Welcome to blogs.oregonstate.edu. This is beyond what you are just good at, what professional skills you might have. It is about how “you” as a person may affect your own career, in a not-so-great way.
The events this week seemed like a reality check, evaluating me to see how far I’ve come in life and how I’ve changed as a person. realizing how much stress I’ve been carrying and how it manifests itself in my daily life and at work. With a Life Stress Inventory score, I am well above the high-risk level for likely burnout or health issues. I’ve been handling a lot more stress than I realized because the scale indicates that scores higher than 350 indicate a higher chance of illness or other difficulties in the coming months. This alone does not make me feel any better with the large score I received. In fact, I do think my stress levels have increased due to this.
The tough examination helped me understand why I was able to endure so much. It has a high score for problem-focused adaptation (80), indicating that it attempts to “solve” stressful situations by taking instinctive action. Looking back to week 9 lecture, this approach works well when the stressor is under my control; nevertheless, if the stressor is external or critical, it becomes less effective and may even be harmful (OSU, 2025). One of the things I have to work on is figuring out who should take the next step instead of insisting. The Type A Personality Test revealed more as I scored 69 on impatience/irritability, indicating that I frequently internalize stress and may respond emotionally when overwhelmed. Where it has been shown through research that animosity and impatience, rather than simply being “driven,” are associated with negative health effects, including cardiovascular strain (OSU, 2025). Seeing this spelled out made me realize how important it is to manage stress before it becomes physical.
As I develop more in my development, skills and profession, I will need to develop habits such as managing my workload effectively, setting clearer boundaries, and implementing stress-reduction measures, including regular exercise and mindfulness practices. Organizations are also critical. For the purpose of protecting employees’ health, many companies increasingly incorporate flexible work schedules, wellness initiatives, and mental health benefits (Berry et al., 2011). The materials from Week 9 made clear that businesses that fund integrated wellness programs frequently experience lower absenteeism and higher morale. Every assessment improved my understanding of my stress patterns and reaffirmed the importance of organizational and personal support networks for long-term wellbeing.
Sources
Berry, L. L., Mirabito, A. M., & Baun, W. B. (2011). What’s the hard return on employee wellness programs? Harvard Business Review, 89(3), 20–21.
Oregon State University. (2025). Week 9 lecture materials: Health, safety, stress, and wellness. College of Business.