Summing up Your Life Events

Are you living life in the fast lane? Put on your brakes, and consider the significant changes you have experienced in your life recently. A new job, personal injury, illness, divorce, marriage, pregnancy and other life changes, whether they be positive or negative, can be stressful. Can we eliminate stress completely from our lives though? It’s unlikely. In fact, some stress is necessary and healthful; positive and exciting events can add "spice" to our lives. A life without stress would not only be unrealistic, but also monotonous!

However, if we want to control our stress, it’s important to understand how change affects us. We generally feel calm when our worlds are orderly, predictable, and stable. When changes occur, we frequently need to alter our attitudes and expectations and make new choices to adjust. Change can trigger an often intense and energy-demanding stress response in our bodies. As a result, when we experience a number of changes over a short period of time, we’re more likely to become tired or sick. The draining of your body’s resources and the weakening of your immune system can explain why healthy people may get colds that linger on for weeks due to a high level of stress.

Two researchers, Dr. Thomas Holmes and Dr. Richard Rahe, developed a "Life Events Survey," to measure levels of stress. To assess your stress level based on the life events you may have experienced recently, please take the following survey.

LIFE EVENTS SURVEY

Which of these life events have occurred in the last two years?

Ranked by Severity

Death of a spouse
Divorce
Marital separation
Jail term
Death of a close family
Personal injury or illness
Marriage
Fired at work
Marital reconciliation
Retirement
Change in health of a family member
Pregnancy (applies for both spouses)
Sexual difficulties
Gain of a new family member
Business readjustment
Change in financial state
Death of a close friend
Change to different line of work
Change in number of arguments with spouse
Mortgage over $10,000
Foreclosure of mortgage or loan
Change in responsibilities at work
Son or daughter leaving home
Trouble with in-laws
Outstanding personal achievement
Spouse began or stopped work
Began or ended schooling
Change in living conditions
Revision of personal habits
Trouble with boss
Change in work hours or conditions
Change in residence
Change in schools
Change in recreation
Change in church activities
Change in social activities
Mortgage or loan less than $10,000
Change in sleeping habits
Change in number of family get-togethers
Change in eating habits
Vacation
Christmas

This list ranks the life events in order from most to the least stressful. If very few of these events have occurred, the probability your becoming fatigued or sick from stress is low. The more life events that you’ve had to adjust to, especially if they are intense stressors, the higher the likelihood it is that your body will reach its exhaustion and breakdown stages. Whether you get sick or not depends on many factors—one of them is how effectively you cope with stress. A high number of life events should serve as a warning sign for you to slow down, seek stability, and look carefully at the role stress plays in your life.

By completing the checklists, you have gained more awareness about your level and symptoms of stress. We congratulate you for taking this first step to stress management. You would be surprised at the number of people who continue to suffer without realizing that they can do something about their stress and live a happier and healthier life. Be proud of yourself for taking care of your health.