Measure Stress Level

If you'd like to measure your stress level and its relation to your physical health, use Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale below ( [1] , [2] ). You can use it in two ways:

1. You can simply review the list of stressful life events listed in the chart and make a note of those events that have been present in your life for the last 12 months. This overview will bring more awareness of your current stress level.

2. You can also use the chart below as the assessment of your stress level in its correlation to your physical health. It was initially designed to predict the likelihood of physical illness following exposure to stressful life events. Point events that occurred in your life within the past year, sum up the corresponding scores, and get a rough estimate of how life changes may affect your health:

Event	Life-Change Units
Death of a close family member	100
Death of a close friend	73
Divorce	73
Imprisonment	63
Major personal injury or illness	63
Marriage	58
Being fired from job	50
Failing an important course	47
Change in health of family member	45
Pregnancy	45
Retirement	45
Sex problems	44
Serious argument with close friend	40
Change in financial status	39
Business readjustment	39
Trouble with parents	39
New girl- or boyfriend	38
Increased workload	37
Outstanding personal achievement	36
Begin or end school	35
Change in frequency of arguments	35
Major mortgage	32
Change in living conditions	31
Lower grades than expected	29
Change in sleeping habits	29
Change in social activities	29
Change in responsibilities at work	29
Change in eating habits	28
Chronic car trouble	26
Change in number of family get-togethers	26
Change in schools	24
Dropping of more than one class	23
Trouble with boss	23
Minor traffic violations	20
Change in residence	20
Total:

• People with scores of 300 and higher may be having a high risk of health change.
• People with scores between 150-300 points may be having a moderate risk of health change.
• People with scores below 150 only have a slight risk of health change.

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