Stress Test

Please tick the box that applies to you. Answer yes, even if only part of a question applies to you. Take your time, but please be totally honest with your answers.

		Yes	No
1	I frequently work at home at night, on work which I have brought home
2	I feel that there are just not enough hours in the working day to do all of the things that I must do
3	I can frequently feel impatient with the speed at which events take place
4	At times I can have an extreme reluctance to go to work
5	I try to fit more and more tasks into less and less time, resulting in me not allowing time for any unforeseen problems that may arise
6	I feel that there are too many deadlines in my work / life that are difficult to meet
7	My self-confidence / self-esteem is low
8	I can frequently have a vaguely guilty feeling if I relax and do nothing, even for short periods of time
9	I find myself thinking about problems to do with my personal / business/professional life, even when I am supposed to be engaged in recreational pursuits
10	I can have a feeling of intense fatigue, even when I wake after sleep
11	I can / do find myself finishing other people’s sentences for them
12	I have a tendency to eat, talk, move and walk quickly
13	My appetite has altered, to a desire to go on a binge, especially on sweet, sugary foods. Or, I have suffered a loss of appetite
14	I find myself becoming irritated / angry if the car or traffic in front of me seems to me to be going too slowly / I become very frustrated at having to wait in a queue
15	I can feel anger and resentment at nothing in particular and or, a feeling that something is missing, but I don’t know what
16	I’m aware that I try to get other people to hurry up / get on with it
17	At times I feel depressed, tearful, irritable, all-over tension, short tempered, unusual clumsiness, my concentration / memory is impaired.
18	I find that if I have to do repetitive tasks, I become impatient
19	I can seem to be listening to other people’s conversations, even though I am in fact preoccupied with my own thoughts
20	I find myself grinding my teeth, especially if I am stressed or feeling impatient
21	I seem to have an increase in aches and pains, especially in the neck, head, jaw, lower back, shoulders, and chest. For women: Menstrual cycles are erratic, often missed
22	At times I am unable to perform work or tasks as well as I used too, or I feel my judgment is clouded / not as good as it was
23	I find I have a greater dependency on alcohol, caffeine, nicotine or drugs (whether prescription or not)
24	I find that I don’t have time for many interests / hobbies outside of work

A yes answer scores 1 (one), and a no answer scores 0 (zero).

Now, total up all of your yes scores: ………………………………..

If you score:

4 points or less: You have no need to worry about being prone to stress. You are least likely to suffer from stress-related illness.

5 – 13 points: You are prone to stress. You are also more likely to suffer from the negative effects of stress. Long term, you may possibly be open to stress-related illness. I would recommend that you consider stress control counselling.

14 points or more: You are the most prone to the negative effects of stress. And so, you are more open to serious stress-related illness. I would strongly recommend that you start considering working on a stress management programme.