Arden Wellness Stress Assessment

Reproduced with permission; protected by copyright. It’s recommended that you print this test in order to allow marking answers or number ratings to each of the 25 topic areas. The Ardell Wellness Stress Test The Ardell Wellness Stress Test incorporates physical, mental, emotional, spiritual (i.e., meaning and purpose) and social aspects of health. This is one reason many users report finding the test useful - it offers a balanced assessment of varied stress sources. There is a six-point scale and a neutral choice that indicates no positive or negative emotions associated with the factor. Simply rate your satisfaction in degrees positive or negative for each item. * Enter "+3" if your situation, that is, your satisfaction with how your life is currently going regarding the category listed, is "exuberant to ecstatic" - as good or positive as it could reasonably be expected or hoped for. * Enter "+2" if your satisfaction level in the category is "very happy to quite pleased." * Enter "+1" if your satisfaction is "OK to mildly satisfying." * Enter "0" if your most accurate sense is "not sure" to "no problem." * Enter "-1" if the most accurate response seems to be "mildly disappointed" to "not quite right." * Enter "-2" if the best answer is "very disappointed" to "quite unhappy about this." * Enter "-3" if you’re feeling about the issue at hand is "I'm on the road to nowhere" to "I think I'm about to go over a cliff." With this scoring system, enter a number to the left of each factor regarding how much positive or negative stress it produces. When you have completed all 25, please add your score and read my assessment of your stress situation. After that, of course, a REAL wellness mindset/lifestyle is highly recommended, no matter how high (good) or low (time to reorganize) your score on this stress assessment might be. _____ 1. Choice of profession or career _____ 2. Present job or capacity to make a satisfactory living _____ 3. Marital or partner status _____ 4. Primary relationships (family and best friends) _____ 5. Ability to have fun and the extent to which you experience good times regularly _____ 6. Amount of recent occasions when you felt exuberant, filled with a sense that "life is good" _____ 7. Financial situation and future prospects _____ 8. Sense of who you are and how evolving (self-respect and confidence) _____ 9. Meaning and purpose in life (includes "spirituality") _____ 10. Level of self-worth and estimation of how others view you _____ 11. Prospects for having impact on those who know you and possibly others _____ 12. Sex life _____ 13. Body, how it looks and performs _____ 14. Home life, including range of interests and passions _____ 15. Life skills and education - awareness of issues and facts unrelated to your job or profession _____ 16. Capacities for dealing with change, crises, setbacks and all manner of unexpected situations _____ 17. Nutritional knowledge, attitudes and consumption patterns _____ 18. Ability to recover from disappointments, hurts and tragedies _____ 19. Potentials _____ 20. A range of interests and a balanced quality in your life _____ 21. Sense that life for you is on an upward curve, getting better and fuller all the time _____ 22. Level of participation in issues and concerns beyond your immediate interests _____ 23. Choices about parenting and styles/principles for the guidance of children _____ 24. Role with network of friends, relatives and/or others _____ 25. Emotional acceptance of the inescapable reality of aging, decline and death Please add the plus number and subtract the minus numbers. Write the total in this space: ______ Ardell Wellness Stress Test Interpretation + 60 to + 75: You are in a very good place overall, and unlikely to be significantly troubled by stressors on a consistent basis. You have a lot of positive factors in your life which, more than any stress management technique (e.g., deep breathing, meditation and so on), will render you largely immune from the adverse effects of negative emotions in dealing with what life serves up. There are few challenges likely to untrack you from a continuing sense of near wellbeing so long as your satisfaction level remains as high as indicated in this assessment. + 36 to + 59: You are doing well, much better than most. You should find the information available about the wellness concept attractive and consistent with your movement toward effective and healthy living. You already have a well-tuned capacity to deal creatively and efficiently with events and circumstances. Additional advances should come easily for you. All good wishes in moving forward while learning new skills, particularly in areas of critical thinking, the experience of exuberant living, physical fitness and expanding your personal freedoms and choices. + 20 to + 35: You have a well-founded appreciation for the importance of lifestyle choices in affecting the quality of your life. You know the value of personal responsibility, a supportive environment and the cumulative positive effects of little changes, over time. In the months to come, invest additional energies in learning ways to strengthen certain areas. You can boost your satisfactions while reducing your stressors. 0 to + 19: You can clearly benefit from a modest investment in learning ways to reduce stress and increase pleasures. A flurry of negative circumstances could spark emotional setbacks. Take steps now to avoid slowing your steady progression toward mastery of good living and self-efficacy. 0 to -19: Stress of a daily nature that interferes will good living seems to be a problem - and it deserves your attention. Stress of a consistent negative nature will jeopardize your motivation to choose wisely and sustain energy levels needed for good health and an enjoyable life. You are a candidate for counseling. You are either too pessimistic or have severe problems in dealing with stress. -20 to -37: There is almost surely too much stress to support exuberant living, with generous instances of pleasure and joy, positive excitement for fun things to do and delights in diversions and purposes. Consider a wide range of ways to boost your happiness quotient. -38 to - 75: Oh my goodness. What do you do for a living? Something, LOTS of things, must be done to lighten the load, to eliminate much of the stress load from your life. Let's look on the bright side for a moment - you are still alive, you managed to complete the test without suffering a cardiac event and you probably have a sense of humor, more or less. But seriously, if you truly are as stressed as this little consciousness-raising set of questions would indicate, it's time for a chat with a wellness professional. I recommend that you start now to look after yourself with more loving attention.