As noted in your text, chronic stress (long-term reactions to stressors) and daily hassles can be damaging to your physical and psychological health. No one can avoid stress. However, there are a number of factors that can either contribute to becoming overwhelmed by stress or to flourishing in spite of it. For example, having a sense of control, social support, relaxation, and a sense of meaning can all contribute to effectively combating the effects of stress.

In this exercise, you will complete a number of scales to help you determine your stress level, how you respond to and cope with stress, and resources you have to combat stress. You will use the results of these scales to develop your personal stress profile. To make the exercise more fun, you might want to have you partner, spouse, or friend complete the scales too. That way you can compare your stress profiles.

What You Must Do to Create Your Profile

1. Print, complete, and score the following scales. Do not read how to score a scale until after you have competed it.
   1. Stressed Out
   2. Susceptibility to Stress (SUS)
   3. Response to Stress Scale
   4. Are you a Type A or Type B?
   5. Coping with Stress
   6. Multidimensional Health Locus of Control
   7. Locus of Control
   8. Life Orientation Test
2. Identify at Least 5 of Your Personal Stressors and 5 Daily Hassles
3. Using the information gathered in A and B, write a 3-5 page self-reflection paper that includes the following sections:

1. Discuss your scores on each of the above scales and write a couple of brief statements about what that score means for you. Were you surprised by the score(s)? Did the results of the scales resonate with your perception of your stress level?

2. Incorporating information from your text and other academic sources, provide a summary of your stressors and life hassles.

3. Incorporating information from your text and other academic sources, provide a summary of what you might do to reduce your stress.

4. Discuss the issue of personal stress as it relates to psychological well-being. Relate your own results and thoughts about your experience with these scales to the information provided in the text and other academic sources.