For this week’s blog assignment, I learned a lot about myself and reflected on the stress currently instilled in my life. After taking the Life Stress Inventory Test, I scored an 80, which is considered a normal amount of stress. I have been fortunate enough not to have major life-altering issues in the past years, hence the score I received. On the how stressed are you test, I scored a 29/100, which marked me as not stressed. I would say I experience exceptional stress in my life, but I try to stay on top of managing it. I can achieve this by meditating and focusing on my breathing, and I also reach out to friends and family when I find myself needing to speak to someone. Eating healthy and exercising are two additional things I try to stay on top of. I tend to stay at a good place in my life when I balance all of these things out. For the Type A test, I scored as A mix of Type A and Type B. I found out that I am a competitive person who is hard-charging, but also relaxed and calm when I feel like I need to be. After researching some statistics about stress in people’s work lives, approximately 66% of U.S. employees report experiencing burnout, driven by workloads (24%), lack of resources (24%), and economic uncertainty (20%) (Aflac, 2025). These numbers are high on account of the damage stress can have on people. That is why we see organizations implementing new initiatives to combat the issue. Organizations are training managers to recognize early signs of strain, conduct supportive conversations, and model healthy boundaries.
References:
Aflac. (2025). 2025-2026 Aflac Workforces Report: 15th annual research study examining benefits trends and attitudes. https://www.aflac.com/business/resources/aflac-workforces-report/default.aspx