Stress Test: Getting To The Root Cause Of Your Stress

Here’s what you need to do Schedule some time and lock yourself
away for at least one hour Somewhere quiet Switch off the
mobile phone, the television and devote this time to you
You don’t need to sit cross-legged on the floor for this, but I
want you to do some contemplation Think about your everyday
life Run the video in your mind Take yourself through a
regular week But pay attention to your feelings Where does it
grate?
What negative feelings do you have about any part of your
regular schedule? What are the feelings? Why do you feel that
way? Perhaps a job that you loved 5 years ago is now just a
9-to-5 grind Why? What happened?
Write it down All your thoughts Try to identify where in your
life you are stressed and why Then I want you to keep a diary
for the next week If you think about this period of
contemplation often, during the next week, I will guarantee you
will find a lot more issues or problems Write them in your
diary
By the end of the week you should have a comprehensive list of
your stressors or pressure points
You may also find a combination of circumstances pushing the
boundaries on your natural coping skills And don’t forget that
recent house move or job redundancy
Calculate your stress levels
Here is a test to determine how stressed you are In the past
12-24 months, which of the following major life events have
taken place in your life?
· Death of a spouse · Divorce · Marital separation · Jail term ·
Death of a close family member · Personal injury or illness ·
Marriage · Fired from work · Marital reconciliation · Retirement
· Change in a family member’s health · Pregnancy · Sexual
difficulties · Addition to the family · Business changes ·
Change in finances · Death of a close friend · Changing jobs ·
Increase in number of marital arguments · Taking out a large
mortgage or loan · Foreclosure of a mortgage or loan · Changes
in work responsibilities · Trouble with the in-laws ·
Outstanding personal achievement · Spouse begins or stops work ·
Starting or finishing school · Changes in living conditions ·
Changes in personal habits · Trouble with the boss · Changes in
working hours and conditions · Moving house · Moving school ·
Changing recreational habits · Changing church activities ·
Changing social activities · Changing sleeping habits · Less
family gatherings · Change of eating habits · A Vacation ·
Christmas period · Minor violations of the law
These changes are ranked in order of impact on your life How
many of these did you tick? The more you ticked, particularly
from the top of the list, the more stressed you are
Now that you know where your stress is coming from, it’s time to
find some solutions And there are many to choose from The
trick is to find techniques and strategies to suit you
Now that you’ve started thinking about it, don’t stop Resolve
to find and and try one new technique every week

Tags | achievement, changing, death, difficulties, family, feelings, marital, negative, points, reconciliation, result, skills, stressors