I like to think of stress as a bucket. We all carry around a little of it. Without it, we would frankly probably be very bored. The thing is that we keep it manageable. I think of it as water. We are fine but as the water increases and we walk with it, its more likely that we may spill the water.

If the stress bucket gets too full that stress kind of spills out. It distracts us, limits our enjoyment of the present and sometimes can lead to rumination and even physical health issues (many of which are due to difficulties sleeping).

The key is keeping it under control. Finding strategies to manage it and also simply reframing life.

Honestly when things get difficult, one of my main reframes is the war reframe. Alot of men died young in wars over the history of mankind. I was fortunate not to have (at least to this point, and i say that knowing that the history of mankind has been full of wars, but i haven’t actively served in the military. Despite that i acknowledge that sadly countless numbers of civilians are also killed in wars).

Nonetheless reflecting on the countless numbers of years that those struck down in the prime of their lives lost makes me feel more grateful for my life despite the problems i face at times.