Everyone experiences anxiety and stress, n’est pas? The brain is a reactive organ that is wired to respond to a particular situation in a certain manner. Not every person responds in the same manner.  I invite you to take the following anxiety inventory, peruse the five “Response Reflexes”, and then decide how much stress you have and how you typically react to it. Once you have that information you can work on modifying the reflex that is unhealthy for you.

Answer the following statements with: a) Almost never  b) Rarely  c) Sometimes  d) Quite often  e) Most of the time. Your responses will give you some feedback about the amount of stress you have.

1. I feel tired  2. I fall asleep easily 3. Before I go to sleep, my mind wanders and I think about all the troubles and worries I have  4. I feel calm and relaxed  5. I avoid dealing with difficulties 6. I am satisfied with my life  7. I worry about things that aren’t worth it.  8. I feel like crying.  9. I feel good about myself.  10. I don’t worry about things that I cannot change . 11. I feel tense.  12. I am patient.  13. I feel secure.  14. I wish I could be as happy as people around me.  15. My mood and behavior are stable.  16. I have diarrhea, constipation, or other digestive problems.  17. I can concentrate well on what I am doing.  18. I am afraid of what awaits me in the future. 19. People around me think I am irritable.  20. I feel OK physically.  21. I have palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate.  22. I feel I am in control of my body and mind.  23. I feel futile.  24. I feel edgy and restless.  25. I am decisive.  26 I sweat more than other people. 27. I have ordinary, nice dreams without nightmares.  28. My worries are overwhelming.  29. It’s easy for me to get rid of unpleasant thoughts and worries.  30. When I finish a task, I feel well and relaxed.

Now that you have a sense of your overall stresses and anxieties in your life I invite you to look at your typical “reflex” style in reaction to them. Kenneth R. Pelletier, Ph.D., clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona, says that “your reflexes don’t always help you and in the long run they may make manners worse. Sometimes the way we cope with stress is worse than the condition causing it”.

Here are some typical stress reflexes:

1.“I blow my top”:  When under stress I snap at others, feel impatient, become belligerent and agitated.

2.“I can’t stop eating”: a) Overdose of bread and pasta.  b) Crave potato chips and chocolate. c) Polish off a box of cookies.

3. “I bottle it up”: a) Cool and calm but only on the outside. b) Quick to deny the pressure you’re under. c) Likely to ignore physical signs of stress.

4. “I become a nervous wreck”: a) Find yourself chewing your cuticles or fidgeting. b) Sleepless night worrying.  c) Feel jittery and close to tears.

5. “I take risks”: a) Smoking or drink more.  b) Get bored easily and seek constant change.  c) I act impulsively and regret decisions later.

Have you found your typical “reflex style” to stress? That is a good and important starting point. Once you understand your “reflex style” you may want to modify it. It is difficult to actually change it, however, because it is deeply wired into your brain by a combination of genetics and personal experience. Still, it is worth the effort to do whatever you are capable of to bring forth a healthier and more functional approach to your inherent stress.

Hope this has been helpful — and not added to your stress!