Before you begin here, let us tell you that we are not medical professionals. This information has come from reliable sources and isn’t meant to be a complete diagnostic tool in any way. These quizzes are simply guidelines to help you recognize any problems you might have and be able to effectively deal with those problems.
Because depression can be the most serious of our topics, let’s start by seeing if you may be depressed. Keep in mind that everyone has their “blue” days. The thing that separates clinical depression from simple melancholy is that the symptoms occur over a period of time. They don’t come and go, they stay around for awhile and can affect your life adversely.
Ask yourself the following questions. Answer yes if you’ve been feeling this way consistently over a period of two weeks.
- Do you find yourself constantly sad?
- Are you un-motivated to do simple things like shower, clean up the house, or make dinner?
- Do people tell you you’re overly irritable?
- Do you have trouble concentrating?
- Are you feeling isolated from family and friends even when they are around you?
- Have you lost interest in your favorite activities?
- Do you feel hopeless, worthless, or guilty for no reason at all?
- Are you always tired and have trouble sleeping?
- Has your weight fluctuated significantly?
If you can answer “Yes” to five or more of these questions, you could be suffering from clinical depression. It is important for you to seek out the help of a medical professional whether that be a doctor or a therapist. There are many medications out there that can help with depression.
I always tried to deny my own depression, but once I began taking an anti-depressant, I couldn’t believe what a difference that one pill a day made! It gave me freedom from the “black hole” I had fallen into and helped me enjoy life again, so if you think you are depressed, ACT NOW! You deserve to be happy!
But this book is about stress and anxiety, so let’s see if you are overly stressed out. Ask yourself the following:
- Do you worry constantly and cycle with negative self-talk?
- Do you have difficulty concentrating?
- Do you get mad and react easily?
- Do you have recurring neck or headaches?
- Do you grind your teeth?
- Do you frequently feel overwhelmed, anxious or depressed?
- Do you feed your stress with unhealthy habits-eating or drinking excessively, smoking, arguing, or avoiding yourself and life in other ways?
- Do small pleasures fail to satisfy you?
- Do you experience flashes of anger over a minor problem?
If you can answer “Yes” to most of these questions, then you do have excessive stress in your life. The good news is that you’ve bought this book and will learn many valuable techniques to cope with that stress. But we’ll get to that later!
Let’s move on to anxiety.
- Do you experience shortness of breath, heart palpitation or shaking while at rest?
- Do you have a fear of losing control or going crazy?
- Do you avoid social situations because of fear?
- Do you have fears of specific objects?
- Do you fear that you will be in a place or situation from which you cannot escape?
- Do you feel afraid of leaving your home?
- Do you have recurrent thoughts or images that refuse to go away?
- Do you feel compelled to perform certain activities repeatedly?
- Do you persistently relive an upsetting event from the past?
Answering “Yes” to more than four of these questions can indicate an anxiety disorder.
Suffering from depression, too much stress, or excessive anxiety can endanger your overall health and it’s time to take steps to overcome this – RIGHT NOW!
Stress and anxiety affects many factors in our body not only in our mental state. Cancer and other deadly diseases are related to stress and anxiety because of the changes in the chemical composition in our body due to stress and anxiety.
You don’t have to be a victim of stress and anxiety, its just all about discipline and having a proper schedule. Not taking in anything you cannot handle will be a lot of help. Learn your limitations and stick to it. Do not over exert yourself. Just try to go over the border an inch at a time.
You can lead a productive successful and fulfilling life and career without the need to endanger your health. If not, you are not only killing yourself, you are also sending your family and friends and all the people around you away.
Stress is a natural part of life. It can be both physical and mental and much of it can come from everyday pressures. Everyone handles stress differently, some better than others.
Left unchecked, however, stress can cause physical, emotional, and behavioral disorders which can affect your health, vitality, and peace-of-mind, as well as personal and professional relationships.
As we’ve said, stress and anxiety can lead to panic attacks. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that having a panic attack can be a serious situation. Let’s explore that subject a little more.
