Stress Level Assessment
Answer 10 lifestyle questions to get a personalized stress score.
See which habits contribute most and get targeted advice for reducing your stress level.
The Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory is a scientifically validated tool developed by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe in 1967, based on their study of 5,000 medical patients. It assigns a numeric Life Change Unit (LCU) score to 43 major life events and uses the total to predict the likelihood of stress-related illness.
How the score works: Each life event that occurred in the past 12 months contributes its LCU value to your total score. Events are added — not averaged.
Stress Score = Σ(LCU values for all events experienced in the past 12 months)
High-scoring life events (selected):
- Death of a spouse: 100 LCU
- Divorce: 73 LCU
- Marital separation: 65 LCU
- Death of a close family member: 63 LCU
- Personal illness or injury: 53 LCU
- Marriage: 50 LCU
- Job loss: 47 LCU
- Retirement: 45 LCU
- Pregnancy: 40 LCU
- Taking on a large mortgage: 31 LCU
- Son or daughter leaving home: 29 LCU
- Change in work responsibilities: 29 LCU
- Christmas: 12 LCU
Risk interpretation:
- 150 or below: Low stress load; about 30% risk of stress-related illness
- 150–299: Moderate stress; about 50% risk in the next 2 years
- 300 or above: High stress; about 80% risk of significant health impact
Important caveat: The Holmes-Rahe scale was developed in the 1960s and uses population averages. Individual resilience, social support, coping strategies, and baseline mental health all dramatically affect outcomes. Use this as a general indicator, not a diagnosis. If your score is high, consulting a healthcare provider is worthwhile.