What I think about when I’m stressed

We’re living in some incredibly stressful times. Depending on where you are in the world, there are so many uncertain things: coming out of lockdown, going into another lockdown, is my job secure, when can I safely travel to see family again…

I’m really lucky that I don’t have major stresses like ill family members, but even then, it can get overwhelming. It got pretty stressful for me last night just watching TV.

Over the past few months, when I do get stressed, I try to remind myself that stress isn’t a bad thing, it’s actually kind of a good thing and I’ve got this post-it note stuck on my screen: STRESS IS A NATURAL CHEMICAL REACTION.

I try to take my mind out of my body and give myself a little pep talk, “Hey dude, stress is a natural chemical reaction honed over thousands of years of evolution. Without it, your ancestors probably would have been mauled to death by a saber tooth tiger. But right now, we don’t live in the stone age anymore and you’re likely NOT going to die…right?”

Does it take away my stress? Not sure. Will it prevent me from stressing out next time? Not likely. It does give me a few seconds to breathe, to slow down, to rationalize just for a moment that I’m unlikely to be mauled by a saber tooth tiger and I can feel a little bit better.