What is stress? We know what it feels like when we are stressed out. It seems like these days, everyone is feeling it and some people manage it better than others.
It has been proven that “Stress has emotional, cognitive, physiological and behavioral effects on the individual as well as important consequences for an organization, including such outcomes as poor concentration and decision making, fatigue, accidents, injuries, absenteeism, presenteeism, physical illness, and psychological distress.” (Nowack, 1994)
There are unfortunately many ways stress can manifest in our personal and professional lives. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves and managing our stress levels, it can negatively impact our physical and psychological health. It can also lead us to engage in behaviors that aren’t necessarily healthy for us.
How do we begin to get a handle on our stress? The first step is to understand what areas of our lives are impacted the most by stress. Awareness leads to taking action in targeted ways to minimize or mitigate stress factors.
StressScan was designed to be an important tool to facilitate that increased awareness and knowledge, skills and behavior change efforts aimed at reducing stress, promoting healthy lifestyle/coping habits and quality of life.
StressScan is a 123-item questionnaire that measures important psychological factors based on the cognitive-transactional model of stress (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). It is administered and scored online and takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
StressScan results in a comprehensive individual feedback report providing an overview of 14 major scales, a summary of wellness risks and wellness resources.
Together with an integrated online developmental planning/reminder system containing a comprehensive stress/wellness resource library of articles, websites, books, tips and media called Momentor, these tools can not only help you reduce stress and identify wellness resources and risks but also help facilitate the initiation and maintenance of health-promoting habits and behaviors.
The goal of StressScan is to facilitate your awareness and the goal of Momentor is to enable successful behavior change. Having access to Momentor should enable you to translate that awareness into a personal stress and wellness action plan that can be monitored and tracked over time.
Why is it important to have a coach like me shepherd you through this process? Because of my extensive experience of leading a very stressed corporate career, you want someone on your journey with you who has seen it all and help identify and focus on what’s really important. I will also be able to create a safe space for you, where you can be honest and authentic with yourself and also hold you accountable. Isn’t it always better to go on a run, to the gym, or a hike with a friend? Consider me that partner in crime who will accompany you on this journey to get you into your optimal state of health and wellness. Let's go!
Source: Dr. Kenneth M Nowack