Business Essentials

Quiz: How stressed are you?

Bloomsbury | 16 May 2023

This is an edited extract from Deal With Stress, part of the Business Essentials series.

Nobody wants to be stressed at work. If we’re not careful, it’s something that can creep up on us without us noticing. Answer the following questions and work out your ‘stress profile’. To what extent do you suffer from stress? How can you best focus your stress relief efforts?

1. How many of the following symptoms do you have?

Irritability; difficulty concentrating; feeling ‘put upon’; loss of sense of humour; constant tiredness; loss of appetite; insomnia; nail biting; indigestion; food cravings; nausea.

  1. 1–4
  2. 5–8
  3. 9–11

2. How many of the following hassles do you experience?

Lots of travelling; long hours; client/customer troubles; difficult office politics; tight deadlines; cumbersome bureaucracy; making mistakes; work interfering with personal life; too many dull tasks; worries about job security; constant interruptions.

  1. 1–4
  2. 5–8
  3. 9–11

3. How do you feel about the amount of information that comes your way every week?

  1. No problems. Anything unnecessary is immediately filed – in the bin!
  2. OK. I have a clear-out every so often, otherwise it all gets too much.
  3. Overwhelmed – there’s no way I can take it all in.

4. How do you react to unexpected difficulties?

  1. I think about ways of dealing with the problem from its source outwards.
  2. I try to follow solutions to similar problems in the past.
  3. I’m not a great problem solver and so sometimes I panic.

5. How would you describe the process of delegation?

  1. It’s an important process for the development of yourself and your staff.
  2. It’s a useful tool – if you haven’t got time to do something, pass it on!
  3. I see it as laziness. If a job comes your way, it is up to you to deal with it.

6. How many of the following do you experience regularly?

Feeling ignored; difficulty expressing opinions; feeling ‘put upon’; sense of inferiority; extreme gratefulness when your opinion is sought; sense of being out of control in meetings; trouble saying ‘no’.

  1. 1–2
  2. 3–4
  3. 5–7

7. How would you describe the management culture in your organisation?

  1. Generally open and friendly.
  2. Managers can be intimidating at times.
  3. Employees often feel ‘steamrollered’, even bullied.

8. How do you view the level of morale in your organisation?

  1. Pretty high – there is an air of satisfaction and achievement.
  2. There are always malcontents, but it’s generally fine.
  3. Very low. Several colleagues are thinking of leaving.

Now add up your scores. a = 1, b = 2, and c = 3

18–24: You sound like you’re at the end of your tether. It’s ok – help is at hand! Deal With Stress from the Business Essentials series will show you how to take better control of your workload with the help of your team, improve morale and solve problems that have you banging your head against the wall.

12–17: You suffer from moderate levels of stress. Sometimes you may feel downtrodden; Deal With Stress contains advice on assertiveness to help combat this. You may also appreciate some advice on delegation and tips to improve your own time management.

8–11: Stress hasn’t got the better of you, which is great news! Let’s keep it that way. Deal With Stress shows you how to conduct a ‘time audit’ as a preventative measure, making you more aware of your work–life balance and helping you mitigate possible sources of stress in the future.

Deal With Stress book jacket

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