A Tribe Called Quest Knows What I Am Talking About

“Stress.” It’s all there…there in that terrible little six letter word. It’s like a little word in black, size 11 Calibri (Body) font text that grows from within you at times that are tough. Times when nothing seems to be going right, instead feeling like a ball of fiery ash, rolling down the side of the side of a volcano, picking up size and momentum as it goes. Pretty overwhelming that little six letter word can get…

Some people let the stress take over their lives, and eventually just give up. Some people will inebriate themselves in continuous glasses of merlot every evening, just to help them forget about those stresses that seem to plague their lives, even if just for a short while. They know and accept that tomorrow will begin a new day, sure to be haunted in a shroud of stress. And then there are those who rise to the occasion, welcoming stress into their arena. An arena built over the years, as family, friends, and experiences instill ideals and values that do not allow for self pity and sulking. These people live to be challenged, they live for the opportunities that life provides to push themselves to new heights of accomplishment. These are the men and women who train to be ninjas in the mountains of Cuba! You still payin’ attention? That was just a joke about the ninjas; I don’t think they really train in Cuba…

I guess my point is that most of us let stress get to us and put us into a funky mood, only having a negative attitude about your day. I know I do it quite a bit, but it seems to help if you step back from your miserable day for a minute and try to picture the day’s challenging events as just that…challenges. Then you just line them up on a mental or written list, and start facing each challenge and knockin’ ‘em down one by one! Preferably with throwing stars or a blowgun…

Well, good luck with your life stresses. Just remember that sometimes your stresses will feel like they’re drowning you and you have to sink or swim. So swim.