1 You’re burnt out from a long day at work. You’re irritated by the back-to-back meetings all day, and you barely had a chance to catch up on emails. You come home feeling frazzled. What’s your go-to when you get home?

1. Ignore it and push through. Someone’s gotta get dinner on the table and all the things done.
2. Acknowledge you’re frustrated and maybe pick up a pizza on the way home so you don’t have to think about what’s for supper.
3. Realize you’re feeling stressed and either call up a friend to go for a walk after dinner or take a few extra minutes when you get home to take a breather!

2 Your coworker has been really on edge lately. She is going through a lot, and you can feel it starting to add to some tension at work. You come out of a tense team meeting—what do you do?

1. Hop into the next meeting; gotta get stuff done!
2. You can feel it in your shoulders and wonder how to decrease the tension.
3. Notice how tense you feel and decide to go for a quick walk or step outside for a breather before the next meeting.

3 You notice a good friend is going through something. She is on edge, more irritable. You can tell something might be going on with her, so you have her over, and she opens up about what’s wrong. What’s your advice to her?

1. Chin up! It’ll get better! You got this!
2. Wow! That sounds super tough. I don’t know what to say . . .
3. This must be really hard. I’m sorry you’re going through this. How can I help, or can I sit here with you?

4 You’re having a difficult morning. Your partner hasn’t been helping all week with the household chores. You’re feeling burnt out and underappreciated. What do you do when you got up early to clean and your spouse has slept in?

1. Seethe with frustration and irritation. Be abrupt and brief with communication with your partner, but don’t tell them what’s bothering you. They can figure it out or ask you first.
2. You burst! You let it bubble up and let them know how irritated and frustrated you are and add a few less-than-kind comments about how upset you are!
3. Take a few breaths and voice to your partner what you’re feeling and a few ways you’d like to see them help out today.

Add Up Your Points

Give yourself 1 point for A answers, 2 points for Bs and 3 points for Cs. 

Your Stress Management Type:

0-5 Points

You are less in touch with how to manage stress. Your main go-to is to want to move forward and past it. You may struggle with addressing stress and finding tools to manage. You may want to start exploring stress management tools.

6-9 Points

You’re aware of your stress and want to do something about it, 

but may not have the most effective tools. You could benefit from continuing to explore different stress management practices that work for you and fit into your schedule. 

10-12 Points

You’re aware of your stress triggers, and you even have a few go-to ways to manage it! Nice job! ::

Go to rwmagazine.com for Maria’s stress management tips and tools.