If there’s something that people all over the globe have in common, it is called stress. Whether you’re a college student in Reykjavik, a housewife in Beijing, or a restaurant owner somewhere in Adelaide, the stress load that you carry is always there. The only difference is that someone might have more pronounced symptoms than anyone else when facing the same stressor. This, in turn, might lead you to a chronic condition if you do nothing about it.
The reality is that it’s not just the huge things that can get us feel anxious and stressed. The behavior of other people, adopting a pet, a scary moment in your favorite TV show, or getting an inadequate amount of sleep at night are some of the simplest things that yet may become potentially hazardous situations in different areas of our lives and get beyond our control.
Unfortunately, no quick-fix treatment for stress exists. However, self-assessment is there as you step on your path of defeating stress. Before you ever decide to get professional help (if needed, of course), consider using the so-called self-assessment tool to see how complicated and neglected your particular case is.
Known as the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale (or The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), it is a questionnaire with 43 items. Each item represents a stressful life event that can contribute to stress. The scale helps you calculate the stress level that is part of your life now and respond effectively to it.
By simply answering yes and no, you can measure the total stress you are experiencing at the moment. The formula is simple: the more events you add up, the higher the score.
Which of the following events happened to you in the last year?
