One Way to Calculate Your Daily Stress Level

by Susan Andrews, PhD

Think about your day today or any day. Is anything causing you to be upset or worried? Are you  working on a timeline, for example, or have a deadline? Is today one of those days that you have too many things on your list? Check the list below and assign a value based on the duration of the aggravation or situation. If the situation or problem lasts less than an hour, assign a number value of 1. If it lasts for several hours, give it a 3. If the situation is chronic, assign a value of 5.

Interpersonal Stress (fight, disagreement, disturbing message, etc.)

____ Feeling aggravated or frustrated

____ Feeling hurt or angry

____ Feeling sad or tearful

____ Feeling misunderstood or unappreciated

Time Stress (busy, late, too little time, etc.)

____ Got up late, in a rush

____ Stuck in traffic

____ Hit a roadblock (literally or figuratively)

____ No time during day for breaks for relaxation

____ Pushing yourself all day to get something finished

Performance Stress (giving a talk, paper, presentation, party, etc.)

____ Feeling nervous before, during, and/or after

____ Thinking about the situation before or after

Work Stress (too much to do, can’t or don’t know how to do it, etc.)

____ Been on your feet all day

____ Mind is active, challenged, problem-solving

____ Boss or co-workers are aggravating

____ Threat of reprimand, loss of job, major failure

Mental Stress

____ Worry about what you said or want to say to someone

____ Being self-critical or judging yourself for something

____ Mind is active, challenged, problem-solving

____ Worry you will not get something you really want

Emergency and Physical Types of Stress

____ Have an accident (car, or other)

____ A major weather problem

____ You or someone close gets sick or worse

____ Pain in back/neck or some other part of body

____ Poor sleep, tired all day

Fears and Threats

____ Financial problems of immediate concern

____ Fear something bad will happen

____ Fear of harm or major loss

Other Situations or Aggravations

___ ___________________________________

___ ___________________________________

______Total of all stresses today.

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