***NEW*** The Stress-O-Meter is now available for implementation at your command! If interested, please email CAPT Paul Sargent for more information.

The Expanded Operational Stress Control Program maintains a robust strategic communication effort to promote comprehensive wellness and stress navigation throughout the Fleet. The E-OSC program aligns with  Every Sailor, Every Day,  OPNAV N171's integrated communications campaign encouraging all Sailors, leaders, families and members of the Navy community to strengthen their connections with those around them. Operational and organizational resilience requires self-care, peer support, open communication and bystander intervention as ongoing efforts. This page includes a variety of resources which can be valuable to both E-OSC Team Leaders as well as sailors at every level who are interested in “getting good at stress.”

The Expanded Stress Continuum

Recognizing and talking about stress requires a common language. E-OSC has adopted this model to help identify stress reactions across a continuum, using the “stress zones” (Idle, Ready, Reacting, Injured, and Ill) to guide appropriate responses. This expansion of the previous stress continuum recognizes that stress is an important aspect of our growth. In fact, being under-stressed can lead to complacency, lethargy, stagnation and feelings of worthlessness. The goal of OSC remains to “get to green” but in order to “get to green” we need to embrace challenges head on, and welcome some periods of stress in our lives as an important tool for growth. As the situation subsides we can then re-enter “recovery mode” and prepare for the next challenge.

E-OSC draws upon a foundation of years of experience with traditional OSC programs. Many people are familiar with a traditional “Stress Continuum” that describes people perceived or subjective experience with stress. That is, they go from feeling comfortable or “ready" to "very uncomfortable" or “ill.” Since the debut of the initial stress continuum, science has advanced and demonstrated that not all stress is bad, and in fact people often need to moved out of their “comfort zone” in order to perform at their peak, and build true resilience. E-OSC has incorporated this advancement in our understanding to provide an “Expanded Stress Continuum” that demonstrates the importance of stress in our lives.

On this page you will see two versions of this change. The first has the Expanded Stress Continuum overlaid on a Yerkes- Dodson performance curve. This picture shows that to perform at our best, we can not be flat or disengaged. When people are well trained for their job, and confront challenges with the right mindset, the stress will lead to an improvement in their performance. This has been described as a “flow state” in the performance literature. If the stress grows to the point of diminishing performance, then a person has the opportunity to apply techniques which will bring them back into the sweet spot. Below the Yerkes-Dodson curve you will see the expanded stress continuum laid out with common feelings or symptoms associate with each of the listed states.

• Blue: Idle. Lethargic, unfocussed, bored, unproductive, not contributing (but may be recovering)
• Green: Ready. Not stress-free, but mission-ready
• Yellow: Reacting. Normal responses to stress, but may experience trouble sleeping or increased irritability.
• Orange: Injured. Recognizing that stress may be more than individual can handle alone and help is needed.
• Red: Ill. Medical attention is required.

Join the weekly "E-OSC support and best practice huddle", hosted by OPNAV N17 and NCCOSC Staff!

E-OSC Stress-O-Meter

Level 1. Paper Stress-O-Meter (for use when there is no internet capability or sharepoint capability).

Level 2. Local Sharepoint Stress-O-Meter (for use when internet is not available, but sharepoint is available). Sharepoint SOPs are available for 2019, 2013 versions with additional SOPs being created for the 2010 and 2007 version.

Level 3. Cloud based Stress-O-Meter (for use when internet is available and if command desires maximal automation). This is under development and should be available soon!