Below is a questionnaire that measures the amount of stress that you have experienced over the past 1-2 years.  Each event is assigned a numerical value relative to how stressful the experience is as measured by researchers at the University of Washington.  Mark down the events that you have experienced within the past 2 years, and tally your score.

1-149 indicates that you have low susceptibility to a stress-related illness

150-299 indicates medium susceptibility to a stress-related illness

300 and higher indicates high susceptibility to a stress-related illness

100	Death of a spouse	73	Divorce
36	Change to different line of work	37	Death of a close friend
65	Marital separation (or separation from any major intimate relationship)	63	Jail term
63	Death of a close family member	53	Personal injury or illness
44	Major change in health or behavior of a family member	47	Being fired from work
40	Sexual difficulties	45	Marital reconciliation
39	Gain of new family member thru birth, adoption, or remarriage	45	Retirement
39	Business readjustment	40	Pregnancy
38	Major change in finances	50	Marriage
35	Increase in number of arguments with spouse	23	Trouble with boss/superior
31	Mortgage or loan for major purchase (i.e. home, etc.)	30	Foreclosure of mortgage or loan
29	Changes in responsibility at work	29	Son or daughter leaving home
28	Outstanding Personal Achievement	26	Spouse stops work outside of home
29	Trouble with in-laws	26	Going back to school
25	Change in living condition (rebuilding, remodeling)	20	Change in residence
20	Change in work hours or responsibilities	20	Change in school
24	Revision/change of personal habits	19	Change in recreational habits
19	Change in church/spiritual activities	18	Change in social activities
17	Purchase of major items (auto, computer, etc)	16	Change in sleeping habits
15	Change in number of family get-togethers	15	Change in eating habits
15	Vacation	12	Christmas
11	Minor violations of the law (e.g., traffic tickets, misdemeanors)

Stress is not listed as one of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S., however studies have shown that stress does play a significant role in both heart disease and stroke which ARE two of the top 10 killers of Americans.  The list of stressful life events above obtained from http://www.cliving.org/lifestresstestscore.htm is a guideline of empirically validated stressful life events.  To be sure, a score above 300 is alarming however coping skills play a huge role in one’s ability to either successfully metabolize the stress, or to become overwhelmed by it.  Similarly, a score below 150 is low, however if one has weak coping skills this amount of stress can also become unbearable.  Therapy is a great way to help manage one’s stress levels by bolstering coping skills but there are other methods of reducing stress as well.  Below is a list of tips that one can utilize to deal with stress:

Regular Exercise

Good Sleep Hygiene

Proper Nutrition

Social Support from Family and Friends

Owning a Pet