drugs or alcohol | 76 |
| Jail sentence of parent for over one year | 75 |
| Marital separation of parents | 69 |
| Death of a brother or sister | 68 |
| Change in acceptance by peers | 67 |
| Pregnancy of unwed sister | 64 |
| Discovery of being an adopted child | 63 |
| Marriage of parent to stepparent | 63 |
| Death of a close friend | 63 |
| Having a visible congenital deformity | 62 |
| Serious illness requiring hospitalization | 58 |
| Failure of a grade in school | 56 |
| Not making an extracurricular activity | 55 |
| Hospitalization of a parent | 55 |
| Jail sentence of parent for over 30 days | 53 |
| Breaking up with boyfriend or girlfriend | 53 |
| Beginning to date | 51 |
| Suspension from school | 50 |
| Birth of a brother or sister | 50 |
| Increase in arguments between parents | 47 |
| Loss of job by parent | 46 |
| Outstanding personal achievement | 46 |
| Change in parent’s financial status | 45 |
| Accepted at college of choice | 43 |
| Being a senior in high school | 42 |
| Hospitalization of a sibling | 41 |
| Increased absence of parent from home | 38 |
| Brother or sister leaving home | 37 |
| Addition of third adult to family | 34 |
| Becoming a full-fledged member of a church | 31 |
| Decrease in arguments between parents | 27 |
| Decrease in arguments with parents | 26 |
| Mother or father beginning work | 26 |
Score of 300 or more: At risk of illness.
Score of 150 to 299: Risk of illness is moderate.
Score of 150 or less: Slight risk of illness.
Take Control of Your Stress
Regardless of how much stress we have in our lives, getting into the habit of reducing our stress levels is a good idea. We can reduce our stress levels by eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising, meditation, aromatherapy, and problem-solving to reduce the number of stressful events in our lives.
Here’s a list of techniques that can help manage your stress levels:
- Autogenic training
- Cognitive therapy
- Conflict resolution
- Exercise
- Getting a hobby
- Meditation
- Deep breathing
- Nootropics
- Relaxation techniques
- Artistic expression
- Fractional relaxation
- Progressive relaxation
- Spas
- Stress balls
- Natural medicine
- Clinically validated alternative treatments
- Time management
- Listening to certain types of relaxing music, particularly:
Source: Wikipedia.org, Modified Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale and list of stress management techniques.