Here is a test developed by Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe in the 1950‘s. The information is still very relevant today. In fact, there are probably things that could be added for nowadays. After going through this you will definitely get the point. Add up the indicated points for every life event or change that you have experienced over the past year.
| Life Event | Point Value |
| Death of a spouse | 100 |
| Divorce | 73 |
| Marital Separation | 65 |
| Jail Term | 63 |
| Problems With Substance Abuse | 62 |
| Personal injury or illness | 53 |
| Marriage | 50 |
| Fired at work | 47 |
| Marital reconciliation | 45 |
| Retirement | 45 |
| Change in health of family member | 44 |
| Pregnancy | 40 |
| Sex difficulties | 39 |
| Gain of new family member | 39 |
| Business readjustment | 39 |
| Change in financial state | 38 |
| Death of a close friend | 37 |
| Change to a different line of work | 36 |
| Change in number of arguments w/ spouse | 35 |
| Mortgage over $10,000 | 31 |
| Foreclosure of mortgage or loan | 30 |
| Change in responsibilities at work | 29 |
| Son or daughter leaving home | 29 |
| Trouble with in-laws | 29 |
| Outstanding personal achievement | 28 |
| Spouse begin or stop work | 26 |
| Begin or end school | 26 |
| Change in living conditions | 25 |
| Revision of personal habits | 24 |
| Trouble with boss | 23 |
| Change in work hours or conditions | 20 |
| Change in residence | 20 |
| Change in schools | 20 |
| Change in recreation | 19 |
| Change in church activities | 19 |
| Change in social activities | 19 |
| Mortgage or loan less than $10,000 | 17 |
| Change in sleeping habits | 16 |
| Change in number of family get-togethers | 15 |
| Change in eating habits | 15 |
| Vacations | 13 |
| Christmas | 13 |
| Minor violations of the law | 11 |
| Your Total Score | __________ |
“In a sample poll taken in Seattle and from a Navy study of 2500 subjects Holmes and Rahe found that people with scores over 300 points for one year had an 80% risk of becoming seriously ill or vulnerable to depression. Those with scores between 200-300 points still had an impressive 50% risk. Although these statistics cannot predict the risk for any particular individual, they do confirm the correlation between life-change, stress and both physical and emotional health.” (information taken from the book entitled Female Stress Syndrome by Georgia Witkin-Lanoil, Ph.D).
My Own Personal Stress Levels
Mine have been in the 200 - 300 level consistently for the past few years. I divulged some of the things that I have gone through but not all because some things are just to personal to share. The moral of the story here is been there, done that, got the T-Shirt plus more grey hairs.
But, On a Positive Note
I finally just lifted my hands up to the air and asked "what’s next" and lo and behold I found myself here. (Well actually it was a little bit more involved than that. This is all very new to me. I had to find a web designer, design this from the ground up, write, write and re-write the content, attend classes on web pages and sites, read, read, read articles and books, learn new computer terminology, set up an e-commerce site, get in touch with all kinds of vendors and establish merchant accounts...). But, I love it and the challenge and what it represents.
During these last few years of duress, I’ve had to get very quiet, go deep inside of myself to find out what makes me tick and in doing so I have learned a lot about myself. I now pace myself, refuse to take on too much and have learned to say NO. Am now taking time just for me, am more assertive and have to put up boundaries about what I will put up with. These are all good things and combined with my spiritual mission I know that I am on the proper path. It just feels right.
Six Ways of Relating to Stress
According to the text, Stress Management for Wellness "people vary in the ways that they relate to stress and distress."
Stress Seekers thrive on challenge, risk, and sensation.
Stress Avoiders thrive on security and familiarity, avoiding challenge, sensation and risk.
Distress Seekers thrive on misery, illness, crisis, martydom.
Distress Avoiders thrive on health, contentment, activity, and do all they can to avoid and reduce stress.
Distress Provoking thrive intentionally or unintentionally on creating misery, disharmony, illness, and upset for others.
Distress Reducing thrive on doing all possible to promote health, happiness, and growth in those whose lives they touch.
This information was actually interesting as I was reading through it. Who do you know that falls into one of these categories? Personally, I try to steer clear of the distress seekers and distress provoking types of people as I find that they literally drain my energy. I would rather spend my time and energy on people who do not take mine. This is a big stress reducer that I have learned in the past few years. Hope it helps you!
Mini Ha-Ha
“The statistics on sanity is that 1 out of every 4 Americans is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Just think of your 3 best friends. If they are okay, then it’s you!” (quoted by Rita Mae Brown in the book Witty Words From Wise Women).