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

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

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