To use the scale, simply add up the values for all of the listed life events that have occurred to you within the past year. If a particular event has happened to you more than once within the last 12 months, multiply the value by the number of occurrences.

________ 100 points - Death of Spouse
________ 73 points - Divorce
________ 65 points - Marital Separation
________ 63 points - Jail Term
________ 63 points - Death in Family
________ 53 points - Personal Injury
________ 50 points - Marriage
________ 47 points - Fired at Work
________ 45 points - Marital Reconciliation
________ 45 points - Retirement
________ 44 points - Change in Health of Family Member
________ 40 points - Pregnancy
________ 39 points - Sex Difficulties
________ 39 points - Gain New Family Member
________ 39 points - Business Readjustment
________ 39 points - Financial Change
________ 37 points - Death of a Close Friend
________ 36 points - Change to New Line of Work
________ 35 points - Change in Number of Arguments with Spouse
________ 33 points - Large Mortgage
________ 29 points - Child Leaving Home
________ 29 points - Trouble with In-laws
________ 28 points - Personal Achievement
________ 26 points - Spouse Begin/End Work
________ 26 points - Begin/End of School
________ 25 points - Change Living Conditions
________ 24 points - Revise Personal Habits
________ 23 points - Trouble with Boss
________ 20 points - Change Work Hours/Conditions
________ 20 points - Change in Residence
________ 20 points - Change in School
________ 19 points - Change in Recreation
________ 19 points - Change in Church Activity
________ 18 points - Change in Social Activity
________ 17 points - Small Mortgage/Loan
________ 16 points - Change in Sleep Habits
________ 15 points - Change in Number of Family Get-togethers
________ 15 points - Change in Eating Habits
________ 13 points - Vacation
________ 12 points - Religious or Major Holiday
________ 11 points - Minor Law Violation
________ Total points - To get your score, add up the points

Scoring Chart

• A score between 50 and 100 indicates a low stress life.
• A score between 101 and 200 indicates a moderate stress life.
• A score between 201 and 300 indicates a high stress life.
• A score over 301 indicates an extremely high stress life.

Most of the items on this stress test are outside of our individual control. What can you do to manage the high stress items in your life? Consider setting goals, writing affirmations, using visualization and other imprinting techniques to lower the negative impact of stress on your life.