step 1: are you stressed?
by Gladeana McMahon
We often talk about feeling stressed and yet many of us are confused about what stress actually is and what causes it. Stress involves a relationship between the 'demands' made of you and the personal, emotional and/or organisational 'resources' you possess to meet these demands.
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Demands can be 'internal' – for example, your tendency towards a negative thinking style. Resources include factors such as your physical health, financial security and the support you receive at work or at home. If your demands exceed your resources you may feel you cannot cope and this is the beginning of what has become known as stress.
stress is pressure that
- becomes too much
- lasts too long
- feels like it cannot be controlled.
It is perhaps easier to think in terms of the idea of 'pressure' versus 'stress'. Pressure is something that can motivate you. You experience 'pressure' when you have the resources you need to deal with the demands being made. You experience 'stress' when the pressure becomes too much, lasts too long, comes suddenly and leaves you feeling it cannot be controlled.
However, a situation that might stress someone else may not affect you and vice versa.
what causes us stress?
Two American psychologists have devised a scale of 43 life events considered to be stressful. Each event is scored according to the degree of stress associated with the activity. These are the top 10 most stressful life events according to the scale:
- death of a partner
- divorce
- separation from partner
- imprisonment
- death of a close family member
- personal illness or injury
- marriage
- dismissal from work
- change of job
- retirement.
(Holmes and Rahe (1967) 'The social readjustment rating scale' Psychosomatic Medicine, 11: 213-18.)
common causes of stress at work are
- time pressures
- excessive workload
- continual change
- inadequate training for your job
- job insecurity.
Positive changes, such as having a baby or getting a new job, can cause stress too.
The advantage of understanding the impact life events can have is that it can help us to anticipate stressful times. Knowing that having a baby can be stressful allows you to plan for the help you will need. Some people are surprised that pleasurable events – such as the birth of a new baby or getting promoted at work – carry a stress rating. But good experiences still mean a degree of change and changes to lifestyle can mean the need to develop new coping skills.
Work is undeniably a great source of stress. One in five people report 'very high' or 'extremely high' stress levels at work, according to research for the Health and Safety Executive in 2000. Common factors are time pressures, excessive workload, continual change, not being trained sufficiently to do the job you have to do, and job insecurity.
check your stress level
People who suffer from stress experience a variety of symptoms. These symptoms fall into four categories:
- behavioural (the things you do)
- physical (your body's response)
- emotional (what you feel)
- psychological (your personal thinking style).
Count how many of the symptoms below you are experiencing at the moment and check your score at the end to discover your stress rating.
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physical symptoms |
emotional symptoms |
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behavioural symptoms |
psychological symptoms and negative thoughts |
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your stress rating
Add up your score to check how stressed you are.
0 – 4 symptoms: You are unlikely to be stressed.
5 – 8 symptoms: You are experiencing a mild form of stress and are not coping as well as you could. You need to make some changes to your life.
9 – 12 symptoms: You are experiencing a moderate degree of stress. You need to make major changes to your life.
13 or more symptoms: You need to take urgent action to reduce your stress levels. The higher your score the more urgent is the need for action.
Stress is impossible to eliminate totally from life. However, if we recognise what stresses us, together with how our symptoms show themselves, we can take action to minimise or reduce the effects.
how did you do?
We want to hear how you feel and whether the stress gym is helping. Send us an e-mail to let us know your stress rating score. If you want to, please give your age, sex, what you do and any other information you think might be relevant. Over the next few months you can let us know how you get on. Drop us a line to stress@channel4.com.
help and info
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
Step 2 of the Stress Gym describes common physical symptoms of stress such as sleeping problems, headaches and shoulder tension, and suggests ways of beating them.
For information on anxiety and other mental health issues, check out the mind section of our site.
organisations
International Stress Management Association UK (ISMA)
PO Box 348
Waltham Cross EN8 8ZL
Tel: 07000 780430
E-mail: stress@isma.org.uk
Website: www.isma.org.uk
Promotes sound knowledge and best practice in the prevention and reduction of stress and sets professional standards.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
35-37 Albert Street
Rugby CV31 2SG
Tel: 0870 443 5252 (Mon-Fri 8.45am-5pm)
E-mail: bacp@bacp.co.uk
Website: www.bacp.co.uk
BACP can provide you with a list of private counsellors in your area, plus information on counselling and choosing a counsellor.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
35-37 Albert Street
Rugby CV31 2SG
Tel: 0870 443 5252 (Mon-Fri 8.45am-5pm)
E-mail: bacp@bacp.co.uk
Website: www.bacp.co.uk
BACP can provide you with a list of private counsellors in your area, plus information on counselling and choosing a counsellor.
reading
You may find some of these books useful as a starting point in tackling your stress:
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Thrive on Stress by Jan Sutton (How to Books, 2000) |
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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and it's all small stuff by Richard Carlson (Hodder Mobius, 1999) |
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Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky (WH Freeman and Company, 1998) |
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(October 2001, updated October 2003, resources updated May 2005)
