Enrichment · Wellbeing

Is it stress, or
something more?

Everyone gets stressed. Sometimes, though, the feeling lasts, stays put when things calm down or starts crowding out sleep, school and friends. Write one check-in for what you are feeling: how long, how often, whether it lets up and what it gets in the way of. The page names the signs worth raising with someone, in plain words, and never turns them into a score.

Start a check-inWhat you get

Check-ins

The worked example is made up: finals week, a hard stretch after a loss and a fight with a friend. Saved on this device only.

Loading the check-in form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A check-in for each stretch of feeling: what is going on, the feelings, how many days and how often, whether it eases, what it gets in the way of, any thoughts of self-harm, who knows and a next step. Names five signs worth raising with someone; counts check-ins with any of them, the longest stretch and the part of life most often affected.
Who it is for
Middle school, high school and college students; parents and teachers who want a plain way to talk it through with a student.
Format
Browser check-in with a saved record per stretch. Prints one check-in to bring to an appointment, all of them in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick one thing you have been feeling lately.
  2. Write what is going on and the feelings in the mix.
  3. Estimate how many days it has lasted, how often, and whether it eases when the stress does.
  4. Mark what it is getting in the way of, and answer the safety question honestly.
  5. Read the signs, then pick one person to tell. Print the check-in if it helps to have it in front of you.

Start a check-in

How to tell the difference

Everyday stress or something to talk aboutEveryday stressHas a cause you can name,like a test or a moveComes and goes with thatcauseEases within days once itpassesYou still enjoy things inbetweenWorth talking to someoneMost days for two weeks ormoreStays even when thingscalm downGets in the way of sleep,school or friendsThings you enjoyed stopfeeling goodTalk to someone todayAny thoughts of hurtingyourselfThoughts of not wanting tobe aliveCall or text 988, any timeIn danger now: call 911Everyday stress or something to talk aboutEveryday stressHas a cause you can name, like a test or amoveComes and goes with that causeEases within days once it passesYou still enjoy things in betweenWorth talking to someoneMost days for two weeks or moreStays even when things calm downGets in the way of sleep, school or friendsThings you enjoyed stop feeling goodTalk to someone todayAny thoughts of hurting yourselfThoughts of not wanting to be aliveCall or text 988, any timeIn danger now: call 911
This is a way to notice, not a test. Only a doctor or another licensed professional can tell you whether something is a mental health condition.

Stress has a job

Stress is the body getting ready for a demand. A bit of it before a test or a game helps you focus, and it usually fades once the demand has passed. It becomes a problem when it does not switch off.

What doctors ask about

Health professionals look at how long feelings last, how often they come, and how much they get in the way of daily life. Two weeks of a low mood most days, for example, is one of the things they ask about for depression. Noticing these is not diagnosing yourself; it is having something clear to say.

Telling someone

A parent, your school counselor, a school nurse or a doctor are all good places to start. You do not need to know what it is first. If you are having thoughts of hurting yourself, call or text 988 now, or call 911 if you are in danger.

Sources

  1. National Institute of Mental Health: I’m So Stressed Out (fact sheet) and Depression (nimh.nih.gov).
  2. American Psychological Association: Stress effects on the body; healthy ways to handle life’s stressors (apa.org/topics/stress).
  3. American Psychiatric Association (2022). DSM-5-TR. Major depressive episode: symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Children’s Mental Health, signs to talk with a doctor about (cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth).
  5. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org): call or text 988, chat online, 24 hours a day.

The worked example is made up. This page helps you notice and describe what you feel; it is not a screening test, a diagnosis or treatment. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.