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Are You Unnerved by Too Much Stim?  Take This Test to Find Out.

1. Your dear friends invite you and another couple to a small dinner party.

a. You can’t wait because you love being with good friends, and you enjoy eating great food.

b. You look for an excuse not to go.

c. You never received the invitation because you and your crowd are all forty-ish, and you don’t do dinner parties at home. When you entertain at home, you offer drinks, snacks, more drinks, more snacks, and dessert.

2. When you arrive at your friends’ home you hear the strains of music coming from their stereo or hi fi or whatever the heck we used to call that thing that plays (ahem) records. The music you hear is jazz. It is very loud jazz.

a. You start snapping your fingers and saying things like “Groovy, man, groovy!”

b. Your upper lip starts going numb, which your doctor assured you is a sign of stress.

c. You say, “Thanks, I’ll have a white wine,” while you’re still wearing your coat.

3.The drinks are poured; the hors d’oeuvres are luscious and:

a. The conversation flows; everyone (including you) is bright and witty.

b. The conversation flows; everyone (but you) appears to be bright and witty.

c. You smile, nod appreciatively, and when someone asks you, “What do you think?” you answer, “Yes, I have a new shrink.”

People who can’t do “Too Much Stim” have given the following answers:

Question One: a\

Question Two: b and/or c

Question Three b and/or c.

I am one of those people who can’t take too much stim. In addition to being unnerved by loud jazz music, I confess, I am also unnerved by barking dogs, big mouths, sunlight shining on bright metal, large cocktail parties, people talking all at once, fast moving commercials with screeching cars, and, of course—those talking heads all blabbering  over each other on cable news shows and presidential debates. I could go on and on now, but I need to stop. I have had enough socialization for one day.

I also crave solitude, and I know I’m an introvert.

That’s it. SITMS, my acronym for Solitude, Introvert, and Too Much Stim. I’ll have a bit to say about this SITMS theme in the coming posts. Right now, I’m going to my room. Good bye.