Method of reducing thermal stress within a magnetic head

Devices and methods for reducing thermal stress within a head of a storage device are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, a method includes writing a selected pattern to a storage medium of a storage device using a head of the storage device; reading the selected pattern from the storage medium using the head to provide a data signal; and calculating an instability value of the head based on the data signal. The method can further include reconfiguring the storage device if the instability value is greater than an instability threshold by performing at least one of: deactivating a heater if the head includes two or more heaters; and increasing a fly height between the head and the storage medium.