Instructions: Answering these 10 questions can give you a quick read on how well you are handling stress. They come from the Perceived Stress Scale devised by psychologists Sheldon Cohen and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University. Researchers have found several connections between high levels of stress on this scale and increasing risk of health problems, such as respiratory infections, depression and failure among diabetics to control blood sugar.
How often in the past month have you felt this way? (0 = never, 1 = almost never, 2 = sometimes, 3 = fairly often, 4 = very often)

1. Upset because of something that happened unexpectedly. __
2. Unable to control the important things in your life.___
3. Nervous and stressed. ___
4. Unable to cope with all the things you had to do. ___
5. Angered because of things outside of your control. ___
6. Difficulties were piling up so high you could not overcome them. ___
How often in the past month have you felt this way? (4 = never, 3 = almost never, 2 = sometimes, 1 = fairly often, 0 = very often)
7. Confident about your ability to handle your personal problems. __
8. Things were going your way. ___
9. Able to control irritations in your life. __
10. You were on top of things. __
Total:
Perceived stress level:
Women: 0-7 (low), 8-20 (average), 21-26 (high), 27-40 (very high)
Men: 0-6 (low), 7-17 (average), 18-23 (high), 24-40 (very high)