Unhealthy stress is a major challenge for workplaces, schools, and homes across the world. As leaders, we need proven stress relief strategies to effectively self-manage and to provide support for those around us.

Read on to learn the top research-based strategies to support healthy stress management.

Self-assessments play an important role in helping us understand and articulate our uniqueness, gain empathy for our colleagues, family, and friends, and speak a common vocabulary with teammates. The variety of options can be energizing, but it can also be confusing to understand the distinctions, and to know which assessment will help meet your specific needs.

If you are pursuing personal or professional development — for yourself or your team — consult this quick guide to maximize your return on investment.

Despite how valuable it is, we can be easily deceived into thinking our self-awareness is higher than it is. Without pausing for honest, thoughtful self-reflection, we may hold onto a fuzzy, idealistic self-assessment that is either unclear, inaccurate, or both.

How would you rate your self-awareness?

I usually know when I need to grow or change in a specific area. The signs are typically clear: I’m continually stressed out, or causing someone else to be stressed out. Or, I am deeply dissatisfied, frustrated, or not seeing progress. For me, recognizing the need for change is the easy part. The harder part is to get really clear about exactly what my specific growth gaps are.

How do you get clarity about the gaps between where you are now and where you want to be?