Stress Assessment
Here’s a structured stress assessment quiz that can help you gauge your current stress levels. This quiz is designed to be simple, with each question having a scale-based answer to quantify levels of stress.
Instructions: Answer each question by selecting the response that best represents your experience over the past month. Add up your score at the end to see your stress level. Grab pen and pencil, and find out how stressed are you?
Rating Scale: 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely ,3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, 5 = Always.
1. Physical Symptoms
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I experience headaches or migraines.
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I have frequent muscle tension or pain (e.g., back, shoulders, neck).
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I often feel tired or fatigued.
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My sleep is disrupted, either by difficulty falling asleep or frequent waking.
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I experience stomach problems, such as nausea or digestive issues.
2. Emotional Symptoms
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I feel anxious, nervous, or restless.
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I feel irritable or easily frustrated.
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I experience feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
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I feel overwhelmed by daily responsibilities.
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I have difficulty enjoying activities I once found pleasurable.
3. Behavioral Symptoms
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I have changes in my appetite, either eating too much or too little.
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I rely on substances (e.g., caffeine, alcohol, drugs) to cope with stress.
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I avoid social activities or isolate myself.
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I find myself procrastinating or struggling to stay motivated.
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I experience increased forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating.
4. Cognitive Symptoms
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I often feel “on edge” or unable to relax.
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I worry excessively about various aspects of my life (work, health, family, etc.).
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I have racing thoughts or an inability to “switch off” my mind.
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I feel like I have too much to do and not enough time.
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I find it hard to make decisions, even on simple matters.
Scoring
Add up your scores from all questions. Interpret your results based on the following ranges:
- 20–40: Low Stress – You may experience occasional stress, but it doesn’t seem to significantly impact your daily life.
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41–60: Moderate Stress – You have some stress that may affect your physical, emotional, or mental health. Moderate stress activates the body's stress response, releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These chemicals prepare the body to handle perceived threats, but they can also cause tension, fatigue, and digestive issues when experienced over time. Stress can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut, leading to digestive problems, which further impacts mental well-being due to the gut-brain axis.
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61–80: High Stress – You are likely experiencing significant stress that impacts your well-being; consider strategies to manage it. High stress often leads to chronic muscle tension, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and back, causing pain and discomfort. Tension headaches or migraines are common due to prolonged muscle tension and changes in blood flow to the brain. Persistent stress leads to a consistently elevated heart rate, leads to digestive disturbances, can either increase appetite (often leading to cravings for comfort foods) or decrease it, resulting in weight loss or gain. Prolonged high cortisol can lead to adrenal fatigue, resulting in feeling constantly tired, even after adequate rest.
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81–100: Very High Stress – You may be experiencing extreme stress, which could impact your health and happiness. Seeking support from friends, family, or a mental health professional could be beneficial. When stress is chronic, cortisol and adrenaline remain elevated, leading to wear and tear on the body's systems. Cortisol impacts metabolism, immune response, and the nervous system. Adrenaline increases heart rate and blood pressure, leading to cardiovascular strain. Please seek immediate help if you are suffering from very high stress levels.
Follow-Up
By recognising and addressing the symptoms of stress early on, you can prevent it from escalating into more severe levels of stress that could impact long-term health and well-being. If you scored in the moderate or high levels, consider working with well-being coach. If you scored very high, consider discussing these results with a healthcare provider or your therapist. By exploring stress management techniques, such as mindfulness, exercise, breath-work or aromatherapy, you can help your autonomic nervous system to relax and reduce uncomfortable symptoms.
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