Ahh, stress. My best friend. My soulmate. My sweet, sweet torture.....Let's get started!

I think it's safe to say that we all get a bundle of stress and anxiety from life in general, but it's how we cope with problems and realize this stress that makes us the person we are.

If we want to take the science route about all this (yes, before you comment "Mickey, that's not a word!" I know it's not! Just let me try and be cute please!) you'll have to know some key factors about stress.

Stress can be physical, or mental, and is a way for your body to tell you "hey, there's a threat of some sort, and I'm not liking it!" A good example of understanding stress comes from Mr. Hans Selye (a smart dude.) He states this by saying "the nonspecific response of the body to any demand for change".

^^ Smart words that mean "a change or command that you don't like." It was very important in our earlier stages of humanity to detect unwanted situations and threats, therefore activating our flight or fight response. 

Nowadays, the stress we have isn't about hunting mammoths or finding berries, but rather talking in public, work-related matters, caring for a family, or even studying for something important like a test. Your nervous system tends to take some situations as simple as being stuck in traffic and make the scenario seem like a life or death situation. Example: "Okay, I'm about to be ten minutes late to work! I'm going to be in so much trouble!" Needless to say, finding your way around stress can be difficult since it's all around us. 

We get so caught up with what will happen if something negative happens that we forget that it's not such a big deal in some cases.

"What if I stutter while talking?"

"But what if I'm late, and get fired?!"

"I have so much to do and not enough time!"

"What if I fall going up the stage?!"

Sometimes confidence plays a role in how much stress and anxiety you have. The more laid back and confident you are, the less likely you are to stutter. In fact, the more you think about stuttering the more likely you are to do it! But confidence isn't the solution to getting rid of stress. Some studies show that people who go with the flow of life are less stressed and more accepting of day-to-day life stresses.

But for most people, stress is a big deal! We freak out and our body just goes into hyperdrive. Usually your heart's pounding, your head is spinning, you may even be gassy (don't laugh it happens to some people!) or have a dry, closed-up throat, and if you're like me, you pace and rapidly talk sometimes. In these predicaments, you need to calm down and learn to control your emotions. We can't control the situation, just ourselves.

This, my friends, leads us to the next step in this article; fixing the issue.

Now that you sorta know where stress comes from, here comes the tricky part; dealing with it. Everyone is different and there are many ways people cope with stress. Some are less helpful than others, but I'm going to share some positive ways to manage stress. 

Talking it out helps relieve and share some of that concern with others. Two brains are smarter than one, so maybe someone else you trust has a solution to what you're stressing about. Having someone there as a third-party observer analyzing your issues helps give you better and less biased advice.

The biggest thing I've learned when stressed is to take breaks from what is stressful. Doing something that makes you happy to let go. Whether it's running, watching a movie, etc. As long as what you do is appropriate and LEGAL then go do something fun! Our bodies need that downtime. Some examples include meditation, yoga, exercise, running, music and media, writing, cleaning, sleeping, praying, time with family and friends, and in extreme cases, a vacation. There are so many ways to destress yourself, you just need to find what works for you!

If you have anxiety and stress over the past or future, take each day one step at a time, and don't think about anything else. This sure does help me when I have a busy week. Write down daily or weekly goals for the week, and split up the work. Give yourself time to breathe. All you can do is your best, and stressing over what happened last week or two weeks from now will only overwhelm you.

The reality is, that we live in a stressful world, and life isn't an easy thing to take on. Some days we want to give up, fall down, and just scream, but there's always going to be that part of us saying not to get up and to keep moving forward (Meet the Robinsons Reference!)

Anxiety, stress, nerves, and being run down are just all a part of the "Being a Human" package, but with a little determination and a way to balance it all out, you can keep your stress ball tamed and save yourself from having a stress attack.

Stress-free is the way to be!

Hey all! I hope that I've helped you learn some new concepts. If you have anything to add, comment away! I always read them, and I may reply faster than you think ;)

All ideas are welcome, (unless it's inappropriate, something I've already talked about, or something I've incorporated in another article.)

As always, I'm out!

*Drops mic*