Stress is caused by an imbalance between the demands upon an
individual and his/her ability to cope with those demands. The demands are
perceived as challenges which may arise from either external or internal
sources. Individuals have their own personal beliefs that influence their
attitudes and actions against such perceived or real threats. In other
words, it is apparent that individuals differ from each other in their
responses to stressful events in their lives.
The foregoing precludes any definite or accurate scale of
measurement of stress in the real sense. The currently available stress
measurement tests are only arbitrary and should not be considered absolute
indicators of stress in an individual.
Many studies indicate a direct relationship between the life
style events of an individual with that of his/her physical, mental, social
and spiritual well being. Holmes and Rahe in 1967 developed a scale to
measure stress from the annual life change events. This still remains the
best indicator to measure the stress levels in an individual.
While measuring stress using the Holmes and Rahe scale, the
following should be kept in mind:
-
Stress is only
one of the causes of ill health.
-
The stress levels induced in a person
depends upon various factors like personality, beliefs, perception of
stress etc. An aggressive type A personality person may feel highly
stressed when his actions are questioned, while assertive personalities
may be more tolerable to criticisms and feel less stressed in similar
situations.
-
Many other general individual habits like
diet, alcohol, socializing, exercise etc are interrelated to how a person
builds up and handles stress in day to day life.
Having said that, we must also realize that life change
events do play important roles in predisposing an individual to a wide
array of mental and physical illness through complex psycho-neuro-immuno-hormonal
interactions within the body.
The advantages of measuring your stress levels are plenty.
To mention a few,
-
Having a very low stress level, say below 50 in the Holmes
Rahe stress scale, means that you are not even having adequate good stress
(eustress) in your life! As a little amount of such positive stress is
absolutely essential for your personal and professional life, you have to
review your life style and put in a little more action into your life to
make it more interesting and rewarding.
-
If your stress levels are within the acceptable
levels(50-200), you can stick on to your proven life style without making
any major adjustments.
-
If you belong to the high risk group (above 200), it is high
time you sat up and paid attention! You have to review your life style,
mark out the ones that can be changed or modified, and make necessary
adjustments. The principle is: avoid the ‘avoidable’ and change the
‘changeable’!
-
If your stress score is near the danger level, in addition to
making the required changes, you can also postpone some activities like
shifting your residence, buying a new car, changing jobs etc to a further
date till you bring down the stress score to a comfortable level.
-
If you belong to the moderate or high risk groups, it is
imperative that you learn and practice effective stress management
techniques as a routine. This positive step on your part will go a long
way in alleviating the adverse effects of stress on your physical and
mental health. In addition it will also convert your distresses into
eustresses and improve your performance levels both at home and work.
To measure your Annual Stress Score,
click here.
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How Do
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