Taking the Life Stress Inventory, the Type A Personality Assessment, and the Coping & Stress Management Skills Test, really gave me an honest snapshot of how I deal with pressure, in both the everyday kind and the kind that stays with you long after the moment has passed. My Life Stress score was low only 55 points, which definitely falls within a normal range for my expected stress levels this year. The number doesn\u2019t really tell of the full story, especially because the PTSD I have from serving in Iraq has shaped the way I respond to stress more than any checklist can capture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My Type A personality score showed a 30 in impatience\/irritability, meaning I\u2019m usually warm, controlled, and tolerant, but when I do get overwhelmed, I can snap or become very tone-aggressive, especially with road rage or stressful work situations. I\u2019ve noticed these reactions more over the past year, mostly because I haven\u2019t had access to the same mental health resources that I once relied on. I used to meet regularly with VA mental health doctors and social workers, but after so many were laid off, it\u2019s been almost a year since I\u2019ve talked to someone consistently. I try to use the coping mechanisms they taught me, but without that outlet to confide in, things tend to bottle up and spill over, when I am usually at home, where my wife ends up seeing the side of me I\u2019m not proud of, but not in a violent way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My highest score was a 76 in problem-focused coping, which fits me well. When something goes wrong, I go straight into fix-it mode. That\u2019s helpful in construction and management, but it doesn\u2019t always work for emotional stress or PTSD triggers. Being in a leadership role, losing your cool, even for a second, can damage trust, and having pressure at home plus pressure at work makes it easy to feel like you\u2019re constantly on edge. And it\u2019s true what people say that more money doesn\u2019t automatically mean less stress. Sometimes more money just comes with more problems, more expectations, and more weight on your shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking forward, I know I need to strengthen emotional coping strategies, rebuild a consistent support system, and prioritize mental health. Many organizations now offer EAP programs, counseling access, flexible schedules, and wellness initiatives to help employees manage stress. Understanding my own patterns makes it clear that asking for help, talking things out, and balancing problem-solving with emotional care will be key for staying healthy in my career and at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Taking the Life Stress Inventory, the Type A Personality Assessment, and the Coping & Stress Management Skills Test, really gave me an honest snapshot of how I deal with pressure, in both the everyday kind and the kind that stays with you long after the moment has passed. My Life Stress score was low only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14985,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14985"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/stressingout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}