From the stress inventory test, I received a 209. This indicates that I have about a 50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next 2 years. I found this percentage to be rather high. While I have gone through some stressful life experiences, I was shocked that I have just as much of a chance of having a health breakdown than not. Some of the things on the list were very general and I feel that those contribute to the total score too heavily.
From the coping and stress management skills test, I received a 61 on problem focused coping. Based on this result, the test concluded that I sometimes use problem focused coping when the situation is controllable but these are generally less effective when the situation is out of my control or unchangeable.
On the Type A personality survey, I got a 54 on the impatience/irritability scale. This score means that I generally treat others with warmth and tolerance but there are moments of hostility and impatience. When I am frustrated, there is a risk of lashing out and becoming irrationally irritable.
I think that a big step on helping manage stress in my career is going to be separating my work life and my personal life. In one of the tests, a question was asked about if I take my work home with me and I answered yes. I think that this is a large contributor to my stress levels and that in the future, I will need to be mindful of in the future. I think that setting more clear boundaries at work and ensuring that I am not dragging too much of my work life home with me can help stress levels immensely. I also have seen this in action when coworkers or managers of mine have had issues worrying too much about work problems when they go home for the weekend. They end up checking their email and on work documents when they are supposed to be having time off which gives them less time to relax and fosters a constant environment of success.
A lot of the research I did indicated that many companies are implementing 4 day work weeks so their employees are less stressed with only 2 days to relax. Some others are implementing work from home options which in theory should help them be less stressed about their job because they are in the comfort of their own home. Other examples include mental health seminars, traveling for work, and flexible work schedules. All of these are methods that I believe are very beneficial when implemented correctly and followed through with.
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