A quick way to tell if you’re stressed:
| Please read each statement and choose a number 0, 1, 2 or 3 which indicates how much the statement applied to you over the past week. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any statement. |
| The rating scale is as follows:0 Did not apply to me at all
1 Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time 2 Applied to me to a considerable degree, or a good part of time 3 Applied to me very much, or most of the time |
| I found it hard to wind down | 0 1 2 3 |
| I tended to over-react to situations | 0 1 2 3 |
| I found myself getting agitated | 0 1 2 3 |
| I found it difficult to relax | 0 1 2 3 |
| I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing |
0 1 2 3 |
| I felt that I was rather touchy | 0 1 2 3 |
From the DASS 21 scale
Score: add up your scores and multiply by 2
under 14 no stress
14-17 mild stress
18-25 moderate stress
26-33 severe stress
34+ ex severe
Stress
Anxiety is what we experience when the ‘fight or flight’ hormone adrenaline gets triggered in our brains and bodies.
When stressed, our fight/flight hormones are often operating on overtime, for most of the time. This is because external (or internal) demands are too much for us. But this is like driving with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake!
Our ‘thinking mind’, noticing we are stressed, may add to the problem by panicking…’I’m too stressed, I can’t cope’ ‘what if I don’t finish this task’ or judging…..‘no one cares except me’ ‘if I don’t do it it won’t be done properly/at all’….
Living with stress we develop habits of ignoring the signs, fatigue, irritability, being unable to calm down. We may resort to alcohol, or drugs, to keep us going or calm us down. These will place more physical demands on our already stressed out body.
If stress continues for a long time, we may experience burn-out. As a result of chronic stress, our system begins to shut down. We may feel detached from our bodies or the world around us, we feel cynical and uninterested in our work and relationships, and we lack motivation and feel fatigued.
Stress is treated by first becoming aware of the external and internal (thoughts) stressors and how we are currently dealing with them. Usually we discover that the ways we are using to cope are themselves increasing our stress in the long term.
Changing this involves several moves: reducing outside stressors as much as possible..we may need new assertiveness skills for this. Inside stressors need observing as negative thoughts feelings and beliefs, and a new approach to these by reviewing and reconsidering their usefulness. Self care and self esteem are often tied up in stress reactions too. CBT and ACT can help with these. Our therapists are experienced and expert and helping with stress.
Our book will show you how to help yourself to Get Your Life Back. It takes you step by step, starting with identifying the problem. Then it helps you understand why you have the problem. You will learn mindfulness skills to begin training your brain. Then get clear about your values: what you really want in your life. Another chapter helps you understand how your problem works for you. Once you’ve done this there is a chapter showing you how to break the links in the chain of your problem behaviour. You can also contact us to work with a therapist skilled in this area by Skype, FaceTime etc., on the phone or face to face.