Type A Personality: Spotting Chronic Stress in You and Others

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and it is more common when stress levels are at their highest. Although a certain amount of stress is healthy for motivation and accomplishment, high and unnecessary amounts of stress can be detrimental to your current health status.

Type A personalities are characterized as being high strung and always on the go with little patience. Type A personalities are at risk for higher blood pressure, elevated heart rates and other factors that heart disease needs to flourish. Understanding if you or someone you love has a Type A personality can help you take the appropriate steps to manage stress and lead a healthier lifestyle.
Self Evaluation

Answer these questions truthfully to evaluate your personality.

1. Are you always in a rush, on a cell phone and walk fast wherever you go regardless of if you are in a hurry? Example: People that you are walking toward may quickly get out of the way because it seems as though you will push them aside.
2. Are you inpatient with people trying to tell you a story about their day? Example: You look at the person talking with aggravation wishing they would get to the point.
3. Do you exhibit road rage every time you get behind the wheel? Example: People in other cars frustrate you even when it is a lazy Saturday.
4. When someone at home or work is doing a task that you believe you can do faster, do you immediately take over and tell them to do something else? Example: Someone is at the copy machine and you need to make a copy. You tell them impatiently that you will finish their copies and bring it to them so you can get to your own work faster.
5. When you go to the grocery store, do you become impatient waiting in the express line? Example: You count the items of the person in front of you to make sure they have not gone over ten groceries.

Results

If you answer yes to three or more of these questions, you most likely have a Type A personality.

• Learn ways to deal with stress and incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle. Meditation and breathing exercises often help to slow the heart rate and calm tension.
• Many people with Type A personalities are prone to poor health habits such as bad diet, irregular sleep patterns and more. Evaluate your diet to ensure you are getting the proper nutrition and not loading up on unhealthy refined foods.

Take control of your Type A personality rather than letting your Type A personality take control of you.