Stress—How Do You Deal?

Let’s face it, we girls try to do it all—the constant need for us to have the brains, the beauty, the athleticism, the perfect résumé, and the wild social life leaves us with a full agenda. But when does juggling these obligations become too much? Try taking this mini-quiz to see how you deal.
1.) When I’m feeling overwhelmed with my workload, I usually:
            a.) need to kick some serious butt. Cardio-kickboxing anyone?
            b.) watch The Notebook. Sometimes a good cry is all you need.
            c.) ignore it. No point in stressing over the stress!
            d.) gather two of my closest buds and have a mini pow-wow.
2.) When it comes to thinking about future plans, I try to:
            a.) ponder while in downward facing dog. A change in perspective never hurt!
            b.) write. Your mind is clearest when you can free-flow journal ideas.
            c.) the future? Hon, my mind is too focused on the present to be worked up over my summer plans.
            d.) make carefully constructed charts. With bullets. And schedule blocks.
3.) Your soon-to-be boyfriend was just spotted at a party with his hands all over another girl. You:
            a.) pour all of your time into doing well at the club tennis match. Hey, new way to meet a cutie!
            b.) post a fiery line from your favorite romance novel as your Facebook status and down a double caramel macchiato.
            c.) jerk! He’s definitely not worth my time. Time for bigger and better things.
            d.) replay over and over in your mind what could have possibly gone wrong. Maybe you shouldn’t have worn that scarf with those cargo pants.
4.) A friend surprises you with a spontaneous beach trip for the weekend. You:
            a.) immediately pack your bag. The beach is a great place to let off some steam and play in the ocean.
            b.) promise to go, and then desperately over pack. You can’t go anywhere without being connected to         your computer, fave TV shows, and your daily blog updates.
            c.) it seems a little too far off to tell for certain, but it could be a fun time.
            d.) shake your head. It’s one thing to want to go to the beach and another to actually drop everything and go. You might be able to squeeze in a rerun of Bay Watch and call it a deal.
 
Mostly A’s: You tend to deal with stress by tackling physical challenges—a great way to release endorphins and keep fit. Be careful to not run away from your emotions, however, as running down that trail alone can leave you too much time to over think and stress over your problems.
 
Mostly B’s: You approach life by releasing emotion in a variety of outlets—media, journaling, art—the whole nine yards. This is a great way to become attuned to your own emotions, which is a valuable skill to have in your repertoire. But, also be sure to remember you can rely on your friends to help you through personal crises. Humans are social creatures, and require interaction that sometimes lacks when you are spending your time alone in cyberspace or curled up with a book.
 
Mostly C’s: From the outside, you handle stress resiliently. Problems may seem not to faze you, and for the most part you can bounce back from whatever curve balls the world throws at you. Just remember it’s okay to look ahead and see what challenges await—you don’t want to risk being blindsided by a problem because you didn’t want to deal with it in the current moment.
 
Mostly D’s: You are deliberate in dealing with your stress, analyzing situations with particular attention to breaking down the problems and planning out solutions. Don’t get too lost in the details, though! Sometimes problems like losing a potential suitor or planning a spontaneous beach trip shouldn’t be overanalyzed. Try to inject the occasional adventure and bout of spontaneity into your life. You could just surprise yourself!