You want to take a stress test to see how stressed you are? But you’re already stressed. Oh, so you want to know to what degree you are stressed. I see. You want to quantify your stress level.
Alright, here you go:
The following is a SYMPTOM stress test. All you do is add up the number of the following choices below. The key is on the bottom.
Physical effects of stress
Headache
Backache
Tight muscles
Neck or shoulder pain
Jaw tension
Muscle cramps
Nervous stomach
Nausea
Insomnia
Fatigue
Cold hands/feet
Pressure in head
High blood pressure
Diarrhea
Skin condition
Allergies
Teeth grinding
Digestive disorders
Stomach pain
Constipation
Hypoglycemia
Appetite change
Colds/flu
Heavy perspiration
Rapid heart beat
Nervous habit
Psychological effects of stress
Anxiety
Depression
Confusion
Irrational fears
Compulsive behavior
Forgetfulness
Feeling overwhelmed
Hyperactivity
Mood swings
Loneliness
Relationship problems
Unhappy at work
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
Restlessness
Boredom
Worrying
Guilt
Volatile temper
Crying spells
Nightmares
Apathy
Sexual problems
Weight change
Overeating
Use of stimulants
Number of items
0-7
8-14
15-21
22 +
Stress level
Low
Moderate
High
Extreme
So now, what’s your stress score?
How do you feel about your stress level?
Did you know, a little bit of stress is actually good for you? But, when is it a problem? Let’s take another stress test. This one deals more with your life in general. Take it and we’ll talk later. If you want a break read stress management for more information.
SCORING
Never……………….. No Stress
Rarely………………. Low Stress
Occasionally…………Moderate Stress
Frequently………….. High Stress
Always………………..Extreme Stress
When you can see your stress written in front of you, you have something concrete to deal with. Watch this.
Say you woke up late this morning and you ripped both socks. You didn’t have time to change them and you left your house in a rush. Every step you made caused you an uncomfortable feeling; a loose-sock-in-your-shoe-feeling. As the day progressed it got worse; your socks slide down into your shoes and you had to take them off and rearrange them multiple times. This situation was getting on your nerves when, fortunately, you were sitting in solitude and happened to take one of my stress tests.
But unfortunately, the stress test did not have “ripped socks” on it anywhere. You went down the list. What caught your attention, however were the other stresses in your life that you tried to forget or didn’t bother to remember: family, work, money, health, and all of a sudden the ripped socks didn’t matter. They weren’t even close to the least stressful topic.
The ripped socks fell into a category of annoyance, because things of this type…
HAVE AN END IN SIGHT. This will be over!
The importance of the stress test is to quantify the stress in your life, the real stresses we’re talking about, and focus on de-fusing them.
Fortunately, we have access to the best de-stress resources ever. But you have to focus on the real stresses, not the ones made up. The real stresses are not going anywhere anytime too soon. The annoyances will fade away.
Use the stress test as a powerful tool to pinpoint your major stresses and use your time and energy on these. Figure out how to handle “ripped sock” issues and look hard at the real issues that are at stake.
In fact, taking the stress test is your first assignment. Take it truthfully and apply the strategies we have given you and you can literally change your life.
