Are You An Emotional Hypochondriac?

[Bitchin]

Give your emotions a makeover
Give your emotions a makeover


Do you find yourself asking, 'Why me?' on a regular basis? If so, you may be imagining a problem when there isn't one. In other words, you could be an emotional hypochondriac (EH), who sees life through grey-tinted specs. Take the GLAMOUR test to see where you sit on the EH scale.

Decide which of the following statements you agree with, adding up your score as you go


I'm always pretty lucky
If you agree with this, give yourself three points


I'm quite happy with my life
If you agree with this, give yourself one point


Only my close friends have seen me cry
If you agree with this, give yourself three points


I can't remember the last time I moaned to a friend
If you agree with this, give yourself two points


Other people are often worse off that me
If you agree with this, give yourself two points


If I were made redundant I'd try to look at it as an opportunity to do something new
If you agree with this, give yourself three points


Bad things happen all the time, it's just a fact of life
If you agree with this, give yourself two points


I'm quite tough of myself
If you agree with this, give yourself three points


If people ask me how I am, I say "fine"
If you agree with this, give yourself two points


I realise I've got a lot ot be grateful for
If you agree with this, give yourself three points


I try not to have any regrets
If you agree with this, give yourself one point


I can't remember the last time I was in a bad mood
If you agree with this, give yourself three points


If you scored 20-28 points: PRIME EMOTIONAL CONDITION
YOU: Don't often let life get you down. While others complain, you tend to use your 'moaning energy' to make changes. You're less self-absorbed than many people around you.
DIAGNOSIS: "Bad things happen all the time, it's how you cope with them that makes the difference," says psychologist Jackie Sullivan. Just don't forget that it's OK to feel sorry for yourself sometimes - you can't always be the hero.


If you scored 8-19 points: EMOTIONALLY SOUND
YOU: Are a balanced person although you can be susceptible to a little EH. This is normal, but it's worth thinking about how you could handle it better.
DIAGNOSIS: "When you have a touch of EH, reflect on how many wonderful things there are in your life," suggests psychologist Ingrid Collins. If you want to change your life, study your contemporaries and look at how they've come out well from a difficult situation.


If you scored 7 points of less: EMOTIONAL HYPOCHONDRIAC
YOU: If there were an NHS Direct number for those who feel emotionally off colour, you would have it on spped dial. Your stress levels are sky high and any little problem is likely to send you off the scale.
DIAGNOSIS: Ask yourself, what's the point in getting so would up? "When you examine your motives it becomes easier to change your thoughts and behave in a clamer manner," explains Collins. Do you rant about your job as a way of acting out your frustration because ddep down you know you're too lazy to look for anything else? "'Count your blessings' might be on old cliché, but it's really important to try to keep things in perspective," says life coach Jenny Ungless.