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Stress level

18 questions about how you have been carrying the load over the last two weeks: the volume of things to do, your sense of control, pauses and signals from the body. Answer as things really are — there are no right answers here. Your result appears straight away.

  • 18 questions
  • about 5 minutes
  • answers never leave your browser
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Answers are processed in your browser only: they are never sent to the site and they disappear when you refresh the page.

If you feel very bad right now and have thoughts of harming yourself, or that you would be better off not living, do not wait for an appointment. Contact your local emergency service. In Kazakhstan — 112 or 103; free round-the-clock psychological help — 1303 (Almaty). In another country, call your local emergency number.

Question 1 of 18

  1. 1 It feels as if there is more to do than there is time.
    How often has this been true over the last two weeks?
  2. 2 Things happen unexpectedly and I don't get the chance to prepare for them.
  3. 3 My day goes by without a single pause that belongs to me alone.
  4. 4 My body reminds me of the load: my head or neck aches, my stomach hurts, my blood pressure jumps.
  5. 5 I can't calmly see a single task through to the end: something else always cuts in.
  6. 6 I feel that little depends on me: circumstances decide for me.
  7. 7 I find it hard to switch off from work in the evening and at weekends.
  8. 8 I eat on the go or forget to eat.
  9. 9 Even pleasant events feel like one more item on the to-do list.
  10. 10 A small thing can easily throw me off balance: a call, a message, a request.
  11. 11 I put off looking after myself “until things calm down”, but they never do.
  12. 12 Before a new day I feel not interest but tension, as if before a battle.
  13. 13 I manage to set aside time for what matters most and do it without rushing.
  14. 14 I snap at the people close to me over things I would let pass in calmer times.
  15. 15 I find it hard to remember when I last had a proper rest.
  16. 16 My shoulders, jaw or stomach are tense even when nothing is happening.
  17. 17 I feel that I am coping with what is required of me.
  18. 18 After a free evening or a weekend I feel that my energy has come back.
Over the last two weeks, have you had thoughts of harming yourself, or that you would be better off not living?

Only you can see this answer, and it is not counted in the score. This question is the same in every test: it is about safety, not the topic of the test, and it is asked out of care, not for diagnosis.

Left to answer: 19

This is an author-made self-observation checklist, not a validated instrument and not a medical assessment. It does not diagnose anything and does not replace a consultation with a specialist.

What this is based on

The checklist is built on the logic of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen, Kamarck, Mermelstein, 1983): stress is measured not by the number of events but by how uncontrollable, unpredictable and overloaded life feels. To these three dimensions two areas are added which, in research, explain why load turns into exhaustion: recovery — switching off from work and taking pauses (Sonnentag, Fritz, 2007) — and bodily signs of prolonged mobilisation (McEwen, 1998). The statements are worded independently and do not reproduce PSS items; this is self-observation, not a validated instrument. The total from 0 to 54 is divided into four outcomes, from “the load is still under control” to “strain at its limit”.

Sources

  1. Cohen S., Kamarck T., Mermelstein R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. DOI 10.2307/2136404
  2. McEwen B.S. (1998). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI 10.1056/NEJM199801153380307
  3. Sonnentag S., Fritz C. (2007). The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. DOI 10.1037/1076-8998.12.3.204
  4. Kivimäki M., Nyberg S.T., Batty G.D., Fransson E.I., Heikkilä K. et al. (2012). Job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of individual participant data. The Lancet. DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60994-5
  5. World Health Organization (2020). Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide. WHO, Geneva. URL www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003927

Would you like to leave “constantly under pressure” mode?

At the first consultation we will look at what keeps you on high alert — the volume of tasks, expectations or the inability to ask for help — and where you can realistically start lightening the load.

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