Relax Within ~ Jan R. Markle

You know the feeling you have when you are stressed. You feel irritable, tired, cranky and stressed out. After long periods of stress though, you might be unaware of how stressed you are because you have gotten so used to that feeling.

You can assess how much stress you are experiencing by noticing two aspects of your life. One is to evaluate how much stress is afffecting your body. That is, how many body changes do you experience usually, or especially when you are stressed? The stress Symptom Survey measures these changes.

Transient or infrequent symptoms of stress indicate that stress isn't affecting your body much. Chronic or disabling attacks of symptoms indicate that stress is strongly affecting your body. The longer and more severe your symptoms, the more you should recognize that stress is problem for you and that you need to take steps to begin coping with it to reduce its effect.

The other aspect of your life that reflects stress is how many life changes you have experienced. Any change in your environment that causes you to adjust is considered a stress, whether that change seems positive or negative. Some life changes are more stressful than others. The Life Changes Survey evaluates stress due to change in your life.