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Use the Stress-O-Meter to see how you cope with life's obstacles

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By STEVE OTTO Steve Otto

sotto@tampatrib.com sotto@tampatrib.com

Published: May 17, 2009

After passing out billions of your dollars, the government decided to hold a stress test to see how all those banks were doing.

I guess that was a good idea. But don't you think it's time somebody put out a stress test for the rest of us, just to see how we're doing?

Well I do, and to help out I've designed what I call the Stress-O-Meter Test, which should act as a personal stress guide. The higher your score on the Stress-O-Meter, the more likely you are to explode at some point.

It's a simple 10-question survey. All you have to do is put in the number of points you get for each question on a 1-10 scale. For example, if something only mildly stresses you out, you might give yourself three or four points. On the other hand, if it is driving you nuts, go for nine or 10 points. Here it is:

Stress-O-Meter

1. You are driving to the grocery to pick up a few things and notice your favorite gas station has jacked up the price of gas to $2.20 a gallon. You mumble something to yourself about greedy oil barons and go into the grocery. As you drive home you see the guy with the pole putting up new numbers on the gas station sign. It is now $2.29. On the Stress-O-Meter your number is__ .

2. Your boss sends out a memo to all employees telling them they are getting an extra two weeks off this year. He adds that they are being called furlough days and you will not get paid for them. On the Stress-O-Meter your number is __ .

3. Your bank calls you up to talk about negotiating a loan. You call them back and it turns out they want to borrow the money from you. On the Stress-O-Meter you register a __ .

4. You go down to your car dealer to get that 50,000-mile checkup the manual says you need. Your car dealer has checked out and it is now a flea market. On your Stress-O-Meter you put

a __ .

5. There is a knock at your door and you open it to see a hooded figure in a black robe. He says he is from the water department and because you spent too much time taking a shower you have to go with him. Your number on the Stress-O-Meter is __ .

6. It is the first day of hurricane season. There is a recorded message from your insurance company on the phone telling you they have pulled out of Florida. Your Stress-O-Meter number is __ .

7. You are living in Florida when the state Legislature goes into session to work on a budget. Your Stress-O-Meter number soars to __ .

8. You are driving down a street in Tampa or Hillsborough County when it begins to rain. You notice your car does not have life jackets. Your Stress-O-Meter number is __ .

9. You decide it's time to check on your 401(k) plan to see if you are going to be able to afford to retire. It turns out your 401(k) has been converted to coupons for a free oil change at Jiffy Lube. On the Stress-O-Meter your number is __ .

10. You are a columnist and your boss says that because your paper has shrunk, you can only write one syllable words. Your Stress-O-Meter number goes to __ .

YOUR SCORE: 1-40: You are dead; 41-85: You need to find the best places for those two-for-one pitchers of Sangria; 86-100: We are pretty much all in the same boat.

Keyword: Otto Graphs, for more of columnist Steve Otto's musings.

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