How to assess for chronic stress
How to assess for chronic stress
Rule out other problems:
Make sure you rule out other conditions that might present as chronic stress, like hormone imbalance or anemia
Take stock of your hidden stressors, sometimes these do not present as stressful but are in fact causing your body stress.
Frequent time spent on social media
Over-consumption of news (tv, online, etc)
Constant text and email alerts
Long time spent in loud environments
Long commutes or commutes in high traffic
Exposure to high levels of air pollution
Frequent travel
High caffeine intake
High alcohol intake
Intense exercise habits
Failure to limit exposure to known food intolerances
Struggle with confidence or lack of confidence
Unhappy relationships
Constant social comparison/ rating your self worth by comparing yourself to others
Keep a log of your stress for one week
Each morning record all possible metrics
Wake time
Quality of sleep
Energy levels upon waking up
Waking heart rate (or lowest recorded heart rate overnight)
Waking temperature (or lowest recorded temperature overnight)
During the day
What you put into your body (food, drink, medications, drugs)
How you felt throughout the day
Any hidden stressors that occurred from the list above throughout the day.
Every night
What time you get in bed
What time you shut off the light to actually go to sleep
How you feel before bed
After one week, review your diary to see where you can effectively reduce stressors.
Some stressors like work commute will not be able to be eliminated but might be able to be made less stressful by making some changes to your schedule or route.
Next up: some things to consider when looking for strategies to reduce your stress load.
