Stress Awareness Diary
Use this form to record "activating" events throughout the day. Rate yourself on a 10 point scale with 1 being "totally relaxed" and 10 being extremely tense. This is called a SUDS scale, which stands for Subjective Limits of Distress.
Date: _________________
Day of the Week: _________________
| Time | Stressful Event | SUDS Rating |
|---|---|---|
Record of General Tension
To keep a convenient record of how you feel before and after your relaxation exercises,use the following record of general tension.
Rate yourself on this 10-point scale before and after you do your relaxation exercise.
| Before | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slightly tense | Fairly tense | Moderately tense | Very tense | Extremely tense | |
| After | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Totally relaxed | Very relaxed | Moderately relaxed | Fairly relaxed | Slightly relaxed |
Your personal mind-body connection and the interactions between your thoughts, body, and social environment are an integral part of beginning to manage the stress in your life, as opposed to letting it manage you.
Recommended reading on Stress Reduction:
- Benson, H., and E. Stuart. 1992. The Wellness Book. New York: Birch Lane Press.
- Borysenko, J. 1987. Minding the Body, Mending the Mind. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
- Coleman, D., and J. Gurin. 1993. Mind Body Medicine: How To Use Your Mind for Better Health. Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books.
- Davis, M., McKay, M., and Eshilman, E.R.. The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Second Edition. New Harbinger, Oakland, CA.
- Lorig, K. et al. 1994. Living a Healthy Life With Chronic Conditions. Palo Alto, CA: Bull Publishing.
- Lowen, Alexander. 1976. Bioenergetics. New York: Viking-Penguin.
- Scheller, Mary Dale. 1992. Growing Older, Feeling Better. Palo Alto, CA: Bull Publishing.