How to fill in psychological stress

The core answer is very simple. First figure out the purpose of the materials you fill in. For non-clinical assessments, just fill them out as needed and according to the true state. Those used for clinical consultation must be presented 100% truthfully, without deliberately amplifying or forcibly concealing them.

If you are filling out a non-assessment questionnaire such as the company's employee health screening or the school's psychological census, just focus on the status of the last 1-2 weeks. For example, you just finished the final week last week and the project went online. Recently, you can't help but be distracted and your temper is a little more anxious than usual. Just check the corresponding stress level according to the actual situation. You don't have to worry about being treated differently if you fill out the questionnaire. There is no need to deliberately select "no pressure" just to appear "special". The Internet company where my friend worked did a health screening last year, and 80% of the entire project team reported moderate or above stress. The administration found out the situation and directly approved flexible work arrangements for them for two weeks, and also added a two-day outdoor team building. It was better than everyone holding back and carrying on.

As for the stress-related issues encountered by many people in the job search process, there are indeed different opinions in the industry now. Some people think that they must say that they have a strong ability to withstand pressure and can adapt to any high-pressure environment, so that they can easily get an offer. Others think that they must tell the truth about their pressure threshold, such as being unable to accept meaningless overtime for more than a month. , on the contrary, it can screen out unsuitable and labor-intensive positions. In fact, it all depends on your own job search requirements. If you just want to find a high-paying, fast-paced core position, properly showing your past experience in high-pressure projects will definitely get extra points. If you value work-life balance more, truthfully saying that you are more suitable for a stable-paced environment will reduce subsequent onboarding conflicts.

The only thing I have to mention is to fill out the stress assessment when visiting the psychosomatic department or psychiatric department of the hospital. Don't insist on "pretending to be fine". There was a client who came to me for consultation before. When he first went to see the doctor, he was afraid that the doctor would think that he was "too fragile and pretentious". He could only sleep more than 3 hours a day for more than 20 days in a row. He felt sick and had chest tightness when he thought about work. When he filled out the stress scale, he only selected "mild stress". As a result, the intervention plan given by the doctor at the beginning was not strong enough, and after almost a month, my condition got worse and worse. Later, I truthfully updated my condition and the stress events I had encountered, adjusted the frequency of consultations, and added auxiliary sleep aids and mood-regulating drugs. Within two weeks, my sleep state slowly returned.

To put it bluntly, it's like taking a blood pressure test and filling out the record. If it's for your own reference, it must be filled in accurately to be useful. If it's non-diagnosis and treatment materials submitted to the unit, it's understandable if you have concerns and want to make adjustments. But only for diagnosis and treatment materials for doctors, you can't make any false claims. After all, being able to accurately perceive and express your stress is a sign of mental health.