Find out how easy going you are. Take this quiz and discover how quickly you lose control
Most of the time you might come across as an easy going and calm person, but when things don't go our way it can be a different reality altogether.
Everyone experiences periods of change in their lives, from moving house to starting a new job. Some people sail through these seemingly unfazed, while some spend the whole time like a pressure cooker about to blow.
“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.”
William S Burroughs
How you react is all down to your approach to control and how you handle the stress when things don’t go as you planned.
We can be quick to anger or get upset easily when things don't go as expected, but understanding your reactions is the first step to a calmer you. Knowing your default go-to response and considering whether it's really necessary can give you that extra bit of time to process and handle the situation in a calmer way.
However, we don't always see ourselves as the way we truly are. We'd all like to think we're laid-back easy going individuals, but how chilled out are you really? Take our quick quiz and find out!
How easy going are you? Take our quiz!
You arrive for dinner at a restaurant and realise that your table reservation has been overlooked. Do you:
A. Wait for the next available table.
B. Speak directly to the manager about the mishap and negotiate a discount.
C. Complain bitterly before storming out, and continue to moan about it for the rest of the night.
It’s cold, it's raining and your train is delayed by 55 minutes. You decide to:
A. Accept the wait and dive into a good book in a nearby café.
B. Find a spot to sit on a quiet platform and reluctantly reschedule the rest of your plans for the day.
C. Type out a chain of angry tweets to the transport provider until you can’t feel your fingers.
Your friend is running late – again. You think:
A. She has a lot on her plate right now – maybe she's struggling to get everything done. What can I do to help her out?
B. I’ll make a joke about it, but also ask how we can avoid this happening so often in future.
C. It makes me so mad that I’m always left waiting. I’m done with this friendship!
A colleague has seen your email, but hasn’t replied to your urgent request. That’s…
A. Understandable, they must have other priorities today.
B. Annoying, but nothing worth getting worked up over. Maybe I'll drop by and see when they'll be free to do it.
C. Unacceptable. How are we supposed to get anything done around here with this attitude to work?
A driver changes lane last minute and cuts you up. Do you:
A. Not worry about it, taking your time to slow down and safely let them in.
B. Beep and tut at their poor driving performance, then quickly get over it.
C. Honk as red-hot rage takes over your body, then tail them until they turn off.
You’re in a long queue to order a take-away. Are you…
A. Chilling out and doing fine – the food must be worth the wait!
B. Toe tapping and feeling a little tense. Why is this queue moving SO slowly? You've got other things to be doing.
C. Overwhelmed with guilt. This is a sign that you should have cooked something healthy at home instead.
You order your favourite hazelnut latte to go, but as you leave the café you notice they've made you a gingerbread one. Do you...
A. Give it a try. They were super busy and maybe it'll be your new favourite!
B. Go back, queue up again and ask them to swap it for hazelnut.
C. Storm back in, demanding to see the manager and threatening to get the barista who served you fired.
Score your answers
Mostly As:
You surrender to uncertainty regularly and your happy-go-lucky nature makes you easy to be around. Little will ruffle your feathers and by remaining calm, you can be in the moment. When challenges do strike, your ability to respond rather than react is helpful.
Accepting that things can and do change, you take the time to think before you act and can come up with multiple creative solutions to issues.
But be careful of being so laid-back that you don’t get anything done, or that you're a doormat! Set realistic goals and make sure others are living up to your expectations.
Mostly Bs:
You have the capacity to let go and relax and when you do, things tend to work out well.
You prefer not to sweat the small stuff, but sometimes you just can’t help it. As this happens, notice how stress manifests physically and mentally for you and be mindful of the warning signs.
The more readily you recognise stress, the more easily you can choose healthier responses to it. When you can, practice getting comfortable with the discomfort of change and having less control.
Mostly Cs:
You like to avoid uncertainty at all costs, but holding on so tightly to the idea of control is making every bump in the road more uncomfortable. When things don’t go as you’d planned, being impatient and irritated are your coping mechanisms.
This will ultimately have a negative impact on both your wellbeing and relationships, so take a moment to reflect how important the issue is and whether it really warrants a stress-filled reaction. Experiment with embracing small doses of uncertainty and notice how that feels.
