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.