Improve Stress Recovery

Proof required

Submit your 14-day stress recovery baseline: (1) morning recovery rating (was yesterday's stressor resolved? if so, which time category did recovery fall into?); (2) daily evening log of three recovery practices (physical activity, social connection, nature time); (3) 14-day averages for typical recovery time category and frequency of each recovery practice per week.

What gets checked

• Both the morning recovery rating and the evening practice log are recorded in real time for all 14 days — missing either half makes the baseline incomplete; the morning rating measures outcome (recovery speed) and the evening log measures input (recovery practices)
• The recovery time scale is applied to actual stressor recovery, not to days with no significant stressor — on days without a notable stressor, note 'no significant stressor' rather than rating a non-event
• Nature time is logged honestly even if the threshold is low — a 10-minute lunch break in a park counts; a walk to a car park through a planted area counts; the research shows even brief nature exposure has measurable recovery effects

Common mistakes

• Conflating stress level with recovery time — a very high-stress event followed by complete recovery within 1 hour is better stress recovery than a moderate event that is still activated 4 hours later; recovery time is about speed of return to calm, not absence of stress
• Only logging recovery practice days and omitting days when no practice occurred — the 14-day average frequency of each practice requires complete data, including days without practice; selective logging produces an inflated baseline
• Rating recovery time on days with no stressor as '30 minutes' — on days with no significant stressor, there is nothing to recover from; rating non-stress days as rapid recovery inflates the baseline recovery speed

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Both daily diary components must be present for all 14 days. If only the practice log is submitted without the morning recovery ratings, ask for the recovery time assessments
• The recovery time scale should be applied only to days with actual stressors. If every day in the 14-day period shows a recovery rating without any 'no significant stressor' days, ask whether the baseline represents an unusually stressful period or whether the scale was applied to non-stressor days
• The 14-day averages must cover all three recovery practices separately. If only a general 'I exercise and socialise' summary is given, ask for the weekly frequency of each practice

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Proof required

Submit (1) daily log for all 8 weeks (morning recovery rating, evening practice log for all three dimensions); (2) weekly averages for typical recovery time and all three practice frequencies at Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8; (3) a note at Weeks 4 and 8 describing the primary practice that was increased and what specifically changed.

What gets checked

• The primary practice is increased to at least 5 days/week by Week 4 — the M2 programme targets the weakest recovery practice dimension; the increase to 5 days/week is the minimum dose for measurable recovery benefit
• All three practices continue to be logged throughout — increasing one practice should not mean stopping tracking the others; cross-practice effects (e.g. physical activity also providing social connection when done in groups) are part of the evidence
• Weekly recovery time averages show a trend — the goal of the programme is faster recovery after stressors; the trend in recovery time categories at Weeks 2/4/6/8 is the primary outcome measure

Common mistakes

• Increasing all three practices simultaneously rather than focusing on the weakest one — trying to maximise all three at once is harder to sustain; the M2 programme is designed to produce a measurable result from a specific targeted increase in the weakest practice
• Logging recovery time only on high-stress days and skipping low-stress days — the morning recovery rating should be logged every day; low-stress days contribute to the weekly average and should be recorded as 'no significant stressor' or 'rapid recovery'
• Not adjusting the increased practice when it conflicts with other commitments — the target is 5 days/week, not 7; some weeks will be 4 or 3 days due to genuine constraints; the log should record this honestly rather than claiming perfect adherence

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• The primary practice increase should be identifiable in the weekly frequency averages. If the practice named as the focus shows no increase from the M1 frequency, ask what happened
• The recovery time weekly averages should show a trend. If averages are flat across all 8 weeks despite the practice increase, ask what the person observes about recovery speed subjectively
• The notes at Weeks 4 and 8 should name the specific practice and what changed. If the note is general ('I feel less stressed'), ask what specific practice was increased and to what frequency

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Proof required

Submit (1) M3 14-day diary (morning recovery ratings and evening practice logs for 14 consecutive days); (2) a comparison table showing M1 and M3 averages for typical recovery time and all three practice frequencies; (3) an attestation from a named person who observed the 8-week recovery practice programme.

What gets checked

• M3 covers 14 consecutive days including at least one full weekend — matching the M1 baseline length makes the M3 averages directly comparable
• The comparison table shows both recovery time and all three practice frequencies at M1 and M3 — partial comparisons (e.g. only the primary practice) do not constitute the full outcome evidence
• The attestation describes observed changes in both practice behaviour and stress response — 'they went for a run after stressful days and seemed to come home calmer within an hour' describes both the practice and the recovery outcome

Common mistakes

• Using only 7 days for M3 rather than 14 — the M1 baseline was 14 days; a 7-day M3 is asymmetric and more susceptible to a single unusual week skewing the average
• Choosing the best 14 days of the programme for the M3 diary rather than the final 14 days — the M3 diary should be the last 14 days of the 8-week programme, not the weeks when recovery was fastest
• Providing an attestation focused only on the primary practice and not on observed recovery from stressors — the outcome is recovery speed, not just practice frequency; the attestation should address what the attesting person observed about how the person recovered after stressors

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• M3 must cover 14 consecutive days. If only 7 days are submitted, ask for the remaining 7 days
• The comparison table must show both recovery time and all three practice frequencies. If only the primary practice frequency is compared, ask for the full table
• The attestation should describe observed changes in how the person responded to stressors, not just changes in practice frequency — 'they seemed less reactive and bounced back faster' is the recovery outcome; 'they exercised more' is only the practice input

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