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Am I In Stress?

Anti-Stress: Quiz

Anti-Stress: Quiz

Stress can affect your health in significant ways. While this test is not meant to replace an assessment from your doctor, it can give you an idea of whether your level of stress may be impacting your health, and to what degree. More importantly, after completing this quick 15-question self test, you'll find information explaining how stress affects health, and important resources for creating a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

Question: Do you find yourself 'eating emotionally': eating unhealthy foods or eating when you’re not hungry, as a response to stress or difficult feelings?

No, I eat a healthy diet, and only eat when hungry.
I admit I've binged on the occasional Hagen Daz, but it's not a regular occurrence.
Yes, I have to admit that my diet is pretty unhealthy

Question: Do you find yourself sweating excessively when you're not exercising?

No.
Sometimes, when I'm particularly stressed, but not often.
Yes, it happens fairly regularly.

Question: Do you ever have trouble sleeping?

Rarely or never.
Sometimes I'll have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting quality sleep.
Yes, I pretty often have trouble with sleep quality, or with falling and staying asleep.

Question: Are you experiencing any digestive problems, such as indigestion, IBS, or ulcers?

No.
I get the occasional stress-related stomach ache, but nothing too regular.
Yes, I'm experiencing pretty regular digestive problems.

Question: Are you suffering from burnout, anxiety disorders or depression?

No.
I don’t know.
Yes.

Question: Are you taking care of yourself?
Yes, I take good care of my body and soul.
I don't have as much time for self care as I'd like, but I'm doing okay.
No, I really take care of myself as well as I need to.

Question: Do you have a supportive social network, and take time for relationships in your life?

Yes. My friends and family help a lot with stress.
Somewhat. I have a few close relationships and can talk to people if something's really bothering me, but don't have as much time for relationships as I'd like.
No, I have few close friends or supportive family ties, or I don't have time to devote to the people I could be close with.

Question: Are you getting regular exercise?

Yes. I lead an active lifestyle and exercise at least three times per week.
Sort of. I get some exercise throughout the day, or I go to the gym a couple times a week.
No. I live a sedentary lifestyle and don't go to the gym regularly.

Question: Do you find yourself smoking and/or drinking to excess as a way to deal with stress?

No.
I do one of those things, but it's not a big problem for me.
Yes, and to be honest, I know it can't be good for me.
 

Question: Do you often find yourself with tension headaches?

No. I've had them before, but not often.
Sort of. I get them once a month or so.
Yes, I struggle with them regularly.

Question: Are you having trouble maintaining a healthy weight? Or, are you carrying excessive abdominal fat?

No, I'm within 10 pounds of my 'ideal' weight.
To a degree. I struggle with diet like many people, but it's not too much of a problem.
Yes: I've put on much more weight than I'm comfortable with / I can't keep weight on / My problem area is my abdomen.

Question: Are you easily irritated lately?

No, I'm pretty even-tempered. It takes quite a bit to get me flustered.
Somewhat. I find I have less patience than I'd like, but it's not a problem in my life.
Yes. I find myself snapping at people out of frustration, or having a low threshold for dealing with annoyances.

Question: How often have you missed work in the last year due to actual illness?

Maybe once.
Two to three times.
Four times or more.
 

Question: Do you often feel fatigued at the end of a day?

Not too much. I'm ready for sleep at night, but I do have energy in the evenings.
Somewhat. I come home and need to rest for a while before I can do activities in the evenings.
Yes. In fact, I'm often fatigued by the MIDDLE of the day.

Question: Do you have a feeling that stress may be affecting your health?

Not really. I'm just taking this test for fun.
Possibly. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be shocked if it were true.
Yes. In fact, I'd be surprised if stress WEREN'T affecting my health.

P.S. If your answer is mostly A you're good in handling stress and keep up the good work.
       If your answer is mostly B you're in good shape and you are most likely experiencing minimal
       consequences to your health as a result of stress-related physical responses.
       If your answer is mostly C you have to work a lot more on handling your stress levels healthily.

After you have answer the quiz, post your results at the comments column to let us know how well you can handle stress. Thank you.

Simple Exercises

Below is a series of examples (according to a stressful student) of exercises that stretch and tone the muscles and help relieve tension. It is always advisable to learn exercises directly from a trained instructor. Yoga classes, for example, will provide you with professional, ongoing support.

Please note that you should take care when exercising if you are feeling nauseous or in pain. Your instructor or healthcare professional can give you more information.

 

Why Do We Get Stressed?

The diagram below shows a pie chart according to a survey done among students and adults.

How to Deal with Stress?

While unchecked stress is undeniably damaging, there are many things you can do to reduce its impact and cope with symptoms.

Learn how to manage stress

You may feel like the stress in your life is out of your control, but you can always control the way you respond. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation.

Learn how to relax

You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. They also increase your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure.

Learn quick stress relief

Everybody has the power to reduce the impact of stress as it’s happening in that moment. With practice, you can learn to spot stressors and stay in control when the pressure builds. Sensory stress-busting techniques give you a powerful tool for staying clear-headed and in control in the middle of stressful situations. They give you the confidence to face challenges, knowing that you have the ability to rapidly bring yourself back into balance.

Sings of Stress

Below are lists of some of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress. The more signs and symptoms you notice in yourself, the closer you may be to stress overload.

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Suggestions on How to Reduce Stress

Get a good night's rest.
Eat healthily.
Listen to your favorite music.
Exercise, participate in a sport or engage in fun activity.
Plan out your time and prioritize.
Talk to a friend about your problems, don't hold it in.
Get a massage.
Take a nap.
Take a warm bath.
Read a book or watch TV.

How Does Stress Affect You?

Stress can affect both your body and your mind. People under large amounts of stress can become tired, sick, and unable to concentrate or think clearly. Sometimes, they even suffer mental breakdowns.

Common responses to stress are listed below. Think about how stress affects you.
Aches and Pains*

• Headache
• Backache
• Neck ache
• Stomach ache
• Tight muscles
• Clenched jaw

Energy Level and Sleep*

• Feeling tired without a good reason
• Trouble sleeping

Feelings

• Anxiety
• Anger
• Depression
• Helplessness
• Out of control
• Tense

Other Emotional Signs

• Easily irritated
• Impatient
• Forgetful

*Some physical signs of stress may be caused by your medical condition or by medicines you take. If you aren't sure what's causing your physical symptoms, ask your doctor if stress might be the cause.
How Do You Respond?
When you are under stress, do any of these behaviors apply to you?

• I eat to calm down.
• I speak and eat very fast.
• I drink alcohol or smoke to calm down.
• I rush around but do not get much done.
• I work too much.
• I delay doing the things I need to do.
• I sleep too little, too much or both.
• I slow down.
• I try to do too many things at once.

About Stress

What is stress?

Stress is your body's way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give people more energy and strength, which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical danger. But this can also be a bad thing, if their stress is in response to something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength.

 What causes stress?

Many different things can cause stress, Such as fear of something dangerous and worry about your family or job. Some of the common stress are:-

Environmental Stress
This is a response to things around you that cause stress, such as noise, crowding, and pressure from work or family.

Fatigue and Overwork
This kind of stress builds up over a long time and can take a hard toll on your body. It can be caused by working too much or too hard at your job, school, or home. It can also be caused by not knowing how to manage your time well or how to take time out for rest and relaxation. This can be one of the hardest kinds of stress to avoid because many people feel this is out of their control.

What is Stress?

Stress is a natural feeling, designed to help you cope in challenging situations. In small amounts it's good because it pushes you to work hard and do your best. Stress heightens the senses and your reaction times, which means it can enhance your performance, including in exams.

Leaving home to start college means a lot of big changes, such as moving to a new area, being separated from friends and family, establishing a new social network, managing on a tight budget and starting your studies.

For most students, these changes are exciting and challenging but, for some, they feel overwhelming and can begin to affect health.

The first signs of stress are :

• irritability


• sleep problems


• headaches


• dizziness


• loss of appetite

Too much stress can lead to physical and psychological problems, such as :

• anxiety (feelings ranging from uneasiness to severe and paralysing panic)


• dry mouth


• churning stomach


• palpitations (pounding heart)


• sweating


• shortness of breath


• depression