Guide for Understanding Your Stress Profile
Take a little time to reflect on the following questions as a guide to self-exploration of your stress profile:
- How often do you feel tense, anxious, irritable?
- How often do you eat, drink or smoke to relieve tension?
- Do you feel that you have more to do than you can accomplish each day? Do you always feel rushed?
- Do you enjoy what you are doing? Are your daily tasks a source of pleasure and satisfaction?
- Do you find time to relax regularly every day?
- Do you have difficulty sleeping?
- How would you rate your general state of health at present?
- Do you consider your present weight to be a problem?
- Do you eat a nutritious balanced diet (free from the excesses that can become stressors)?
- Do you exercise regularly?
- Do you believe you are getting adequate exercise and do you enjoy it?
- Do you believe you are physically fit? (Is your resting pulse rate above 80/min?)
- Calculate your life change index using the table below. Is it more than 300 for the year?
- Do you try to recognize tension in yourself? (And how do others see you expressing your stress and tension?)
Ask yourself:
- What kind of tension you feel and under what circumstances.
- What were you thinking or feeling, and how did you respond when under heavy stress?
Keep a log or diary to assist you in a self-examination to identify your own sources of stress (what bothers you).
Try to recognize your own manifestations of stress and tension (others may need to help you).
LIFE CHANGE INDEX
(Social Readjustment Rating Scale)
Rank |
Life Event |
Mean Value |
1 |
Death of spouse/partner |
100 |
2 |
Divorce |
73 |
3 |
Marital separation |
65 |
4 |
Jail term |
63 |
5 |
Death of close family member |
63 |
6 |
Personal injury or illness |
53 |
7 |
Marriage |
50 |
8 |
Fired at work |
47 |
9 |
Marital reconciliation |
45 |
10 |
Retirement |
45 |
11 |
Change in health of family member |
44 |
12 |
Pregnancy |
40 |
13 |
Sex difficulties |
39 |
14 |
Gain of new family member |
39 |
15 |
Business adjustment |
39 |
16 |
Change in financial state |
38 |
17 |
Death of close friend |
37 |
18 |
Change to different line of work |
36 |
19 |
Change in number of arguments with partner |
35 |
20 |
Mortgage over $100,000 |
31 |
21 |
Foreclosure of mortgage or loan |
30 |
22 |
Change in responsibilities at work |
29 |
23 |
Son or daughter leaving home |
29 |
24 |
Trouble with in-laws |
29 |
25 |
Outstanding personal achievement |
28 |
26 |
Partner beginning or stopping work |
26 |
27 |
Begin or end school |
26 |
28 |
Change in living conditions |
25 |
29 |
Revision of personal habits |
24 |
30 |
Trouble with boss |
23 |
31 |
Change in work hours or conditions |
20 |
32 |
Change in residence |
20 |
33 |
Change in schools |
20 |
34 |
Change in recreation |
19 |
35 |
Change in church activities |
19 |
36 |
Change in social activities |
18 |
37 |
Mortgage or loan less than $100,000 |
17 |
38 |
Change in sleeping habits |
16 |
39 |
Change in number of family get-togethers |
15 |
40 |
Change in eating habits |
15 |
41 |
Vacation |
13 |
42 |
Christmas |
12 |
43 |
Minor violations of the law |
11 |
Check off events that have happened to you within the past 12 months. A score over 300 points indicates that an individual's chances of experiencing a health change will be very high (nearly 90%).
Source: Holmes, H. and Rahe, R. "The Social Readjustment Rating Scale." Journal of Psychosomatic Research 11:213 (April 1967) p. 214. Reprinted with permission.