Stress Control Assessment
How much control do you have over your stress?
This assessment evaluates your current stress management strategies and shows you where to focus your energy for maximum impact.
Your Control Score
Personalized Recommendations
Your results show you have room to improve your control strategies. Focus on setting boundaries and implementing small, consistent actions.
Feeling like your life is running you instead of the other way around? You’re not alone. In 2025, over 68% of adults in Australia report feeling overwhelmed by daily stress - not just from work, but from endless notifications, financial pressure, and the quiet, grinding sense that there’s never enough time. Stress isn’t just a bad day. It’s a slow leak in your energy tank. And if you don’t plug it, you’ll burn out before you know it.
Stress isn’t the enemy - losing control is
Most stress reduction advice tells you to breathe deeper or meditate more. That helps - but only if you’re already in a safe space. What if you’re juggling a sick kid, a late bill, and a boss who texts at midnight? Deep breathing won’t fix that. What you need isn’t just calm - it’s control.
Real stress reduction starts when you stop trying to eliminate stress and start reclaiming your power over it. It’s about choosing what deserves your attention and letting go of what doesn’t. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being intentional.
Start with your calendar - not your breath
Here’s the truth: you don’t lack time. You lack boundaries. Your calendar is a map of your priorities. If you’re saying yes to everything, you’re saying no to your own peace.
Take 15 minutes this week and do this:
- Open your digital calendar (Google, Apple, Outlook - doesn’t matter which).
- Look at the last 7 days. Highlight every meeting, task, or obligation that didn’t bring you joy, value, or energy.
- Ask yourself: Would I let someone else schedule this for me?
If the answer is no, delete it. Or say no next time it comes up. You don’t need permission to protect your time. People will adjust. They always do.
One client I worked with - a nurse in Brisbane - cleared 11 hours a week from her calendar just by saying no to extra shifts she didn’t want and unsubscribing from 5 volunteer committees. She didn’t lose respect. She gained her Sundays back.
Build a ‘stress firewall’ around your mornings
Your morning sets the tone for your whole day. If you start by checking emails, scrolling through news, or arguing with your partner over coffee - you’re handing control to chaos.
Try this simple 10-minute ritual instead:
- First thing, drink a glass of water.
- Step outside for 3 minutes. Feel the air. Listen to birds. Don’t talk. Don’t think. Just be.
- Write down one thing you’re grateful for. Not a list. One. Really mean it.
This isn’t magic. It’s neuroscience. Morning exposure to natural light regulates cortisol. Gratitude lowers inflammation. And stepping away from screens before your brain wakes up? That’s a game-changer.
One woman told me she started doing this after her panic attack in the supermarket. She didn’t feel better right away. But after 14 days, she noticed something: she stopped snapping at her kids. That’s the ripple effect.
Stop multitasking - start single-tasking
Trying to do 10 things at once doesn’t make you productive. It makes you exhausted. Your brain isn’t built for constant switching. Every time you shift from email to a Zoom call to texting your mum, you lose 15-20 minutes of focus just to get back on track.
Try this: pick one task. Set a timer for 25 minutes. Turn off every notification. Close every tab. Do nothing but that one thing. When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute walk. Stretch. Look out the window.
Do this three times a day. That’s 75 minutes of deep focus. You’ll get more done in that time than you would in five hours of distracted scrolling.
One teacher I know started doing this during her planning periods. She stopped feeling like she was drowning in paperwork. She started actually enjoying teaching again.
Identify your stress triggers - then shrink them
Not all stress is the same. Some comes from outside. Some comes from inside - from beliefs you’ve held since you were 12.
Ask yourself: What situation always makes me feel like I’m falling apart?
Is it:
- Being asked to lead a meeting?
- Seeing your bank balance?
- Someone criticizing your parenting?
Now ask: What’s the worst that could happen if I didn’t fix this?
For most people, the answer is: Nothing. The fear is bigger than the reality. That’s the lie stress tells you.
Take one trigger. Make it smaller. If you dread phone calls, start by leaving one voicemail a day. If you panic when your inbox hits 50, delete 10 emails right now. Tiny wins rebuild your confidence faster than any therapy session.
Your body is your best stress detector
You can ignore your thoughts. You can’t ignore your body. When stress builds, your body speaks first:
- Shoulders tight? Jaw clenched?
- Stomach always upset?
- Can’t sleep even when you’re exhausted?
These aren’t random. They’re signals. Your nervous system is screaming: Something’s off.
Do this: every night, before bed, ask: Where am I holding tension? Then, spend 2 minutes breathing into that spot. Inhale slowly through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Imagine the tension melting.
It doesn’t need to be yoga. Doesn’t need to be a massage. Just 120 seconds of attention. That’s enough to reset your fight-or-flight switch.
Control isn’t about fixing everything - it’s about choosing what matters
You don’t have to fix your job, your finances, your family, and your health all at once. That’s not control. That’s burnout.
Control is choosing one small thing - and doing it well. Maybe it’s turning off notifications after 8 p.m. Maybe it’s cooking one healthy meal a week. Maybe it’s telling your partner, “I need 20 minutes alone after work.”
Each small act of control rebuilds your sense of agency. And agency is the antidote to stress.
Start today. Not tomorrow. Not when things calm down. Right now. Pick one thing from this list. Do it. Then do it again tomorrow. That’s how you take back your life - one quiet, deliberate choice at a time.
What happens when you stop letting stress run the show?
You sleep better. You speak up more. You stop apologizing for taking up space. You notice small joys - the smell of rain, your dog’s goofy grin, the way your coffee tastes just right.
Stress doesn’t disappear. But you stop letting it define you. And that’s the real victory.
Can stress reduction really change my life?
Yes - but not because you’re magically calm. It changes your life because you stop reacting to every demand and start choosing where to put your energy. People who practice consistent stress reduction report higher job satisfaction, better relationships, and fewer sick days. It’s not about feeling happy all the time. It’s about feeling in charge of your own responses.
How long until I feel less stressed?
You’ll notice small shifts in 3-5 days if you stick to one new habit - like protecting your mornings or turning off notifications. Real change - the kind that rewires your nervous system - takes 4-6 weeks. It’s not about intensity. It’s about consistency. One small win every day adds up faster than you think.
What if I don’t have time for stress reduction?
You don’t need more time. You need to stop wasting it. Stress reduction isn’t another task on your list. It’s about removing the things that drain you. Cutting one unnecessary meeting, deleting one app, saying no to one request - that’s stress reduction. It’s not about adding more. It’s about removing the noise.
Is meditation necessary for stress reduction?
No. Meditation helps some people, but it’s not the only way. If sitting still makes you more anxious, don’t do it. Try walking mindfully, journaling for five minutes, or just staring out the window while you drink your tea. The goal isn’t to quiet your mind - it’s to reconnect with your body and your choices.
Can stress reduction help with physical health problems?
Absolutely. Chronic stress raises cortisol, which weakens your immune system, increases blood pressure, and worsens conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia. Reducing stress doesn’t cure illness, but it gives your body a better chance to heal. Many doctors now recommend stress management as part of treatment plans - not as a luxury, but as medicine.
Next steps: Start small, stay consistent
Don’t try to do everything. Pick one thing from this article - one small, doable action - and do it today. Then do it again tomorrow. That’s how you build real control. Not by fighting stress, but by outliving it - one quiet, powerful choice at a time.
