STRESS!

I am reading Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald; it's a book I've wanted to read for a long time now. The author describes why we need order in our personal lives and how to create this necessary organization in a Christian manner. The personal life he refers to is the INVISIBLE part of your life - the way you think, your priorities, your inner life, rather than your schedule.

Chapter 3 includes a description of the Holmes Social Readjustment Rating Scale (aka Holmes Stress Chart) which measures how much stress a person experiences. The method assigns a numeric rating to each life event. The higher your score, the closer you may be to dangerous physical and emotional consequences.

I was curious, so of course I googled. I realize I have seen this scale before. Have you?

Here is an interactive version of the Holmes Scale.

Here are the numeric counts, so you can see them for yourself.

The wikipedia page also includes a modified scale for "non-adults" (which I THINK means kids, lol).

My score is 238. It's actually a rather low score for the changes I've had over the past 15 months. If I had taken this a few months ago, my score may have been higher. If I took it again in a few weeks, it may be higher. You don't need to share your score, but it may be a good idea to measure your stress for personal knowledge. I also recommend the book.

According to the Holmes & Rahe* statistical prediction model your score means a moderate amount of life change and a moderate susceptability (about 50% probability) to stress-related illness. However please keep in mind that there are many variables that interact on health including positive factors such as support from family, friends or work associates. If you are concerned about your stress levels then you should seek the assistance of a qualified counsellor or health practitioner.

Do I Need More Stress?

I didn't take the promotion at work. There were a lot of factors in my decision, but when it came right down to it, I thought, "Do I need MORE stress in my life?" Of course, I told myself that I did not. Then I asked myself, "Is more stress in my life worth $100 more a month?" And I said, "Self, no. More stress is not worth $100 an month."

So, there you have it.

I told them today.

And then I got the most boring job tonight - the one I HATE. lol

But... HA! I came up with an idea for a new novel while I was bored out of my mind and sketched a rough plot outline. This one is going to be a Christian romance novel and I am going to pitch it to Harlequin's Steeple Hill line of books. There are other lines of Christian romance novels, but I will start with Harlequin.

I am going to write this baby fast fast fast. Maybe I will have my own little NaNoWriMo for March.

By June, I sure would like to NOT be working in the plastics factory. That would be really really great.