Philosophy: Stress

I don't get stressed out very often. Stress isn't a bad thing, unless it gets the best of you. It can be helpful sometimes. I know too many people, however, that are always stressed, and it's not healthy.

When things get rough, lots of stress can only make the situation worse. It may make you do something you wouldn't normally do because you aren't thinking straight. Unfortunately, this usually causes other stressful things to happen which increases the amount of stress and it turns into a vicious cycle.

Fighting stress isn't easy, but usually, it's a case of overreacting. I tend to take things less seriously than other people so I don't let the little things bother me. After many years of practice doing this, the big things don't seem as bad either... Keeping calm when there's tons of stressful situations going on really annoys my friends, but overall, I'm much happier this way.

Learn to relax. Get a hobby, play an instrument, read a book, listen to music, learn to meditate, whatever. Before final exams, I would always play piano for an hour or so. Anything to relax and get away by keeping your mind off your problems for a little while.

Before stressing out, think about if it's worth it or not. Most things work out by themselves eventually and a lot of things that seem very serious rarely are.

If you stay relaxed, the test / surgery / loan payments / date won't seem so nerve-wracking.