There was a time when you didn't have a care in the world. Then you were born—and you've no doubt been encountering anxiety, in all its ghastly guises, ever since. By now you may believe that you need to agonize over everything in order to survive: Worry enough, the thinking goes, and you can prevent disaster.

Wrong. Bad things can happen no matter how much we stress, and when we spend all our time anticipating the next calamity, worry contaminates our happiness. Anxiety isn't good medicine; it's a street drug, a hit of adrenaline that leads not to genuine safety but to hellish dependency.

The good news: Recovery is possible. What you need is a stint in worry rehab, where you'll learn to deliberately replace the endless loop of addictive apprehension with more effective ways to manage anxiety.

First, take this quiz to evaluate the severity of your addiction. Once you've determined your score, follow the instructions to teach yourself how to worry less.

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