Here’s one of the many stress tests available that will indicate just how stressed you are at the moment.

Answer these four questions giving a score to each answer according to the following scale:

• Never – 1
• Practically never – 2
• Occasionally – 3
• Quite often – 4
• Very often – 5

1. How many times have you felt unable to cope with the important things in life during the past month?

2. How often have you felt confident in your ability to cope with personal problems?

3. How frequently have you felt that things have been going your way?

4. How often have you felt things were piling up on you to the extent that you were unable to cope with them?

Now total up your score which will range between a low of 4 and a high of 20.

If your score is 12 or less then this stress test indicates that your current level of stress is quite low and can be considered as normal.

A score of 13 to 15 indicates a moderate level of stress which, while not necessarily a problem in itself, can develop into a problem if it continues for any length of time. At this point you should think about taking positive steps for coping with stress.

Once your score reaches 16 or above on this stress test your level of stress is high and you may well have reached the stage at which you should seriously consider discussing the situation with your partner or a close friend and of seeking professional advice.

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Anxiety and stress symptoms come in all shapes and sizes and one problem when it comes to diagnosis lies in the fact that the physical symptoms of anxiety and stress can be identical to those of many common everyday illnesses.

For many people suffering from acute stress the most commonly seen symptoms are emotional distress, muscular problems and stomach problems. Acute stress symptoms, although they can sometimes be quite severe, normally disappear fairly quickly and require little or no intervention.

In cases of episodic acute stress or chronic stress the symptoms can be similar but more persistent and may require professional treatment, which can often take several months to produce results.

When looking at specific symptoms it is important to look not only at the effect that stress is having on your body, but also upon how you feel and how you behave. A headache, for example, can have many causes but when it is accompanied by feelings of anxiety and by either a loss of appetite or a tendency to overeat, it may be seen as an anxiety or stress symptom.

Similarly, chest pain might well be a symptom of stress when it arises together with feelings of restlessness and a tendency towards sudden outbursts of anger for little or no apparent reason.

Back and neck pain can result from many different things, but when they bring with them feelings of sadness and perhaps crying, it can also be another sign of stress.

The list of the physical symptoms of anxiety and stress is long and will include such things as shortness of breath, grinding teeth, indigestion and a tight and dry throat. Each symptom can have a variety of different causes and so it is important to view the wider picture. Shortness of breath having climbed a flight of stairs may be the result of illness, or simply indicate that you are unfit. But, when it is accompanied by feelings of depression and by a tendency to want to withdraw and seek isolation, it is much more likely to be symptomatic of stress.

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Stress and anxiety are often seen as going ‘hand in glove’ and stress relief will usually result in the disappearance of your anxiety. This is not, however, always the case.

Anxiety is a normal reaction when we find ourselves under stress and it can indeed help us to deal with situations which we find difficult.

Almost all of us will experience anxiety from time to time and it can help to focus out attention on the problem in hand and motivate us to overcome it. More often than not, once we have dealt with this situation, our anxiety will simply melt away.

From time to time however anxiety will not simply disappear and can indeed grow so that we begin to develop an often strong and irrational fear of certain situations. You may find for example that it becomes difficult to do certain things, life drive the car, or even to leave your home.

At this point your anxiety is no longer simply the normal anxiety that accompanies stress but has developed into an anxiety disorder in its own right, bringing with it an excessive worry about, and often fear of, situations which is out of all proportion to that which the situation warrants.

If you do find that either stress and its accompanying anxiety, or anxiety in its own right, is interfering with your ability to cope with normal day to day life, then you should consult your doctor or other health professional.

Technorati Tags: Anxiety, cause, causes, coping, relievers, Stress Relief, symptoms, test