How Much Is Stress Actually Costing You?

Most of us know we're stressed🥴 But few of us have ever had a primary care provider actually sit with that and ask us about it, instead of just a rushed "how are you doing" on the way out the door.

Stress is not just in your head. It's a physical response with physical consequences, on your hormones, your heart, your immune system, your sleep, and everything else. When stress exceeds your body's ability to recover, that's called allostatic load, and over time it raises real risk for health problems down the road.

The Stress Overload Scale below won't diagnose anything. But when we suspect stress is causing or making your symptoms worse, it helps us put a real number on that risk instead of just talking about it like a theory. It isn't a perfect tool, but it gives us useful information we can actually work with.

Takes about five minutes. Answer honestly, there's no wrong answer here.

And if you're looking for a primary care provider in Fayetteville, NC who has time to actually go through it with you, that's what we're here for.

S. O. S.

Stress Overload Scale — A Measure of Day-to-Day Feelings

Below you will find 30 questions about your feelings during the past week. Please answer every question, even though some might sound similar. For each item, select the box that best shows how much you have felt that way in the last week — from "Not At All" to "A Lot." For example, you might check the last box if you had the feeling a lot. Or you might check the second box if you felt that way just a little bit. Or you could check off any of the other boxes. In answering these questions, please be as honest as possible.

Your answers help us better understand your stress and wellbeing.

Your Information

By checking the box below and clicking Submit, you agree that your responses on this form — including your name, date of birth, and answers below — will be sent electronically to TrueCare DPC for review. A copy of your results will also be emailed to the address you provide above. Standard email is not a secure or encrypted method of transmission. If you are not currently a TrueCare DPC patient, please understand that submitting this form shares your health information with our practice. If you'd prefer not to submit this information electronically, please contact our office directly instead.

In the Past Week, Have You Felt:

Amirkhan JH. A tool for surviving and thriving amid stress: the Stress Overload Scale (S.O.S.). Long Beach, CA: California State University, Psychology Department; 1998.