Putting Your Stress Journal to Work
Once you've found a notebook for your stress journal, you can immediately begin to record your stress management plan. After completing the test and analyzing your results in the last chapter, what was your overall impression of the effect stress has on your life? Think about your overall impression and write it down in your journal. Having these thoughts here will allow you to check back frequently to see if your overall impression is changing. In your journal, you can title the page “My Overall Stress Profile Impressions.”
Then, you can begin to focus more specifically on what you've discovered about the stress in your life.
What WorksAfter completing the questions in the last chapter, you probably noticed patterns and trends emerging as you worked your way through the test. If you didn't, look back and try to determine some trends now. You may have also recognized as you completed the test that you have areas of life you handle pretty well. Some things are actually working! If this didn't occur to you, think about it now. Recognizing what works in your life will help you see what kind of systems and attitudes you might apply to other areas of your life that aren't working as well.
What things in your life are working pretty well? What parts of your life do you generally feel good about? What are your stress management successes? Where are your productive and efficient systems? What are your best, most supportive relationships? Which of your positive qualities are able to manifest themselves in your life? Spend some time considering what's working, and record it in your journal under “What's Working Well in My Life.”
Estrogen protects young women from heart disease, but stress can cause estrogen levels to drop, allowing plaque to build up. A 1999 autopsy study revealed that by age thirty-five, most women already had substantial plaque buildup in their coronary arteries. Researchers suspect stress is to blame.
Now, think of the areas of your life that could use some improvement. Do you need more time in your day? More romance in your relationship? Better health habits? A more organized household? A better rapport with your kids? More open communication with your friends?
List the things you would like to improve in your life — the things you'll be better able to improve and focus on once you've got the excess stress in your life under control. You can record this in your journal under “Things I Would Like to Improve.”
