Let’s pick up with the stress chapter — Page 139, Lesson 212

Let’s pick up with the stress chapter. I want to walk you through the non-professional personal factors and the stressor table that the book provides. First, the book states that evidence indicates there is a relationship between stress and health, and some evidence for a correlation between non-professional stress and the risk of an accident. That means the stress you carry from your personal life — outside the cockpit — can measurably affect your health and your likelihood of having an accident. This is a professional concern, not just a personal one. Now, the book makes an important point: although the stress level caused by a particular stressor will differ from one individual to another, it is possible to make a general assessment of stress levels. So while we can't predict exactly how much stress any one person will feel from a given event, we can assign a general weighting to common life events for an average westerner. The book gives a table of these weightings. But here's a critical caveat: when applying such weighting to other cultures, there will be some marked differences. Aircrew must remain sensitive to these cultural differences. So if you're flying with crew from different backgrounds, or operating in different regions, the same event might carry a very different stress load for them. The book also explains that stress is cumulative. All of the events experienced should be added to give an indication of the total stress acting on any one person. You don't just look at the biggest event; you add up every event that has occurred. Let me read you the stress table from the book. These are the weightings for various incidents in an average westerner's life: - Death of a spouse, partner, or child: 100 - Divorce: 73 - Marital separation: 65 - Death of a close family member: 63 - Personal injury or illness: 53 - Marriage: 50 - Loss of job: 47 - Retirement: 45 - Pregnancy: 40 - Sexual problems: 40 - Birth: 39 - Change of financial situation: 38 - Son or daughter leaving home: 29 - Change of eating habits: 25 - Change of residence: 20 - Taking on a bank loan or HP debt: 17 - Vacations: 13 - Minor violations of the law: 11 The book is careful to say this list is not a complete catalogue of all events which may cause stress, and the weighting given will vary according to the personal background and cultural system in which the individual was raised. So treat it as a guide only. To indicate your own stress level, the book says to add together the marks for each event occurring in your life in the last six months. Then you use this scoring guide: - Below 60 marks: a life unusually free of stress. - 60 to 80 marks: normal amount of stress. - 80 to 100 marks: stress in life is rather high. - 100+ marks: under serious amount of stress. So if you add up your events and get, say, 90, the book would classify your stress as rather high. If you get 120, you're under serious stress. This is a simple tool, but it gives you a quick reference for where you stand personally — and as a professional pilot, being aware of your own stress level is part of managing your performance and safety.