Topic Overview
You may not know what is causing your
stress, exactly how your body responds to stress, or
how you cope with stress. To find out, use a journal to keep track of each time
you feel stressed. Write down:
- What may have triggered the stress. Guess if you
aren't sure.
- How you felt and behaved in response to the stressful
situation (symptoms of stress).
- What, if anything, you did to cope
with the stressful situation.
Here's a sample of what a stress journal might look like.
Stress journal example| Time | Stressful event | Reaction (symptoms, thoughts,
behaviors) | Coping response |
|---|
7:30 | Kids not getting ready for school | Felt tightness in stomach, yelled at them | Had a doughnut when I got to work |
9:30 | Late for meeting with supervisor | Tight stomach, fear about performance review | Talked with Janet about it and felt better |
11:00 | Copier broke down again | Headache, snapped at Bill to call repair person | Not sure |
3:15 | Call from sister about her divorce interrupted my
work | Headache got worse | Daydreamed about trip to Hawaii |
5:30 | Meeting ran overtime, couldn't leave at 5:00 | Headache still there, neck begins to ache | Went out for a few drinks with colleagues |
- Look over your notes to learn how often you are
feeling stressed and how you are coping.
- Ask yourself which ways of
coping with stress work best and which don't work or have other effects you do
not like.
The more notes you take, the more you can learn about your stress
patterns. Keeping the journal for 1 to 2 weeks is best, although taking notes
for even 1 or 2 days can be helpful.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
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| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
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| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry |
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| Last Revised | April 20, 2011 |
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