Stress... Do I need to say more?

Stress is a guaranteed part of life at one time or another, but constant stress can have a damaging affect on the body. It can raise cortisol levels, increase your blood pressure, increase your heart rate, and cause gastro-intestinal disturbance, among other things.

Financial concerns, health concerns, and life concerns can all cause stress, but it is how you deal with that stress that will make the difference.

My humble recommendation is that you find something positive to channel that stress into.  Write it out in a journal, and if it is a problem that you can solve, solve it. If it is something that you can't do anything about, stop dwelling on it and move on to something else. Go for a run, a walk, ride a bike, read a book, or whatever. There are some things in life that are out of your control.

A pipe leaked in the bathroom and now I will have to pay to have the wall and floor fixed. I don't have the money right now.  I was very upset when this happened, but then I realized that there was really nothing I could do to change the situation.  I had no money to fix it so it had to wait, and as soon as I have the money, I have to fix it. That is what has to be done. Once I recognized that this was the only decision that I could make, I felt better.

Sometimes when you are in a stressful situation, there is more than one way out of it. That is when the real stress occurs. You have to make a decision, and each choice will lead to a different result. There is no secret to making good decisions and there is no way to look into the future to ensure that your decision will lead to something good. All that you can do is make the decision that feels right for you, and then not look back. Choose an option, and forget the what if's. All of the time that you spend worrying about whether you made the right choice is wasted time. Your decision is made. Even if it was the wrong decision, you can't change it. So instead of spending all of that time worrying, let it go.

For those of you that are religious, what I have said is summed up in the serenity prayer, and I believe that this prayer could be a mantra for just about anyone, religious or not.

  Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the strength to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

Life is short and no one will ever spend their last hours wishing they had worried more. Spend your time enjoying life and making memories with those that you love. After all, that is what really matters.