Today was definitely the wrong time to take this test, although I tried to answer in more general terms. Here's what it said:

According to this test, you are definitely more anxious than necessary.

Anxiety is a normal part of life, and everybody gets a little bit anxious from time to time. Anxiety can range from very low to pathologically high. You seem to be above the midpoint of this continuum. Your anxiety might become (or already is) problematic and start interfering with your life. You would certainly benefit from learning some new coping strategies. Your life could be much easier if you didn't worry so much.

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Answers

Ah, Beth, this test is just whacked! I got a 51/100 and it said the same thing yours did. Excuse me, but that's almost perfectly average, which I think is pretty darn good. If they wanna see anxiety, they should try me on a bad day! What do they want? Comatose?

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Wow, this is obviously a pretty broad range, because I think my score was 33 or something like that. That sounded pretty awful to me, and I expected to be told to put down the knife and back away slowly, but the language there sounds like, "Hmm, have a cup of chamomile tea, and you should be fine!"

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Disappointing, since this one has the little 'Ph.D' sticker on it. But there's another reason I think it's whacked too - it doesn't ask anything about what's actually going on in the person's life, yet the response is 'you're too anxious'... um hello? Some things are legitimate causes for anxiety, and if you *weren't* stressing, something would be wrong. That's always annoyed me - people deciding that you shouldn't react strongly to what's going on in your own life.

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Score: 57 (min = 0: extremely low anxiety; max = 100: extremely high anxiety)

According to this test, you are definitely more anxious than necessary.

Anxiety is a normal part of life, and everybody gets a little bit anxious from time to time. Anxiety can range from very low to pathologically high. You seem to be above the midpoint of this continuum. Your anxiety might become (or already is) problematic and start interfering with your life. You would certainly benefit from learning some new coping strategies. Your life could be much easier if you didn't worry so much.

Again, like I don't have enough to worry about, now I have to worry about being to anxious?? What the hell?

But seriously, I attribute most of my anxiety to two things... fear of abandonment (most of my friends are planning on moving away soon) and an unstable job future (I want to be a writer, I want to write what I want to write, but I still want to be able to eat. I don't want to be stuck in this shit job the rest of my life). When those situations are cleared up, I am much less anxious. I.E. I wasn't very anxious at all this fall when I took a break from writing and spent more time with my friends, who all seemed like they would stick around Providence for a while. But when I returned to writing and my life consisted of getting up, going to work, coming home and wiritng all night and I never saw my pals, it got really depressing.

That and still carrying a flame for my ex which try as I might I can't extinguish.

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

"According to this test, you might be slightly more anxious than necessary.

Anxiety is a normal part of life, and everybody gets a little bit anxious from time to time [snip]"

Probably about right. In general I'm not a worry wart, but I've been hit with some big (but not catostrophic) unexpected expenses lately, and my job is a bit less secure than I'd like.

Once more it's great to be an introvert.

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Score: 40 (min = 0: extremely low anxiety; max = 100: extremely high anxiety)

According to this test, you might be slightly more anxious than necessary. (snippage) You might find it helpful to work on your coping strategies and problem-solving skills. Your life could be easier if you didn't worry so much. (emphasis mine) No kidding. I think I cope with the big stuff really well most of the time. I worry about the little things too much, though.

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

I saved this because most of the people I know get upset that I truly don't give a flying f@*k about most things. I care deeply about my personal relationships and my patients/clients at the clinic but other then that que sera sera...

(And no, I'm not on Prozac or any other SSRI nor do I drink or smoke a lot of dope! LOL!!!)

Score: 11 (min = 0: extremely low anxiety; max = 100: extremely high anxiety)

According to this test, you have no general anxiety problems.

Anxiety is a normal part of life, and everybody gets a little bit anxious from time to time. Anxiety can range from very low to pathologically high. You, however, seem to be at the bottom of this continuum. That's great and very healthy.

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Today, at least, I have no anxiety problems. And yes, I am on one of Prozac's cousins.

I don't feel anxious day to day most of the time, but I do have sort of free floating anxieties: can we ever move someplace nicer? what does the future hold? what if one of us got sick? how long will we live? how will we afford to retire?

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Score: 67 (min = 0: extremely low anxiety; max = 100: extremely high anxiety)

According to this test, you are definitely more anxious than necessary.

Anxiety is a normal part of life, and everybody gets a little bit anxious from time to time. Anxiety can range from very low to pathologically high. You seem to be above the midpoint of this continuum. Your anxiety might become (or already is) problematic and start interfering with your life. You would certainly benefit from learning some new coping strategies. Your life could be much easier if you didn't worry so much.

That last line is one David says to me all the time. Taking that test was weird, as a lot of the questions echo the shit I deal with in life (for instance, I worry so much when I try to go to sleep that I often have to give up for the time being and read until I can't keep my eyes open). I hate that I'm like this, but I'm not sure what to do about it... It just always seems to be something (right now it's work-related, although I've got other worries too, to be sure).

Anyhow, I thought I'd show off my high score to the forum. It makes me sound like an unpleasant person, and I don't think I am...most of this stuff only affects me; when it gets external, I usually find a hidey- hole and disappear these days. Too much negative feedback from people (friends?) who couldn't deal has made me something of an introvert with everyone but a very few dear, trusted friends :-( I wish I'd taken this test 2 months ago when things were going well; I'll bet I would've gotten a much lower score!

Sigh....

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Okay, now I'm worried (or is it anxious?). I can't find the link to take the test....

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

I got a 57, and my result was the same as Heather's.

I tend to worry about every little thing, and even when things are going well, I'll finding myself waiting for something to go wrong. I figure I'm rather paranoid as well as stressed an anxious. My husband has said several times that if I don't have something to worry about, I'm not happy.

Of course, being one month into the construction of our first home, I'm sure I'll have PLENTY over the next 6 months to keep me in a constant state of freaked out.

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

I got a 49 out of 100, and it said the same thing -- I'm definitely too anxious. But it really seemed to me that all of the questions were things everyone gets a little tense about from time to time. You'd have to be a lump on a log to not feel SOME anxiety...

Smoke and Mirrors

-- Anonymous, February 29, 2000

Dang, Heather, and I thought I was gonna beat all with my high score of 61.

My problem with these tests is that semantically, I could answer several questions with different answers, depending on how I choose to interpret what they're asking.

Which mean, I suppose, I should start looking for the anal-retentive test, huh?

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2000