Stress is omnipresent. We all have numerous life demands and pressure in work, business, home, though interestingly some of us seem to take those demands as an exciting journey, while others are crumbling under an impossible weight.

Your personality type affects how you perceive and respond to stress, and how you communicate under pressure. Your lifestyle and habits can help you answer this question. Find out what Personality Type you are, using the table.

For each of the statements below, circle then the number which indicates how you typically behave. For example, if you always on time for appointments, circle number 4 on the scale. If you are always late, you would circle number 0.

B
Casual about appointments
0 1 2 3 4 		            A
Never late
Not competitive or
ambitious 		0 1 2 3 4             Very competitive &
ambitious
Good listener 0 1 2 3 4             Constantly interrupts
Never feels rushed 0 1 2 3 4             Always rushed
Waits patiently 0 1 2 3 4             Impatient with waiting
Takes one thing at a time 0 1 2 3 4             Tries to do many things
at once
Slow deliberate talker 0 1 2 3 4             Emphatic, fast, forceful
speech
Cares about satisfying self 0 1 2 3 4             Needs recognition from
others
Slow at doing things 0 1 2 3 4             Fast (eating, walking,
talking)
Easy going 0 1 2 3 4             Hard driving
(self and others)
Expresses feelings 0 1 2 3 4             Hides feelings
Many other outside
interests 		0 1 2 3 4             Few outside interests

Type B – “Go with the Flow” – column on the left. Type B personalities are “laid back”, calm, friendly and tolerant, they are less likely to become frustrated by things going around them. They are more likely to reward others with praise and make allowances for people’s weak points. The positive aspects – they can achieve a lot dealing with the tasks calmly and patiently, and they will not set impossible tasks for themselves and others. They just “go with the flow”.

Type A – “Hurry Sickness” – column on the right. Type A personalities can be aggressive, critical and impatient. Under pressure, these people can appear to be hostile and often refuse support from others. They love a challenge and all that matter is winning. The positive aspects – they are high achievers, full of energy and drive, but not necessarily good team players.

This theory was developed by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. Taking into consideration your personality type you can introduce a few changes into your lifestyle to be able to reduce stress.

To develop your personal resilience and stress management strategy, contact Marina Kogan – info@kogancoaching.com