For the Life Stress Inventory test I scored a 185, which is higher than I would have originally expected. Typically I feel like a pretty low stress person and when I do get stress I can typically snap out of it fairly quickly. I was surprised to learn that because of the score I have a 50% chance of some major health issue in the next two years and thats pretty alarming to think about. On the second test Coping and Stress Management I scored a 33. The test said I should use problem focused coping more often to help with stressors in my life that can be changeable. For the last test I also scored a 33, this score I disagree with. Reading the description of it, it told me that I occasionally lash out when Im frustrated. Which is not something I have ever done. The one part I do agree with is being open with my friends. The test also stated I’m not likely to have an elevated risk of heart disease.
One thing I did in the past to manage the stress was exercising. I used to exercise almost daily, I would lift weights and do cardio but when covid hit I wasn’t able to go to the gym anymore and I haven’t gotten back on my routine since. This is something I plan on getting back into when I start working and have a routine that I can stick with. I remember when working out I felt better about my self physically and my head just felt clear. Another thing I do to manage my stress currently, is playing the guitar. Ive been learning for a couple years and it’s a great way for me to just have fun and relax. It’s one of the best feelings when you’re working on playing a song for a while and then one day you just nail it perfectly.
For the last two questions I got me thinking about my project manager. He’s a great guy but he overworks himself and you can see the stress. He lives over an hour a way from the job site so he has a long commute to and from home. Because of this he tries to get into the office around 5:00 in the morning then he stays till about 4:30. Almost a 12 hour shift. But when he goes home he still continues to work. So I wanted to look into something about work life balance. And from what I found companies are trying to find better ways of optimizing the workloads for its employees and the hopes they don’t work such long hours. And this is a big issue because it can lead to people getting burnt out and undue stress. The undue stress is definitely something my project manager struggles with from the workloads he takes on. They are also trying to encourage breaks for their employees so they can take their minds off what they are doing in the hopes they can relax and unwind for a bit.
Leave a Reply