Is my anxiety (ir)rational? Find out!

Many of us feel nervous and worried before situations such as a job interview or an important exam and a certain level of stress is a healthy response to challenging situations. But for some people, their symptoms turn into a more serious condition that affects every aspect of their lives. Irrational fears and worries may lead to them catastrophising, imagining the worst possible outcome of future scenarios. 

Irrational worries may be specific, such as a fear of flying that prevents you from taking a holiday of a lifetime. More generalised fears such as the fear of failure may prevent you from achieving your true potential in your career. If this sounds familiar, try our quiz to find out if your levels of anxiousness are a cause for concern.

Take the Test

Write down the letter of each answer that feels most appropriate.

1. Would you describe yourself as a worrier?
a) Yes, all the time
b) Yes, very often
c) Yes, occasionally
d) Yes, but not very often
e) No, never

2. How often do you catastrophise, imagining the worst?
a) All the time
b) Very often
c) Occasionally
d) Not very often
e) Never

3. Has anxiety ever stopped you from doing something you would have liked to do?
a) All the time
b) Very often
c) Occasionally
d) Yes, but not very often
e) No, never

4. When facing an uncertain and/or dangerous situation, do you worry about it until the situation has been resolved or passed?
a) Yes, constantly
b) Yes, very often
c) Yes, occasionally
d) Yes, but seldom
e) No, never

5. Do you have worries about your health?
a) Yes, constantly
b) Yes, very often
c) Yes, occasionally
d) Yes, but seldom
e) No, never

6. Do you try to avoid confrontation?
a) Yes, always
b) Yes, frequently
c) Yes, occasionally
d) Yes, but seldom
e) No, not at all

7. Do you worry about the health and security of your family and friends?
a) Yes, always
b) Yes, frequently
c) Yes, occasionally
d) Yes, but not very often
e) No, not at all

8. Are you worried about other people’s opinions of you?
a) Yes, always
b) Yes, frequently
c) Yes, occasionally
d) Yes, but not very often
e) No, not at all

9. How often do you feel anxious or afraid?
a) Constantly
b) Often
c) Occasionally
d) Not very often
e) Not at all

10. Do you worry about your own health or safety?
a) Constantly
b) Often
c) Occasionally
d) Not very often
e) Not at all

11. Are you concerned about not being in control?
a) No, not at all
b) Yes, but not very often
c) Yes, occasionally
d) Yes, often
e) Yes, constantly

12. Do you ever have thoughts that seem out of control?
a) Constantly
b) Often
c) Occasionally
d) Not very often
e) Not at all

13. Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
a) All the time
b) Much of the time
c) Occasionally
d) Once in a while
e) Not at all

14. How do you feel about yourself?
a) I feel self- confident and happy with who I am
b) I feel quite confident about myself
c) I'm all right 
d) I don't feel at all confident or comfortable with myself
e) I hate myself

15. In the last month, how often have you experienced symptoms of anxiousness?
a) All the time
b) Very often
c) Occasionally
d) Yes, but not very often
e) No, never

16. How often do you feel panicky?
a) All the time
b) Very often
c) Occasionally
d) Yes, but not very often
e) No, never

17. Do you search online for information regarding your mood or how you are feeling?
a) Yes, very often
b) Yes, frequently
c) Yes, sometimes
d) Yes, every now and then
e) No, not at all

18. Do you ever worry about not being able to escape from a situation?
a) All the time
b) Much of the time
c) Occasionally
d) Once in a while
e) Not at all

19. Do you find it hard to switch off and relax?
a) Yes, I can never relax
b) Yes, I often find it hard to relax
c) Yes, I occasionally find it hard to take it easy 
d) Yes, but not very often
e) No, not at all

20. How often do you feel nervous or worried?
a) All the time
b) Much of the time
c) Occasionally
d) Once in a while
e) Not at all

Results

Add up the number of a's, b's,c's, d's and e's in your answers find your result.  

NB This quiz is not a medical diagnosis or a recommendation for treatment. If you are suffering from severe symptoms, we recommend that you seek treatment from a medical professional.

Mostly e’s

Your answers suggest you are not currently suffering from either rational or irrational worry at all. However, such low levels of stress may indicate that you are emotionally detached from others. Consider ways of reconnecting with the environment and the important people in your life.  

Mostly d’s

If there is a majority of d’s amongst your answers, you are unlikely to be feeling irrationally anxious. 

Mostly c’s

While you sometimes feel anxious, your worries and fears are still unlikely to be irrational. Moderate levels of tension are a natural reaction to stress and can work to your advantage by sharpening your responses. 

Mostly a’s and b’s

You appear to be suffering from anxiousness and irrational fears may be stopping you from leading a happy and fulfilled life. Self-help methods such as meditation and herbal treatments such as Bach Flowers can treat your symptoms, helping you to replace irrational fears with positivity and growth.

Other articles

Let's make 2021 better than 2020

For many people, 2020 has been one of the worst years they can remember. The COVID -19 pandemic and social unrest have changed our lives in ways we would not have believed possible a year ago. And when January 2021 comes around, we're still likely to be facing many challenges. Can 2021 be a better year?

Stop procrastinating right now and do something!

Read some tips to get the challenge you're thinking about out of the way. Now is the time to do something, you can start right now. Read on to know more!

Letting go: A guide for survivors

Facing the loss of a family member or close friend is probably one of the most difficult challenges that life throws at us. When we've lost a partner, parent, brother or sister, we're likely to experience intense grief.

Find out if you're suffering from imposter syndrome

Do you sometimes feel your achievements are not the result of your hard work and skill but are just luck? And do you fear that one day, someone will reveal you as an imposter or fraud? You might have imposter syndrome!

Do you 'Musturbate' too much?

Do you suffer from a disorder known as "musturbation"? This term was first coined in the 1950s by psychotherapist Albert Ellis and described the way a negative inner voice rules our minds and bludgeons us with words such as "must", "should", and "ought".

Six things we think will make us happy, but don't!

When you think about things that will make you happy, what are the images that come to mind? Wealth, beauty, a dream house, long holidays, a top of the range car? Happiness is not a constant and how happy we feel depends on the way we choose to live our lives. 

What makes it so hard to go back to work?

Millions of people furloughed for months are now being recalled to work. Others, who have been working from home throughout the lockdown, are returning to the office. And some jobs have simply disappeared: many people are facing redundancy and will soon have to cope with job hunting. Going back to work after an unprecedented length of time at home is quite a challenge.

Are you stuck in a rut?

Sometimes it’s hard to notice when we've become trapped in familiar routines. Take our quiz to find out if you’re stuck in a rut and what you can do about it.

Choose for your happiness!

Being happy is something everybody strives for, but unfortunately there are a lot of people who go through life unhappily. A lot of people take life how it is.

Why a life without stress and obstacles is unrewarding

Stress can be both good and bad; it’s up to you how you look at it. But too much stress can be dangerous. Read more about stress in this article!