The Stress Affect

Ah stress, we all have it, we all handle it differently and we all tend to think that ours is much worse than everyone else's. I know I've been guilty of that a few times, but I'm working on it and you should too because nobody likes those people.

Everyone is in a different life stage, and what is stressing me out right now may seem minuscule to you, while it could be the hardest thing I've ever dealt with thus far. I really started to notice how people react to stress when I was younger and everything was either, "you'll understand when you're older," or "shut up Kayla you're being dramatic." Apparently the things I was worried about then didn't seem like the end of the world to everyone else, but whether or not people liked my homemade magazine and advice column in fifth grade most certainly was a big deal.

Now, I know that people probably see me the same way. Those with "big kid jobs" and you know, people who are actually adults, probably think that I'm incredibly annoying when I say that I'm stressed, and I guess I get that.

My week consists of 168 hours, just like yours. Of those hours, 30 are spent working, 15 are spent doing class work, 15 are spent doing internship work, roughly 10 on average are spent doing things for my various exec boards on campus and about 52 are spent sleeping when I can actually average close to 7 hours a week. With the 46 hours I have left, I spend time planning events for my sorority, answering phone calls for people who need me to do more and trying to plan my wedding. I leave my apartment in the morning before the sun comes up, and usually don't get home until it has been well on its way down.

Am I stressed? Of course I am, so much so that it has started to take a physical toll on my body, but that doesn't mean that no one else isn't stressed too.

Sometimes we get so caught up in what is going on in our own lives, that we forget to stop and take note of what's happening to those around us. We've got to stop telling people that their troubles aren't as important as ours, we've got to stop being terrible friends, significant others, daughters and sons, siblings and just all around decent human beings.

It really comes down to prioritizing, which I realize now that I've been doing a little bit wrong. This week I'm going to make it a personal mission of mine to stop stressing so much about the small stuff, to put down my phone and be present. To be present for my friends, my fiancé, my family and of course my dog. I'll make an effort to not belittle anyone else and their stress, because even if they don't have as much on their plate as I do, they could still have something much worse, or something extremely difficult to deal with.

You never know what is going on with others, you don't know the trouble they're facing, and if I could just experience a bunch of positive people on a daily basis, then my stress may not seem so heavy. So this week, I'll try to be that positive person, that person who doesn't judge and that person who doesn't belittle.

I'll try to be a better, less tense and stressed out decent human being. I hope you'll try with me.