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But the economy aside, there are some events that are common throughout our lives and are easily recognised as being potential sources of stress; pressure of examinations, work, family and personal relationships, illness, moving house, death, separation and divorce.
Any one of these is a stressor, but it can depend on how many of these events come upon us, and in what sort of timescale. We all have very different responses to a stressful situation; some people are more resilient and better at dealing with stress than others, and there are some simple questions which can help you identify just how vulnerable you are to stress.
Stress Vulnerability Assessment: This is a simple questionnaire and each question requires a simple yes or no, and there are no wrong or right answers. It just is a way to try and identify how robust, or vulnerable, you may be to the effects of stress. Try to answer the questions to reflect how you are feeling right now, rather than how you may have felt in the past or what is your usual pattern of behaviour.
Read and answer the questions, then add up how many you said yes to:
1. When you are upset or annoyed do you find it difficult to hide your feelings from others?
2. Do you feel very strongly about other people's situation or emotions?
3. If you get bad news do you feel as if you have been punched in the stomach?
4. Are you slow to take action when something is stressful for you?
5. Do you spend time worrying about what other people think of you?
6. If someone else is speaking do you often interrupt them?
7. Are you in the habit of finishing other people's sentences?
8. Are you irritated by indecisiveness in others?
9. Are you a demanding sort of person with high standards?
10. Can you 'switch off' at the end of a busy day?
11. Would you say you were an argumentative sort of person?
12. Does 'anything for a quiet life' describe you?
13. Do interruptions to your normal routine upset you?
14. If someone disagrees with you does it make you anxious?
15. Would you describe yourself as indecisive?
16. Do you feel as if you are a failure?
17. Do other people's opinions really matter to you?
18. Do you make your own needs a priority?
19. Are you happy to let others take the decisions?
20. Do you get easily frightened or confused?
21. Do you worry that something terrible is going to happen to you?
22. Is it hard for you to say no to others?
23. When you do say no are you usually ignored?
24. Do you feel you are not fully appreciated by others?
25. Are you feeling overwhelmed by what you have to do?
26. Have you lost your usual sense of humour?
27. Are you comfortable around new people or situations?
28. Are you a perfectionist?
29. When you start something do you often not finish it?
30. When doing simple everyday tasks do you feel exhausted?
31. Are you having problems with concentration?
32. Do you bite your nails?
33. Are you regularly getting a good night's sleep?
34. Has your interest in sex and intimacy declined?
35. Do you ever feel as if your heart is racing, and you don't have a heart condition?
36. Are you physically restless, fidgety, drum your fingers?
37. Do you get frequent headaches or neck pains?
38. Are you ever breathless or dizzy when you haven't exerted yourself?
39. Are your symptoms of stress usually physical, eg headache?
40. Do you put work before relationships?
Now total up the number of times you could say yes and check your score with the following results.
Over 20 This means you are well into the danger zone and need to take immediate action. Do the answers you ticked yes to fall into a pattern? Are they around self esteem and confidence, are they predominantly physical signs or emotional responses? Once you know, you can start to begin to make changes. With a high stress level, it is also sensible to talk to your doctor about having a thorough check up.
Between 20-11 This is a wake up call for you to look at your overall life and the nearer you are to the higher end of the scale then the more you will be showing stress on all levels. Start self-help measures and take some action to start bringing control back into your life by addressing the everyday stressors you are prone to.
Between 10-4 You are more resilient to stress the lower your score, but keep an eye on where your stress triggers are and look at making yourself less vulnerable. For instance, if you know that confrontation or emotional pressure is a problem for you then look at improving your assertiveness skills and self-confidence.
Between 3-0 This is the score of someone who handles stress very well and is resilient in the face of change and challenge. If you want to improve even further check which questions pressed your stress buttons so you can address this last bit of imperfection!
Wherever you are on the stress scale, it helps to know exactly what's not working so you can start to put it right.
