What’s Your Coping Quotient? (Part 1)

For many of us, regular daily stressors can produce a deleterious effect on our health. Take this test to get a look at your "coping quotient" in order to determine if a stress reduction program may be right for you:

___ Give yourself 10 points if your roommate or family environment is a supportive place for you to live.

___ Give yourself 5 points for each 30-Minute workout you complete in an average week.

___ Give yourself 15 points if you are within 5 pounds of your ideal weight, considering your height and frame.

___ Give yourself 15 points if you engage in some form of deep relaxation at least 3 times a week.

___ Give yourself 5 points for each nutritionally balanced meal you eat each day.

___ Subtract 5 points for each extra day if you have a drink more than 3 days a week.

___ Subtract 5 points if you watch more than 10 hours of TV a week.

___ Give yourself 5 points if you do something you really enjoy that is “just for you” during the course of an average week.

___ Give yourself 10 points if you have a place in your home where you can go in order to relax and/or be by yourself.

___ Give yourself 10 points if you practice time management techniques in your daily life.

___ Subtract 10 points if you smoke a pack or less a day. Subtract 10 more points for each additional pack you smoke per day.

___ Subtract 5 points for each day last week that you drank 2 cups of more of regular coffee, more than 1 cup of cappuccino—type drink or one can of pop with caffeine.

___ Subtract 5 points for each evening of an average week that you bring home work that was meant to be done at your place of employment.

___ Subtract 10 points for each evening of an average week that you take any form of medication or chemical substance to help you sleep or to calm yourself down.

____ Total

Add up your scores.

0 – 49 Get help. You need to develop healthier ways of coping with your stress.
50 – 60 You have adequate coping skills for the most common sources of stress.
61 – 115 You have great coping skills. Keep it up.