Assessing Your Stressors
A first step in effective stress management is to become aware of your stressors. Stressors come in many forms. They can be thoughts or ideas, emotions, situations, other people, bodily conditions, or environmental phenomena such as odors, noises, or extreme temperatures. Some stressors are acute, lasting only hours such as worried thoughts during a tornado warning. Other stressors are chronic, such as a semester's workload of several difficult classes and your constant anxiety about completing the assignments. Furthermore, stressors, especially chronic ones, can take a toll on us. Symptoms that indicate you are being adversely affected by stressors--that you are experiencing STRESS--take physical, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive forms.
Below is a worksheet to help you become more aware of your stressors, decide whether they are acute or chronic, and become more aware of the symptoms you have when you experience stress.
Self-Assessment of Stressors
I. Make a list of your current stressors. Briefly describe each stressor in a couple of sentences so
that you have a good focus on what each one is. If you have fewer than ten, fine. No need to
come up with more than you really have.
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10.
II. Next, from the list you have just made, reorganize it into acute (intense and short-term) stressors and chronic (not as intense and prolonged) stressors:
Acute (lasting hours) |
Chronic (lasting days, weeks, or months) |
1. |
1. |
2. |
2. |
3. |
3. |
4. |
4. |
5. |
5. |
III. Now, check the box next to the stress signs that you experience in association with the different stressors you listed above. There are blank boxes to write in additional signs you may experience but are not listed:
Stress Warning Signs |
Physical Symptoms |
o Headaches |
o Back pain |
o Indigestion |
o Tight neck and/or shoulders |
o Stomachaches |
o Racing heart |
o Sleep difficulties |
o Tiredness |
o Dizziness |
o Ringing in ears |
o |
o |
Behavioral Symptoms |
o Excess smoking |
o Grinding of teeth at night |
o Bossiness |
o Overuse of alcohol |
o Compulsive gum chewing |
o Compulsive eating |
o Attitude critical of others |
o Inability to get things done |
o |
o |
Emotional Symptoms |
o Crying |
o Overwhelming sense of pressure |
o Nervousness, anxiety |
o Anger |
o Boredom–no meaning to things |
o Loneliness |
o Edginess–ready to explode |
o Unhappiness for no reason |
o Feeling powerless to change things |
o Easily upset |
o |
o |
Cognitive Symptoms |
o Trouble thinking clearly |
o Inability to make decisions |
o Forgetfulness |
o Thoughts of running away |
o Lack of creativity |
o Constant worry |
o Memory loss |
o Loss of sense of humor |
o |
o |
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