One day in my psychology course I learned about Type A and Type B Personalities. My professor explained the difference between these two. Type B people were laid back, took things easy. These people are okay with going along with the flow and letting life steer their ship. Type A people were high strung. These people were achievers but in the way that everything they did had to be outstanding. My professor displayed this image to help explain the difference between these two in a better light:
Also, see this funny YouTube video marking the differences between Type A and TypeB:
Our professor then asked us which personality we thought we were. I looked up from my vigorous note taking and looked at the two. I chuckled and rose my hand for Type B. Type A seemed annoying to me, who would want to be a high-strung Type A? My friend then approached me after class and said, “You seem much more of Type A to me." I was slightly offended but then inquired why. He said, “You're always studying or going to work. You never have time to chill, and when you do you tend to talk about studying or work." It was a tough pill to swallow but he was right.
I forgot about this class lesson for a while until I found myself in the dentist's chair one day complaining about my jaw hurting, the dentist called it “lock-jaw". I was sure it had to be my wisdom teeth growing, but when the x-ray came back it showed that my wisdom teeth weren't even poking through yet. So, what was the issue? He then asked me, “Are you a Type A personality?" I remembered this from my psychology class but didn't want to admit it.
“I'm not sure" I said. He then asked me a series of questions; “Do you get stressed easily? Do find yourself doing a lot of work? Are you afraid of failure?" When I answered yes to all of these questions he affirmed that I had a Type A personality. He then explained that due to my high stress I tend to clench my teeth together; this was what was causing the lock-jaw. He recommended meditation and more time to relax. I
So here I am today. I still consider myself a Type A. I still struggle with keeping calm in tense situations and overloading my day with work. However, I have also found ways to cope and to bring my anxiety levels down.
1. Study Breaks
As a Type A I tend to work for hours on end with no break. This can be detrimental to my health. So I take 10-minute study breaks. I give myself and hour of work time then 10 minutes to watch a funny video or take a snack. This helps to mellow myself out and bring myself back to reality.
2. Meditation
Meditation really does help. My mind is constantly on the go and never takes a moment to breathe. I use the app, Headspace (https://www.headspace.com/) to bring me to a 10-minute long moment of relaxation. Also, you'll notice that these 10-minute intervals are important. Type A people tend to be impatient. We need more time to work or we really will go insane, but we also need relaxation so 10 minutes tend to be a perfect time.
3. Have a Day Off
All we do is work. Even on Sundays. Type A's need at least one day off a week or at least one event that can bring us some solace. I like to host Sunday Dinners with my friends. This gives me an evening of relaxation and good times before I get back to work on Monday.
4. Know that Things Happen for a Reson
Us Type A's tend to want to control everything when we can't. We can influence our future but we can't control it. Learn how to be okay with that. Whatever happens, happens, and it was meant to be that way. If you get a B instead of an A… oh well. At least you took the time to care for your well-being.
Whether you're a Type or Type B, you are still you. We need a little bit of both in our lives. Just remember to stay healthy and out of the dentist chair for lock-jaw.
