Identify Your Stress of the Day

Objective:

Learn to recognise the type of stress you feel in your daily life, so you can better understand what’s happening inside you and take a first clear, kind look at your own experience.

What stress did I experience today?

Take a moment to slow down and think back to your day, or to yesterday.

Choose just one situation — big or small — where you felt tension, nervousness, excitement, or discomfort. Any moment where your body or your heart reacted.

1. Name the situation

Describe in one sentence what happened.

Examples:

  • “Someone sent me an unexpected message.”

  • “I was asked to speak in front of others.”

  • “Someone made a comment to me.”

2. Identify the type of stress

Based on what you felt:

  • Short, sudden, intense → acute stress

  • Present for several days or weeks → chronic stress

  • Energy, motivation, desire to act → eustress (good stress)

  • Fear, freezing, discouragement → distress (negative stress)

3. Write your observation

Write a simple sentence:

“In this situation, I mainly felt … stress because ….”

My final reflection

Recognising your type of stress — even in just one situation — helps you understand what your body and your heart are trying to tell you.

Some forms of stress encourage you; others drain you.

Noticing them is the first step towards acting with clarity and kindness towards yourself.

By taking the time to observe your stress today, you’ve already developed a clearer awareness of what you’re experiencing. This clarity prepares you for what comes next: understanding how your body reacts to stress, and why it sends certain signals.

You will now discover what happens in your body when stress appears — and learn to recognise these signs accurately.

In conclusion