We've spent a lot of time cultivating stress awareness because recognizing your stress is incredibly important. It is only one step in the stress management process, however. It's also important to define your goals. Do you want to be able to concentrate better? Get sick less often? Stop screaming at your kids? Be more productive at work? Manage your chronic pain? Alleviate your depression? All of the above?

Think about your stress management goals. What do you want to accomplish? Why did you choose this book in the first place? You probably had some goal in mind, even if it was just to stop feeling so stressed all the time. After giving your goals some thought, record them here. This important part of your Stress Management Portfolio will evolve just as other parts of your stress profile and portfolio will evolve. As you accomplish certain stress management goals, you'll certainly define new ones. For now, make a list of your current stress management goals. Don't worry about getting every one down now. You can record new goals as they come along and check off old ones as they are accomplished.