StreSS management – Quiz

Do you handle stress well? Try our health quiz to test your stress levels and read tips to help manage stress and improve your health.
1. You're in the 8 items or less express lane at the supermarket and you notice someone ahead of you has over 12
items in their basket. You:
A. Call for the manager
B. Don’t let it bother you
C. Complain under your breath to the person behind you
2. You know exactly which situations make you feel stressed:
A. Always
B. Never
C. Sometimes
3. The amount of stress you experience in a difficult situation is influenced by:
A. Your thoughts and feelings
B. Your behaviour
C. All of the above
4. You prepare yourself for stressful situations in advance by rehearsing how you will handle them:
A. Always
B. Never
C. Sometimes
5. Your average day always includes time for exercise and fun:
A. Never – you don’t have the time
B. Always
C. Only on weekends
6. Your boss tells you off. You are upset and you:
A. Tell yourself you probably deserved it
B. Yell back
C. Wait till you both calm down then talk to the boss about it
7. You were planning a weekend away with a friend who rings you at the last minute to cancel. You:
A. Hang up in a rage
B. Try and organise someone else to go with you
C. Go out and drown your sorrows
8. When things go wrong you tend to think:
A. ‘This is a disaster – I can’t cope’
B. ‘This is a challenge I can meet’
C. ‘I’m out of here!’
Answers
Give 10 points to the questions if you have marked 1B, 2A, 3C, 4A, 5B, 6C, 7B, 8B.
Give 7 points to the following items if you have marked 1C, 2C, 3A, 4C, 5C, 6A, 7C, 8C.
Give 0 points to the following items if you have marked 1A, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7A, 8A.
Scores
0-20 : You tend to bottle things up until you reach exploding point. Try talking about your worries before they get
too big to handle. Make more time in your life for relaxation and develop some strategies to let off steam
constructively.
25-55: You talk about what’s stressing you out but often not to the person who can most help. Try rehearsing
situations that are stressful for you and imagine yourself handling them more confidently. Avoiding situations that
you find stressful only works to a point. Take on achievable projects at home or at work that will build your sense of
confidence and achievement and develop your problem solving and goal setting skills.
60-80: You are a good stress manager. You know what your stress triggers are and you are able to handle them
when they arise.