How Stressed Out Am I?

According to the two quizzes on how stressed I am under moderate to high degree of stress and I have a good balance and ability to handle stress.Considering that I took this test in a part of the semester  that I consider to be non-stressful could mean a lot of things.

It could be that I am already stressed but I do not know or acknowledge it.  Or that I am regularly under a moderate to high degree of stress that I do not notice it anymore until it becomes to much to bear.

I do not necessarily think that this is a bad thing though. As I have reported in class, there are two kinds of stress: eustress and distress. Maybe the reason I do not notice it is because it was eustress. Or maybe I am in a constant distressed disposition that even if the situation is not that stressful, I am already showing signs of distress.

Whichever the case is, I am sure that if I retook the test in the later part of the semester my results would be a lot worse.

In general, I am a person who avoids stress. I am not the type to lash out and break down because of distress. I would rather get away and avoid the stressor. I have a lot of ways to cope with stress, which I think is good especially that I always undergo a lot of it.

But from time to time, I also show signs of it. When I am under a lot of distress, I usually find myself more emotional and easily bothered by the smallest things. I also show less enthusiasm to the things I usually enjoy.

For example, although I am not really a heavy smoker in general, the count of my cigarette sticks consumed drop to zero when I’m stressed. I also avoid the internet and just oversleep when I am under too much stress.

The positive side of stress for me however, is that I get more creative when I am stressed. I need a certain level of stress to get my creative juices start running. Which is a good thing because I never run out of things tobe stressed about. It is only a handicap when I turn to writing and arts instead of more urgent things due to stress.

Over all, I think that my stress level on a regular day is manageable since I know subconsciously how to cope. I just hope it gets me through the finals though.