A Simple Stress Check Routine
Stress is easier to notice when you look at it on purpose. This routine takes a few minutes and fits around a busy week.
Updated First published By the AdviceBuddy team
The short answer
A simple stress routine has three parts: a short self-check (such as the PSS-4) to notice your stress level, a few minutes of a calming activity, and a quick before-and-after rating so you can look back at what you tried.
Step 1: a quick stress check
The PSS-4 is a published set of four questions about how often in the last month you have felt unable to control important things or that difficulties were piling up. AdviceBuddy shows the result as a 1 to 100 reading.
Step 2: a few calm minutes
Choose one activity: two minutes of slow breathing, a 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise, a short walk, or a gentle game. Short and regular tends to be easier to keep up than long and occasional.
Step 3: rate before and after
Rate how stressed you feel from 0 to 10 before and after the activity. Over a few weeks this gives you your own simple record of the activities you like.
When stress stays high
If stress keeps you from sleeping, eating or doing your work for more than a couple of weeks, talk to a doctor or a licensed therapist.
If you are thinking about harming yourself, or you are in danger, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) in the United States, or call 911. Outside the US, findahelpline.com lists free helplines by country.
Common questions
How long does the routine take?
About five minutes: one minute for the check-in and a few minutes for the activity.
Do I need an account?
You need a free account to save your results and see them over time. Your answers are only visible to you.
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