The five-minute stress quiz: Are you brave enough to take it?

I consider myself a fairly relaxed person. At least sometimes. Sure, I freak out every now and again about something that probably shouldn’t be freaked out about (first world problems). But as a general summary, I feel I am quite the “go with the flow” kinda girl.

Now it isn’t easy to be the “go with the flow” kinda girl. I still get worried about stuff. I still over-think things (hey, I am a girl and I do have a tendency to over use my brain sometimes). But I make a conscious effort to keep a balanced mind frame. To me, keeping my mind healthy (in other words less stressed) means I will be physically healthy. And that is on the top of my priority list.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Blackmores. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

So, when I heard that there is a 5 minute Stress Quiz you can do to assess your stress levels and compare them to everyone else who has done it, I thought “Yes, please.” (Did I mention I am a sucker for quizzes? And that I like to know how everyone else is doing at them?) I thought I was going to ace the quiz and have evidence that I was less stressed that everyone else.

I was wrong. This is what popped up:

I was more stressed than the majority of Australia? I was really surprised by this considering that 63% of those who did this quiz felt like their lives were out of control. According to my results, there were three areas I was more stressed out about than the rest of the crowd.

Sleeping

I get stressed about sleeping. This is very true. I really do worry about getting enough sleep.

It probably has to do with all the “tips to healthy living” telling me I need 8 hours of sleep. And seeing as though I am up at 5:30am to walk my two pooches, it means I need to be asleep at 9:30pm. Factor in about 30 minutes of reading, plus getting ready for bed and I am RUSHING to get to bed to fall asleep in time so that I am not tired.

And then because of all the rushing, I am too hyped to actually fall asleep. Yes, I definitely get stressed about falling asleep.

I don’t make friends with mess

I really try not to be a neat freak. I really really try. But it just gets to me.

Papers piled up on the kitchen table. Dog hair on the floor. Untidy wardrobe. Things where they shouldn’t be.

When people describe me, the first word that comes to their mind is organised.  And yes, I am pretty organised. Even my messes are organised (contained to one area, all comprising of the same thing).

An disorganised mess does annoy me.

Cash

My last area of stress is money and paying the bills. Not that I am broke and have debt on my credit card. I actually have very little debt (except for the massive home loan). But I still worry about covering the bills each month, so much so that I always look for the cheapest things to do (entertainment wise) or buy (love a bargain).

But this isn’t surprising. Stressing about the mortgage, bills or finance is the second biggest stress of Australians.

Now that I know I am stressed, what do I do?

First, it is key to knowing what stresses you out. That way, you know what you need to focus your energy on to avoid getting stressed about it. It is all about managing stress after all (you won’t get rid of it completely, but you can control it)

Second, you need to put in place strategies on managing your stress. And that is where Mamamia comes in. Over the next 6 weeks we will be posting several articles which deal with each of the most common stresses. Each post will provide useful tips to Zen yourself through any stressful situation.

But before they come, make sure you take the Stress Quiz so you know what areas you need to work on.

Now…if you will just excuse me. There is a pile of messy papers on the edge of my desk that are getting to me.

What stresses you out the most?

With stress being a health and wellbeing concern for many Australians, Blackmores has stepped in to help by developing a Stress Quiz at www.blackmores.com.au/stress enabling you to complete a personal stress assessment and see how your stress levels compare to the rest of Australia. On completion of the quiz you will then be directed to relevant tips and resources on how to manage stress and help find balance in your life. Blackmores Naturopaths are also on hand for personalised advice via our free Advisory Service 1800 803 760. .

Blackmores offers a range of products and services to assist Australians in finding balance.

Key Services include:

• Blackmores FREE Naturopathic Advisory Service which provides three easy ways to get advice: via phone (1800 803 760), online chat or a detailed email response to your query via www.blackmores.com.au/ask-a-naturopath.
• Blackmores.com.au where you’ll find a range of free interactive tools, information and health-specific communities designed to inform, inspire and educate you to better health and balance.  

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Blackmores Stress Research, Based on a nationally representative sample of 1,524 Australians aged 18+ carried out by TDE research, October 2013.