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Website: https://www.psycom.net/stress-test

Results: Acute Stress (if untreated can become "chronic stress")

Acute Stress
- If a person continues to experience the symptoms that are causing the stress for more than 2-3 weeks, then the acute stress will heighten into chronic stress (which has a negative impact on physical health) (Psycom.net, n.d.).
-While it is not good to feel stress for long periods of time, it is normal to have high levels of stress sometimes due to experiences in life (Psycom.net, n.d.).
-Stress hormones have negative effects on the body, such as making a person more likely to get sick, and to age faster.
-The best way to prevent chronic stress, or to lessen long-term stress is by seeking treatment from a professional such as a counselor (Psycom.net, n.d.).

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Website: psychcentral.com/quizzes/stress-test#10
-Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD

Scoring:
0-39 = Stress if unlikely
40-54 = Stress is possible
55-71 = Stress is likely
72+ = You are stressed!

Results: "You are stressed!"
Total score: 83 out of 110

Results:
-People with a score of 72 or higher are currently experiencing a high amount of stress in their lives.  This level of stress is overwhelming and can be hard to cope with  (Staff, 2020).
-The best way to seek treatment for stress is through psychotherapy once a week (Staff, 2020).

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Personal Stressors:
-Experienced a Big Life Change - Got married in July, 2021 and moved away from home in Alaska and school in Arizona to a completely new place.  Had to make new friends and connections.  Learning how to finance life together can be difficult with paying for college, rent, food, etc.
-Balancing Time - I am taking two GCU online courses while in a full-time job position as an admin.  There used to be some free-time at work to slip in homework, however the past month has been extremely busy with no extra time.  It has been very difficult to balance work and school.  I want to spend time really learning each subject, and with the current schedule, it feels near impossible.  Balancing all of this, with married life, house chores, cooking, keeping up with family and long-distance friends, and a social life has been stressful.

Ways to Cope with Stress:
-Therapy - Both of the tests recommend getting help from a professional, such as through therapy. This helps prevent many mental and physical issues. The stress that I am experiencing is very situational. I tend to not be a very stressed out person. However, after experiencing stress for the same reasons overtime can lead to chronic stress. To prevent this, I could seek therapy. I tend to procrastinate, even when I cannot afford to. Seeking help for this would be very beneficial.

Personal Coping Skills:
- Personal Time - Having personal relax time has always been important to me.  Reading, taking baths, extended skin-care routines, and journaling are all activities that I truly enjoy.  However, I have noticed that when I do not have time (or make time) to add these to my schedule, I feel more stressed and my mental health lowers.  Currently, there is almost no time for these things which is a main reason for the high levels of stress.
- Exercise - Having less time for personal time, I have used exercise as an outlet.  Exercising releases dopamine and serotonin which leads to feeling happier and less stressed.  In fact, exercising thirty minutes a day releases as much dopamine as anti-depressant pills.
- Religion - As a Christian, I value reading the Bible daily, going to church every Sunday, and attending a weekly small group.  Having a close relationship with God helps my stress levels to lower.  When I feel stress, I put my trust in Him, and give Him my burdens.  However, recently, as I have not been reading daily, and I can see the effect on my mental health.  Going to church and attending small group are two things that have always been a priority for me, so I try to never skip, which has helped my mental health.

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Biopsychosocial Effects of Stress:
The biopsychosocial model explains the aspects needed for a person's well-being.  The "bio" (biology) refers to a person's gender, physical health, stress reactivity, and disabilities (Human Givens Institute, 2019).  The "psych" (psychology) refers to a person's personality, behavior, beliefs, memory, coping/social skills, and self-esteem.  The "social" refers to a person's social support, education, relationships, family experiences, and socioeconomic status (Human Givens Institute, 2019).  All of these things play into a person's well-being. For instance, traumatic life events (social), can play into how a person behaves, or their self-esteem (psych), which, intern, affects well-being.

Short-Term Effects-
- On a person's body:
- Headaches
- Chest/muscle pain
- Feeling tired often
- Trouble sleeping (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021)
-On a person's mood
- Anxiety
- Feelings of no motivation/focus
- Feelings of being overwhelmed often
-Depression (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021)
-On a person's behavior
- Drug/alcohol use
- Binge eating
- No apatite (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021)
- Distancing oneself from family and friends
- Decrease in exercise and sleep
-Heart beats faster which can cause anxiety.
-Blood vessels dilate which raises blood pressure (Sarafino & Smith, 2017).

Long-Term Effects-
-Having a consistently high heart rate.
-Depression and long-term anxiety
- Increased possibility of:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular disease (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021)

Factors that put Students at Risk for Stress & Disease:
- When a person has an allostatic load, they experience stress from the same source which leads to higher stress on the body, which then leads to a higher possibility of getting sick. (Sarafino & Smith, 2017)
- A traumatic childhood can lead to an increased allostatic load during adolescents years (Sarafino & Smith, 2017).
- When students lack support from peers, friends, and family, they are more susceptible to stress and mental health issues.

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Self-disclosure is when a person opens up to another about their emotions, life experiences, goals, fears, and any other personal thoughts (Weber, 2021).  In therapy, clients are usually the ones to use self-disclosure.  This makes it easier for the therapist to better understand their client, and to know what techniques will help them to grow.  It can also be important for the therapist to use self-disclosure as well.  Feeling comfortable in a counseling session is key for the client seeing results.  People feel more comfortable and closer to each other if they share emotions and life stories with each other (Weber, 2021).  When a therapist shares personal experiences, the client will see them as more trustworthy, and will be more likely to use patient adherence.

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Churches:
-People find comfort in religion.  Many churches provide small groups where people can find social support.  Being able to converse with a close group about personal endeavors can lower stress.
-Many pastors take time to meet with member's of the church.  They hold counseling services as well.
-Christian Churches in College Station, Texas:
- Grace Bible Church
- New Heights Church
-Christland Church

Family and Friends:
- Having a support group is very important to prevent anxiety and depression.  If family or friends live close, visiting them frequently is highly recommended.  If they live far away, calling and keeping in contact helps as well.

Counselors:
-To prevent or help treat chronic stress, seeking medical help/treatment is key.
- Therapy Clinics in College Station, Texas:
* Peace of Mind Counseling
* Thriveworks Counseling
* Texas A&M Counseling and Psychological Services
* The Oakwood Collaborative: A Counseling and
Assessment Center

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Mayo Clinic Staff. (2021). How stress affects your body and behavior. Mayo Clinic.

Psycom.net (n.d). Stress level test (self-assessment)

Sarafino, E., & Smith, T. (2017). Health psychology: Biopsychosocial interactions (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN-13: 9781119299486

Staff, P. C. (2020). How stressed are you? stress test. Psych Central.

Human Givens Institute. (2019). The alarming hijacking of the Biopsychosocial Model.

Weber, A. L. (2021). Self-disclosure. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health.