I recently came across this 13 Item Stress Test at brainline.org which is part of a larger article on managing stress.
13 Item Stress Test answer T (True) or F (False)
T F I have a lot to do.
T F I have more to do than I can handle.
T F I’m not being productive.
T F I’m trying really hard but getting nothing done.
T F I’m feeling unhealthy.
T F I can’t afford to take breaks or time off.
T F I’m pushing myself too hard.
T F I don’t sleep very well.
T F Too many people are telling me what to do.
T F I am not treating people the way I want to be treated.
T F I feel totally exhausted.
T F Nobody is happy with what I do.
T F I can’t stand living like this.
If you answered all F’s then you’re stress free or maybe fooling yourself. The more T’s you circle, the greater your level of stress and the more you need to think about taking steps to change. Here are some ideas to help you better deal with stress. Try them out and use the ones that work best for you. Think, talk to other people, and try to come up with more ideas.
Check your “pressure gauge” often.
Practice effective problem solving. Brainstorm ways to solve problems and try out different solutions.
Have a back-up plan.
Take time for yourself; do things you enjoy
Tell yourself to relax, breathe slowly and deeply.
Seek support from trusted friends and family.
Close your eyes, imagine yourself in a pleasant situation or place.
Keep up a healthy lifestyle exercise, eat right, and avoid caffeine, alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.
Talk to others about how they cope successfully.
The main article (part 1 of 2) is good reading, too. And it gives me pause to consider my own situation. I am very stressed, these days. I answered “True” to 11 of the 13 questions, and there’s nothing like seeing that in front of you to give you a reality check.
I truly need to do something about my stress levels. It’s just ridiculous. And it’s not like I’m living my life that much worse than others. Maybe I just have unrealistic expectations of myself. I’m sure that’s part of it. I “should” be doing this or that or the other thing better… I “should” be more capable than I am. I “should” be able to do all sorts of things that I just think I should be able to do.
It’s a little silly, actually. My neuropsych (who I have not seen in 2 weeks and won’t be seeing for another week because I’m so sick with this flu) has repeatedly told me that more than anything, I’m just being human, and in fact, probably nobody could do the things I think I should be able to do.
I can’t figure out if they’re saying this to make me feel better, if they’re telling me this because they don’t know what I used to be capable of, or if they’re telling the truth. Hell, I’m not even sure if what I expect of myself is accurate. I’m not sure if it ever was. I know that people have always asked a lot of me, and I’ve rarely failed to disappoint, and it’s always been such a hard thing for me to not be able to live up to others’ expectations.
So, in a way, a long time ago I just scrapped trying to live up to others’ expectations. ‘Cause I never could, so, why set myself up, you know? I just decided to live according to my own expectations, and that was that. But ultimately I’ve even disappointed myself, so … screw it.
Yet, I can’t totally give up. First of all, it’s not like me. I’m not a quitter. And there’s a part of me that believes that I might be able to figure this stuff out and get it right.
But then I don’t, and I end up with all sorts of conflict and problems and work issues, etc. My own stress test could easily have twice as many items as the list above.
That being said, what can I do about handling this stress better? What indeed?
Guess I’ll need to figure something out.
I recently came across this 13 Item Stress Test at brainline.org which is part of a larger article on managing stress.
13 Item Stress Test answer T (True) or F (False)T F I have a lot to do. T F I have more to do than I can handle. T F I’m not being productive. T F I’m trying really hard but getting nothing done. T F I’m feeling unhealthy. T F I can’t afford to take breaks or time off. T F I’m pushing myself too hard. T F I don’t sleep very well. T F Too many people are telling me what to do. T F I am not treating people the way I want to be treated. T F I feel totally exhausted. T F Nobody is happy with what I do. T F I can’t stand living like this. If you answered all F’s then you’re stress free or maybe fooling yourself. The more T’s you circle, the greater your level of stress and the more you need to think about taking steps to change. Here are some ideas to help you better deal with stress. Try them out and use the ones that work best for you. Think, talk to other people, and try to come up with more ideas.
The main article (part 1 of 2) is good reading, too. And it gives me pause to consider my own situation. I am very stressed, these days. I answered “True” to 11 of the 13 questions, and there’s nothing like seeing that in front of you to give you a reality check.
I truly need to do something about my stress levels. It’s just ridiculous. And it’s not like I’m living my life that much worse than others. Maybe I just have unrealistic expectations of myself. I’m sure that’s part of it. I “should” be doing this or that or the other thing better… I “should” be more capable than I am. I “should” be able to do all sorts of things that I just think I should be able to do.
It’s a little silly, actually. My neuropsych (who I have not seen in 2 weeks and won’t be seeing for another week because I’m so sick with this flu) has repeatedly told me that more than anything, I’m just being human, and in fact, probably nobody could do the things I think I should be able to do.
I can’t figure out if they’re saying this to make me feel better, if they’re telling me this because they don’t know what I used to be capable of, or if they’re telling the truth. Hell, I’m not even sure if what I expect of myself is accurate. I’m not sure if it ever was. I know that people have always asked a lot of me, and I’ve rarely failed to disappoint, and it’s always been such a hard thing for me to not be able to live up to others’ expectations.
So, in a way, a long time ago I just scrapped trying to live up to others’ expectations. ‘Cause I never could, so, why set myself up, you know? I just decided to live according to my own expectations, and that was that. But ultimately I’ve even disappointed myself, so … screw it.
Yet, I can’t totally give up. First of all, it’s not like me. I’m not a quitter. And there’s a part of me that believes that I might be able to figure this stuff out and get it right.
But then I don’t, and I end up with all sorts of conflict and problems and work issues, etc. My own stress test could easily have twice as many items as the list above.
That being said, what can I do about handling this stress better? What indeed?
Guess I’ll need to figure something out.