Are you confused about where to begin when it comes to anxiety? Do you want to figure it out before your colleagues realize you’re anxious? Or before you make your kids anxious? The best way to start freeing yourself is to figure out what type of anxiety you have.
This “what type of anxiety do I have quiz” will help you determine that.
Why does anxiety type matter?
There are different strategies for approaching anxiety. What works for one type of anxiety, doesn’t necessarily work for another.
I created this quiz based on my understanding of 5 different types of anxiety: generalized anxiety, performance anxiety, social anxiety, fears/phobias, and panic. After the quiz, I will link to an article showing you strategies to overcome your specific type of anxiety.
Note: This “what type of anxiety do I have quiz” is not a replacement for professional assessment, diagnosis, or treatment of anxiety or anxiety-related disorders. Nor does it constitute professional advice of any kind. It is for information/educational purposes only.
- I am concerned about acting in the right way
- My anxiety is instantly triggered in response to a specific object or situation
- I focus more on anxiety than on the task at hand
- I am ashamed of my anxiety episodes
- Anxiety gets worse as I approach specific situations, animals, or objects.
- I get anxious for no reason
- I put a lot of pressure on myself
- My fear of specific objects or situations keeps me from functioning
- I feel a tightness in my chest or other bodily tension
- I try to escape what I’m feeling in the middle of an anxiety episode
- I feel wound-up or on edge
- I worry about being anxious
- My feelings of discomfort disappear when important events are over
- My anxiety spikes and I experience a total loss of functioning
- I do everything I can to avoid certain objects, animals, or situations
- When I have severe anxiety, I think I’m dying or going crazy
- I worry about embarrassing myself
- I worry about my next severe bout of anxiety
- Fear of specific objects or situations keeps me from functioning
- I am acutely aware of being judged
- I feel guilty for not doing what I should be doing
- I tend to avoid social interaction
- I think about negative things that might happen in the future
- I recognize that my fear of specific situations or objects is unreasonable
- I do things before important events to try and reduce anxiety
- My fear is very specific: enclosed spaces, situations, objects, or animals
- I worry about how I appear to others
- In certain situations, I worry about the consequences of not being at my best
- I lose total control over my breathing
- I try to avoid situations where it’s important to do my best
- I go through severe bouts of anxiety without any logical triggers
- I take a drink to feel more comfortable around people
Scoring: Count the number of YES answers in each category. The highest number indicates the most likely type of anxiety you’re experiencing.
Social anxiety
Questions: 1, 7, 17, 22, 25, 27, 32 # of YES answers ______
Generalized anxiety
Questions: 6, 9, 11, 12, 21, 23, 27 # of YES answers ______
Performance anxiety
Questions: 3, 7, 13, 20, 25, 28, 30 # of YES answers ______
Fear/phobia
Questions: 2, 5, 8, 15, 19, 24, 26 # of YES answers ______
Panic:
Questions: 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 29, 31 # of YES answers ______
Which type of anxiety had the most yesses for you? Now that you’ve completed this “what type of anxiety do I have quiz,” read this article to find out more about your specific anxiety type and what to do about it. Also, get my book so you can get an-depth, step-by-step approach to overcoming your type of anxiety.