Your Stress Journal
This a diary of your reactions to on-going daily stressors. Be sure to list accurately how you’re feeling and rate those feelings. The purpose here is to get you into actually realizing you are reacting to stress and identifying what it is doing to your body at any given time. It will help you see and label your reactions.
For example, on Saturday mornings you might regularly visit your mother-in-law. It is not usually a pleasant time - your mother-in-law has Alzheimer Disease and talking to her is hard. Also you feel guilty she’s in a nursing home and that you don’t go there more often. She was always kind to you before she became ill. You feel uptight when you’re there – it’s frustrating to keep repeating things to her. You have a tense body before you go and while you’re there. Saturday night you often get a headache.
Or, you have to go to the dentist for a check-up and cleaning. You
have been scared of the dentist since you were a child; you avoid it as much as
possible. You often reschedule the appointment until you feel too embarrassed
to call again, then you go.
What physical and mental reactions might you be
having? Knowing them can help you deal with them in a positive way.
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Date and time |
What is causing
the stress? |
What am I
feeling – physically and emotionally? |
How serious it is?
Rate it on a scale from 0-10 0=not so bad 10=very serious |
What I am doing
about it? |
What else I
might do to stop these reactions in the future? |
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