After totalling up the major events that I have experienced in my life. Overall, I scored 159 which equates to the implication that there is a 50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next two years.

At first glance I was quite shocked and felt my heart sink as the thought of having a 50% chance of a major breakdown before I turned twenty was quite distressing. However, when I look at my score there were only a few factors –according to the scale- that contributed to it. On one hand, noticed that I am only 9 points over the score of 150 which would’ve landed me in the category of low amount of life change. And on the other, feel like the scale does not take into account the severity of some of these impacts and does not have any mention of exams or university work.

I feel most of my stress relates to maintaining a work/life balance with the demands of university and the desire to have a social life too. Within the last year, I have begun university which has proved intense and comes with a lot of pressure but I feel I am coping well with the workload at this point and I am continuing to ensure I have social time.

As we head towards exam time, I will have to begin studying more frequently. However, I also plan on taking leisure breaks to alleviate any unnecessary stress. In the past I have dissolved into tears of frustration because of exam stress but I feel that this task has helped me identify the areas I find stressful and given me strategies to avoid this.