Like the things we stress about we can’t do anything about. For instance, I’m very relaxed on planes, not because I don’t think we could crash, but because I know if there is a problem and the plane’s goin’ down, I’m 99% sure I’m not the next most qualified person to pilot the plane. So flyin’ doesn’t give me stress.
Then, there’s stress that turns our molehills into mountains. The false drama we create like a soap opera. It’s an illusion. Oftentimes, we’d do well to heed the advice of my college roommate’s grandpappy who told me, “I’ve had thousands of crises in my life… most of ‘em never happened.”
And sometimes what we call stress, isn’t even stress at all. I was listening to NPR the other day… There was a child psychologist talking about how so many children are saying how stressed they are. And he asked them, “Well, what are you stressed about?” Most of them said, “I’m stressed about not having as cool of clothes as Bari, not having as good of grades as Jenny. Or not having as many followers as Susie.” And then he said, “Well that’s not stress, that’s envy.” And by accurately labeling what they were feeling, they became much more equipped to deal with it.
The next time you’re stressed, ask what you’re really stressed about. It may not be stress at all. And even if it is, you can remind yourself, “You’re gonna die one day.
_ Matthew McConaughey