How Your Personality Type Can Effect Your Stress Levels

yourpersonalitytypeandstresslevelsWe all need moderate levels of stress in our lives, as it acts as a motivator to get things done, right now, pronto. But beyond that, it’s our personality type which dictates how we’re able to cope with stress, along with managing how elevated it gets.

There are some who are able to manage their stress effectively, while others find it crippling to function their lives and workload properly. How we react to this stress is a habit that’s adopted throughout our lives, while some of the traits may be inherited.

Regardless, everyone has and needs to react to their stress effectively. It comes down to the level of stress which you’re able to manage, before symptoms of poor health sets in. Some appear bullet proof and are fine coping with lots of pressure, but all will eventually reach a threshold and eventually break down.

As we live our daily lives, what happens is that the stress builds up in our systems until it fills up and then overflows, much like water dripping into a bucket. Once it begins to overflow, the unwanted symptoms appear.

This bucket much like our body, if you allow some of the water to empty out every once in a while, the better off you’ll be, this regardless of what your personality type is.

Reducing Your Stress Levels
Some will find that just relaxing by meditation is the best way of lowering stress, but it needs to be consistent to have any effect. Others find that exhausting themselves through exercise, such as running, works the best for them.

Whether you use relaxation techniques or work out, it also depends on your personality type along with how you approach life in general. One constant is that we all need to regulate our stress levels, finding ways to reduce it.

Otherwise, stress related illnesses such as mental and emotional issues will surface. The solution is knowing your particular personality type, and then adapting.

The Perfectionist Personality
For you, absolutely everything needs to be be perfect, and if not, you’re unable to leave it alone or behind. If one little mistake is made, you’ll repeat the entire process to get it right.

You don’t like your daily routine to get disrupted. You get upset when others don’t do as they’re told, or you’ll just do it yourself, which just compounds your work load and stress levels.

You can’t relax until the job is done to your satisfaction, regardless of how long it takes. As a result, you’ll do everything as precise as possible, while reacting poorly to emergencies or changes.

You’re too hard on yourself which creates the stress, so what you need to do is be more forgiving and realistic. Relaxing helps by taking time off, finding leisure activities while getting in breaks during your daily routine.

Perfectionists are known to thrive on risk. They’re the bungee jumpers, mountain climbers, the skydivers. Their attention span at times can be short, as they’re racing towards the next thing to do.

They may also smoke or drink too much, while forgetting to take care of themselves properly. They work hard and they play hard.

The Anxious Personality
If you think that people are constantly taking advantage of you, just the smallest of disagreements upset you, yet you’re too afraid to stand up or speak up for yourself, even if you know it could help you.

You often lack self confidence, feel vulnerable, say that you’re “Sorry” to often and for no good reason, even if it wasn’t your fault. You’ll bottle up your anger to the point you don’t realize it’s there. You can’t say “No,” and your biggest fear is not being liked or not being popular.

These individuals suffer from poor self-esteem. They’re jobs are often not very demanding, making them bored, miserable, and frustrated. They’ll spend their time avoiding things, living an unfulfilled life.


Although relaxation or meditation can be helpful, it should also be combined with methods of building self esteem. After taking self confidence building exercises, the effects could potentially be life altering.

The Ambitious Personality
You’re completely dedicated to everything that you start, and are always making sure that you complete it. You think that relaxation is a waste of time, as you’ll even often dream about your work.

Working is more important than having a social life, and will often do two or more jobs at once. But you’re also able to focus on your current task to the point of total exclusion of other work.

Those who get in your way or slows you down makes you angry. You feel that there’s urgency in everything that you do, and there’s never enough time. It’s important that others see that you achieve.

These are the individuals who are usually the most stressed out, but also the least ready to do anything about it. They’ll deny that they’re stressed, and will just keep going until poor health forces them to slow down or stop.

These are the power driven individuals, who’ll often become aggressive when crossed, as they always need to be in control. A combination of both relaxation and active leisure can help, along with a routine which includes spending time away from work related activities.

Assessing Your Personality
You’re most likely a combination of these personality types. Once you begin recognizing certain qualities about yourself, you should then find a better balance, understanding, and harmony within yourself.

Realize that the one thing these personality types all have in common is that they’re driven by fear, and any reaction to fear is always stress related. So if you fit into any of these, recognize it, and then make the changes for a healthier, happier life.

Leave a Reply
