Quiz: How to manage your stress
Answer the following questions with a “Yes” or a “No.”
Then follow the self-scoring instructions to find out how stressed you are.
Do you tire more easily these days?
Are you easily irritated when driving?
Are you generally easily irritated?
Are you working harder but accomplishing less?
Do you feel fatigued and less energetic?
Cynical and disenchanted?
Are you sad but can’t pinpoint why?
Having trouble sleeping?
Forgetting appointments, promises, deadlines?
Do you feel tired upon awakening?
Do you have less and less time for friends and family?
Are aches and pains bothering you?
Are you unable to listen to others without interrupting?
When the work day is over, do you feel disoriented?
Do you rarely laugh at a joke?
Do you need medication, drugs or alcohol to feel calm?
Do you worry over trivial things?
Is it hard for you to concentrate at work?
Does sex seem more trouble than it’s worth?
Do you find yourself eating just to take the edge off?
Do you often find people difficult to deal with?
Self-Scoring:
Give yourself five (5) points for each “Yes” and subtract half a point for each “No.”
IF YOU SCORE…
Less than 10: Congratulations! You are managing stress very well.
11-20: Pretty good. You could, however, learn to relax a little more.
21-30: There is much in your life that needs to be adjusted.
31-40: Serious, but salvageable, if you stress-proof now.
41-50: Very serious, consider major changes in your attitudes.
50+: Critical. You are in imminent danger of burnout and/or collapse.
Beyond managing stress
While stress can have devastating physical effects on your body, the major characteristic of human stress is that it is not the stressor itself that harms you but your reaction to it.
Just think about how “Dave” avoids elevators because he finds the small space too stressful while “Laura” has no problem working underground mining for copper. Being a miner would obviously be “too stressful” for Dave.
Yet the reality is that the degree of Dave’s stress depends on what he is telling himself about confined spaces – not some inherent stressor of elevators or mines.
Yes, attitude is everything. And your view of something you currently consider stressful can be changed, bringing you relief from stress, with a combination of rational thinking and post-hypnotic suggestions.
Instead of just managing stress, why not eliminate it? Perspective is the solution. And often, physically distancing yourself from what bothers you enables you to enjoy being stress-free.
— Dr Bryan M. Knight, MSW, PhD