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Choose the option that best describes how you tend to operate — especially when life is stressful or you're not feeling your best.
1. When I’m under pressure:
A. My mind races and I feel myself physically tensing up (shoulders to ears, jaw clenched without realizing).
B. I get irritable or angry; I might grind my teeth or clench my jaw hard when something ticks me off.
C. I shut down or withdraw. I might slump in a chair, maybe rest my chin on my hand, and just “bear” the stress quietly (my jaw still ends up sore though).
2. My jaw pain seems to flare up:
A. Mostly when I’m anxious, multitasking, or worrying. I catch myself clenching during the day — especially when it’s cold, windy, or the weather feels unsettled.
B. Mostly when I’m frustrated or focusing intensely (I’ve noticed I grind my teeth at night or during intense work). Hot or humid weather tends to make me more irritable and wound up.
C. Kind of randomly, but especially when I’ve been inactive or in a low mood for a while. Gloomy, grey, or damp days seem to drain me and make my jaw feel heavier or more sluggish.
3. Stress habits I relate to:
A. I bite my nails, chew pens, grind my teeth, or fidget – I carry stress in a hyper, nervous way.
B. I shout or vent, chew gum aggressively, tense my muscles – I carry stress in a fiery, forceful way.
C. I comfort eat, sleep more, or procrastinate – I carry stress by sort of shutting down, which can lead to stiffness (jaw included).
4. After a stressful day…
A. I feel overstimulated — like my brain’s been sprinting. My jaw’s tight, and I need space to decompress.
B. I feel keyed-up or on edge — even when I’m tired. My jaw still feels clenched from the day’s intensity.
C. I feel heavy and kind of numb — like I’ve been holding a lot in, and it’s weighing on my face and neck.
5. When plans fall apart or things don’t go smoothly…
A. I spiral into worry or rapid thinking. I try to fix everything at once and get jumpy or tense.
B. I push harder — try to regain control, fix the problem fast, or just bulldoze through it.
C. I freeze or shut down. I don’t say much, but the pressure builds inside — and so does the jaw pain.
6. My relationship with physical activity is:
A. Inconsistent — sometimes I do a lot, sometimes I completely crash. My body feels unsteady.
B. Intense — I train or move hard, often pushing through pain. Slowing down feels unnatural.
C. Minimal — I want to move more, but often feel too tired or stuck. Even gentle exercise can feel like a chore.
7. When my jaw or neck pain flares up, my first thought is…
A. “What did I do wrong?” You instantly start thinking — Did I sleep funny? Did I eat the wrong thing? Should I have stretched more? My motto might be...“If I can just figure it out, I’ll finally fix it.”
B. “Right — let’s fix this now.” You jump into action: stretch harder, massage more, grab the mouthguard, try a new trick. Your motto might be: “If I push harder, I’ll beat this.”
C. “Here we go again...” You go quiet. You wait. Maybe nap. Maybe scroll. You kind of shut down and hope it passes. Your motto might be: “If I wait it out, it’ll pass.”
🧠 Scoring:
Count how many A, B, and C responses you chose.
Your dominant letter reveals your stress reactivity profile:
🔷 Mostly A = The “Wired Worrier”
Intuitive, sensitive, and quick to pick up on stress — but easily overstimulated or ungrounded.
Focus on: creating rhythm, breath-led movement, warmth, and space to slow dowDefault Mode: Overthinking and micro-controlling everything
You respond to pain by scanning, researching, fixing, and second-guessing every tiny habit — trying to get it “right.”
This helps you feel in control short-term…
👉 But it keeps your system on high alert, tightens your jaw more, and makes your healing feel like a job you can never get right.
Long-term trap: Mental tension becomes physical tension. Your system never fully relaxes.
🔴 Mostly B = The “Fiery Achiever”
Strong-willed, focused, and high capacity — but tends to push too far and ignore warning signs.
Focus on: pacing, softening, recovery rituals, and knowing that “less” can still be powerful.Default Mode: Pushing through and going harder
You feel pain and instinctively do more: harder stretches, more treatments, strict routines.
It gives you a sense of action and control…
👉 But your jaw and nervous system interpret it as another stressor, not recovery.
Long-term trap: You confuse effort with progress — and end up overloading the very system that needs gentleness.
🟤 Mostly C = The “Silent Stresser”
Calm and steady under pressure — but stress leads to inertia, stagnation, or emotional withdrawal.
Focus on: gentle activation, circulation, daily structure, and re-engaging joyfully with your body.Default Mode: Shutting down and waiting it out
You respond to flare-ups by doing less: resting more, staying quiet, hoping it passes.
It protects you from burnout short-term…
👉 But inactivity leads to stagnation, low energy, and deeper body tension.
Long-term trap: You stay stuck in low gear, which delays healing and reinforces the sense that “nothing helps.”
⚖️ Mixed Types
If your answers are evenly split, you may shift between types depending on stress level, sleep, life season, or environment. You’ll still benefit from tracking your dominant tendencies and supporting your system accordingly.
Each mode is a brilliant short-term survival strategy.
It’s just not built for long-term recovery.
The SIMPLE TMJ Approach™ gently shows you how to keep the wisdom of your stress pattern — while dropping the parts that hold you back.
Where These Stress Patterns Came From
Dan created these patterns after years of working with people experiencing persistent jaw pain, clenching, neck tension, and stress-related symptoms — and after facing those same challenges himself.
Through his work as a physiotherapist, Dan began noticing that people responded to stress in consistent, predictable ways. These patterns showed up in their posture, breathing, energy levels, digestion, sleep, and how their jaw pain behaved over time.
But it wasn’t just clinical work that shaped this approach.
Over the past 15 years, Dan travelled across the world — learning from different healing traditions in India, Peru, New Zealand, Nepal, and the USA. What he found was that many ancient systems recognized these same patterns — not as weaknesses, but as inherent physiological tendencies that simply need the right kind of support.
This quiz is a way of translating that deep, global wisdom into a simple, actionable tool.
It helps you understand your unique stress response — so you can finally work with your body instead of against it.