Fred has done the same exercise as you and has listed his stresses below. How would you categorise them?
Think about each stress:
what might be the cause?
what might be the implications?
You decide the category for each stress and then send in your report.
| Not a problem | Leave to Later | Leave to Others | This is Urgent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Must buy a present for best friend’s birthday in 2 days. | ||||
| Neighbour’s trees overhang the fence and the lawn is taken over by moss. | ||||
| Brother is awaiting heart tests | ||||
| Shall we invite the in-laws for Christmas? | ||||
| Oh, no! It is raining again. | ||||
| Business is not doing well – is my job secure? | ||||
| Need to arrange for someone to collect the children from school tomorrow. | ||||
| I am constipated again. |
Click below to report your opinion.
Bear in mind this is not an exam! This exercise is intended to help you think through how Fred might have got into the mess he is in and what might develop out of this mess so you will have a better idea about how to sort out your own stresses.
Now have a look at Fred’s decisions – though he did have some help!
How does Fred’s decisions compare to your assessment?
Clearly, you cannot make a full assessment of Fred’s stresses from the brief information given and your opinion may be different to Fred’s. But then, it is like that when you are stressed, and you have to make decisions, or not. Sometimes you have only the minimum of information and other people may disagree with you.
Stay with Fred and his stresses on the next page to see how he worked out how to categorise them – with some help! See what you learn, for that should give you some ideas for when we return to your stresses.