Identifying stress begins by conducting a self-assessment of your current state of mind. Alberto Cruz, MS-NPL, Chief Program Officer at Bronx House and NAA Executive Member, tells us more.
Often, leaders are so busy trying to lead that they lose focus of their personal well-being. However, in order to become the successful leader you believe you are, you must begin with taking care of yourself. If you are unable to manage your stress, how will you be able to lead effectively? Below you will find the stages of stress along with general stressors, which can affect your well-being.
- Alarm stage: anxiety, fear, doubt
- Resistance stage: aggression, regression, withdrawal, fixation
- Exhaustion stage: heart disease, health concerns
All of these lead to the most severe level of stress, known as "Burnout." More information on managing stress can be found at Mind Tools.
General stressors Include:
- Time
- Encounter
- Situation
- Anticipatory (what if's)
Here are some other sites that can assist you in understanding your stress levels:
The Stress Management Society
The Greater Good Science Center
The self-assessment below is included for your own personal use. Please be completely honest with yourself when answering the questions.
How stressed are you?
Self-Assessment
Never = 0 points
Almost never = 1 point
Sometimes = 2 points
Fairly open = 3 point
Very often = 4 points
___ 1. Feel upset because of something unexpected?
___ 2. Feel unable to control the important things in your life?
___ 3. Feel nervous or stressed?
___ 4. Feel angry because things happen that you could not control?
___ 5. Feel you had so many troubles that you couldn't overcome them?
___ 6. Find yourself unable to cope with your responsibilities?
___ 7. Feel confident that you could handle your personal problems?
___ 8. Feel able to control irritations in your life?
___ 9. Feel that things are going your way?
___ 10. Feel you were on top of things?
___ Total (The higher the total, the higher the stress.)
Managing stress is very important. Not managing stress can lead to serious health issues, which will keep you from attaining your goals—make sure to take care of yourself first.
Stay tuned for more self-care resources through NAA communications channels such as Facebook.
Written by Alberto Cruz, MS-NPL, Chief Program Officer at Bronx House and NAA Executive Member.
