How to Use a Stress Tracker

Tips on How to Use a Stress Tracker

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Are you interested in using a stress tracker to see how you’re doing each month? To help you do just that, I created a simple hexagon stress tracker that you can print out right away and start using. In fact, it’s a monthly tracker, so today is the perfect day to get started (if you are reading this the day it was first published).

I’ll be honest, I’ve been feeling stressed out myself lately. Between having my children home al the time, having to do homeschooling, and feeling stressed any time I have to go grocery shopping or for errands, it’s a lot to deal with. And I’m sure you have some similar issues, even if your situation is different. We all have different stressors and we all react differently to stress.

But the one thing that we can do is to track our stress and try to notice connections between events in our lives and how stressed out we feel. To help you do just that, I’ve created a free printable stress tracker. Below are the steps to use it.

Step 1: Color the Boxes Down the Side

The first thing you will want to do is to color those boxes down the right hand side that correspond to the numbers 1 through 10. Your goal is to make the shades gradually darker so try to choose a series of colors where you can go from light to dark.

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Step 2: Assess How You Feel Each Day

At the end of each day, ask yourself: how much stress did I experience today on a scale from 1 to 10? It might take a bit of time to get used to rating your stress like this, but keep doing it each day and you should notice it getting easier.

Step 3: Color in Each Day According to How You Feel

Next, you’ll want to color in the boxes for each day according to your level of stress for that day. So, if you felt no stress at all, you would color the hexagon the same color as Box 1. If you felt moderate stress, you would color the hexagon the same color as Box 5. Finally, if you felt a lot of stress, you would color the hexagon the same color as Box 10.

Download your FREE printable stress tracker

Step 4: Assess How the Month Went

Now, it’s time to take a step back and assess how the month went. Do you see a lot of lightly shaded hexagons or a lot with dark shading? This should give you an idea of how your month was overall. Do you notice any patterns? Those are important to spot to, as you move to the next step.

Step 5: Make Changes as Necessary

Now, as you look back on the month, try to compare to what was going on each day. Were there certain activities that seemed to correspond with the days you felt most stressed? If so, can you shift things around at all or lighten your responsibilities to make those days easier? An example would be feeling stressed on days when you have to do volunteer work. Although it’s a noble thought, if it’s leaving you stressed out right now, it might be something to drop until you are feeling better.

It’s really that simple! A stress tracker is a nice way to keep track of your stress. If you’d like more printable resources specifically for social anxiety, feel free to check out my resource library! You can sign up at the top or bottom of this page.