Losing your sense of humor is a danger signal. And it’s a a sign of being overwhelmed or exhausted. Of course, if you didn’t have a sense of humor to start with, you wouldn’t notice.

Listening to busy people around the country, I’ve found that signs of trouble tend to fall into three categories:

BODY: Headaches, backaches, insomnia, and upset stomach lead the “body” hit parade.

SPIRIT: Losing a sense of humor, being grumpy or unable to concentrate; neediness, numbness and “being out of touch with myself” often describe spirits of those who are running on empty.

RELATIONSHIPS: Nagging, withdrawal, isolation, fights, domestic abuse and violence, can afflict us–and friends and family, too.

And then there’s memory loss as in, “Where did I put those car keys?” That falls into all three categories.

The good news is that once we notice a danger signal, we can think about it, talk about it — maybe with a professional — and do something about it. Step one is becoming aware.

AND HERE COMES QUESTION #3, which gets at becoming aware of tensions and other feelings. Some of us walk around with our emotions sunburned. If anyone touches us, we flare.

3. How many times in the past 3 days do you or others think you overreacted, let a little thing get to you in a big way?
0 (4 points)
1 – 2 (3 points)
3 – 4 (2 points)
5 – 6 (1 points)
6+ (0 points)