Please use the Word document below as a guide. Evaluate your own level of stress and develop a stress reduction plan for yourself.
Life Change Index Scale (The Stress Test)
| Event | Impact | My Score |
| Death of spouse | 100 | |
| Divorce | 73 | |
| Marital Separation | 65 | |
| Jail Term | 63 | |
| Death of close family member | 63 | |
| Personal injury or illness | 53 | |
| Marriage | 50 | |
| Fired at work | 47 | |
| Marital reconciliation | 45 | |
| Retirement | 45 | |
| Change in health of family member | 44 | |
| Pregnancy | 40 | |
| Sex difficulties | 39 | |
| Gain of a new family member | 39 | |
| Business readjustment | 39 | |
| Change in financial state | 38 | |
| Death of a close friend | 37 | |
| Change to a different line of work | 36 | |
| Change in number of arguments with spouse | 35 | |
| Mortgage over $20,000 | 31 | |
| Foreclosure of mortgage or loan | 30 | |
| Change in responsibilities at work | 29 | |
| Son or daughter leaving home | 29 | |
| Trouble with in laws | 29 | |
| Outstanding personal achievement | 28 | |
| Spouse begins or stop work | 26 | |
| Begin or end school | 26 | |
| Change in living conditions | 25 | |
| Revisions of personal habits | 24 | |
| Trouble with boss | 23 | |
| Change in work hours or conditions | 20 | |
| Change in residence | 20 | |
| Change in schools | 20 | |
| Change in recreations | 19 | |
| Change in church activities | 19 | |
| Change in social activities | 19 | |
| Mortgage or loan less than $20,000 | 17 | |
| Change in sleeping habits | 16 | |
| Change in number of family get-togethers | 15 | |
| Change in eating habits | 15 | |
| Vacation | 13 | |
| Christmas approaching | 12 | |
| Minor violation of the law | 11 | |
| Total |
Directions If an event mentioned above has occurred in the past year (12 months), or is expected in the near future, copy the number in the score column. If the event has occurred or is expected to occur more than once, multiply this number by the frequency of the event.
The body is a finely timed instrument that does not like surprises. Any sudden change stimuli which affects the body, or the reordering of important routines that the body become used to, can cause needless stress, throwing your whole physical being into turmoil.
The following chart will give you some idea of how to informally score yourself on Social Readjustment Scale. Since being healthy is the optimum state you want to achieve, being sick is the state of being you most want to avoid.
300+ about 80 percent
150-299 about 50 percent
less than 150 about 30 percent
The higher your life change score, the harder you have to work to get yourself back into a state of good health. Below, write a brief plan to help yourself overcome stress. You may include daily activities, life changes, ways to relax, etc. Think of things you would enjoy so that overcoming stress doesn’t add more stress to your life.
T.H.Holmes and T.H. Rahe. "The Social Readjustment Rating Scale," Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 11:213, 1967. Retrieved December 19, 2017 from https://www.dartmouth.edu/~eap/library/lifechangestresstest.pdf.
Revision Date: October 24, 2023
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