Nancy is currently 50 years old and has been a smoker for 33 years. She has had this habit for quite some time and has learned over time, to smoke to help relieve her stress. Many smokers do the same thing, which is why it is such a difficult habit to break. A person may quit, and then during a moment of great stress, they start up again.
There are many stressors in Nancy's life currently that cause her to smoke. She works in a job that has a high stress level to begin with. At her job she is short-staffed and overworked with a large caseload to handle. She also adds to this stress by working extra shifts when people call in sick. Nancy also has family stressors as well. She is currently caring for her mother who has a terminal illness. Just the fact that he mother is terminally ill, is a large stressor in her life. Add to that fact that her mother is very demanding and critical of Nancy, only makes her stress even worse. Then add to all these things that she is a single mother and has bills to pay and does not get to spend much time with her daughter due to her child's work and social schedule. Her stress level is extremely high at this point.
There are many ways to measure stress. You can start looking at major life events that may have taken place in a person's life, such as a birth, death, having to move, changing jobs, losing a job, a divorce, or even having to go to court. The more events that are happening, the greater the stress. Chronic stresses are also important to consider. These can include physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual difficulties, and even taking care of children. Another form of stress is perceived stress, which is very difficult to measure and evaluate. Using the Perceived Stress Scale can help see to what degree situations in someone's life are judged as stressful to that person. .
There are also some biological tests that a person can do on themselves to see if they are becoming stressed out in a situation.
