I scored 50 when taking this test and this suggests that my levels of stress are relatively low as I have had a relatively low level of life change over the past year. I was surpried by this result as I have felt quite high levels of stress throughout this year at different points and for different reasons which were not mentioned as part of this test. For example, the stress which is caused by exams and work load at university and the stress of trying to maintain a work/life balance. These things cause me to worry and to sometimes work too hard, getting caught up n the idea that I must feel in control of my work. Also, personal issues such as problems with family and friends can cause me to worry and can prevent me from relaxing as my mind is always spinning. These types of problems can also prevent me from going out and soicalising with my friends or from enjoyign myself when I do, meaning that I am essentially stressed about being stressed and struggle to relieve it.
However, there are many things that I can actively do in attempt to relieve stress and I am surrounded by supportive people so this also helps me to releive stress. By making a conscious effort to stop studying or doing university work at a certain time in the day to fit in some form of exercise, I can allow my mind to have a break from hard work and I can allow my body to release some of its energy. Exercise also helps to release some of the tension that I feel and makes me feel happier and more relaxed. Furthermore, my outlook on life can imact my stress levels. If I have a positive outlook and I am optimistic about things, I am more likely to be able to make an effort to do things that make me happy. I am alot more likely to take opportunities and to view potentially bad situations as experiences which have happened for a reason and will, in the long term, get better. This hope will allow me to cope with stress more easily as I believe that things are going to get better and that hard times do not last forever. In addition, by planning ahead I am able to reduce my stress levels as I feel more in control of my life. This also helps me to control my work/life balance as I have planned days and times to get my work done as well as fitting in exercise, family, and friends. Finally, I like to talk to people about my problems to the people I trust and who care about me. This helps me to relieve my stress as people can give me different ways to look at my problems and provide different opinions on how best to deal with them. I am very lucky as I have a large social support network and without this I would defineitly be much more susceptible to high levels of stress.
