A few years ago, I was going through a challenging chapter of life.
I had a meeting with my coach at the time, and he recommended a strange exercise.
At one point in our conversation, he stopped me and said, “Let’s imagine we climbed into a helicopter and flew up to 30,000 feet to look down on your life, what do you notice about the terrain below?”
Coaches are sometimes known for such zany or whacky exercises to jolt you out of your current perspective.
And it worked.
I began to see all the seemingly normal things happening during this season of my life…rapid changes in my family structure, the demands of having young children, new job duties, health scares, and other fairly significant events.
This led to a very productive discussion about acknowledging the cumulative stress “load” that I was experiencing, as well as some general acceptance of the life season I was in, and some constructive action steps for variables I could influence.
Overall, I found this to be a very helpful intervention.
My coach then pointed me to the Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale, also known as the Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS).
The scale was developed in 1967 by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, who reviewed the medical records of over 5,000 patients in order to examine how stressful life events were related to illness.
They asked people to rate the relative “weight” of different types of stress they had experienced in the past two years. They hoped that this would help them to better predict the point at which someone’s combined stress load was likely to put them at risk for medical problems in the near future.
Eventually, they created a scale with 43 life events which they scored in order of how stressful people reported them to be. Perhaps surprising to some, several of the stressful life events were typically positive or happy occasions such as marriage, vacation, outstanding personal achievements, or having children.
The scale can be filled out simply by counting the life events that have happened to you over the last year, and adding up the points.
The scale was tested with a few studies that showed some correlation between the accumulation of stressful life events and the risk of illness in the near future.
However, the scale is very old and the research is fairly weak, so the intent of this post is not to use the scale as a predictor of health problems, but rather as a tool for your self-awareness to periodically stop and take stock of your current season of life. You should consult your medical and mental health providers if you have concerns about your health. The scale has also been criticized for cultural limitations.
Numerous leadership resources point to self-awareness as one of the most important, and primary, leadership skills one must have in order to lead well.
It can be enormously beneficial for any leader to pause frequently to examine the “cumulative load” of stressful life events—both positive and negative—then take more deliberate action, and to model such behavior with their team members.
Of course, some life events we have more choice with.
We don’t pick a time when sudden illness strikes, but we might think twice about moving or making another major life change in the midst of an already difficult period.
Looking at this scale frequently has definitely helped me to acknowledge certain “seasons” of life, to better evaluate the cumulative effects of stress, and to notice the subtle signs when stress begins to negatively affect my physical or mental health.
Once I see the “landscape” more clearly, I can usually chart a better path.
This tool may serve as an early warning system for some leaders to prevent burnout.
Spoiler Alert: If you have seen the latest Top Gun movie, you are familiar with the opening scene in which Tom Cruise flies the latest and greatest “Darkstar” stealth plane at Mach 10.
When he reaches that speed, he decides to push it even more until he reaches the ludicrous speed of Mach 10.2.
He makes it clear that he is doing this “for his team,” but I suspect his ego also contributed.
You all know what happens next—the plane shakes violently and erupts into a massive ball of flames, sending billions of dollars’ worth of airplane parts shooting into space.
You may have seen leaders who lead this way.
But ultimately, and definitely over the long haul, this “fly at Mach 10” approach won’t help your team, or the people that care about you.
After all, you aren’t much help from a pile of flames and ashes.
Take action now
Take some time this coming weekend to familiarize yourself with the life events on the Holmes-Rahe scale. Notice which events you’ve had in the past year and the relative load they may carry.
You can find the scale here on the American Institute of Stress website.
Are you considering making other big changes in your life right now that you might want to put off until things settle down?
Maybe now isn’t the time to apply for that promotion or buy a new house.
Perhaps score yourself to assess your current overall life stress load.
If your score if over 150, you may want to consult your healthcare providers to take more proactive steps toward early intervention, and if your score is over 300, consulting with your physician or mental health provider is probably necessary.
Have a great weekend!
Parker
Want more resources?
- Holmes, TH, and Rahe, RH (1967). The Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 11(2), 13-218.
- American Institute of Stress website
