Chill

Spotted in blogdom recently (in the marvelously titled blog “Oh, Please”), some real wisdom about stress and its effects:

Stress is like a computer virus in your brain. Stress consumes processor speed. It's like you've got some loop running in the background, chewing up RAM. I have been amazed at how much easier and more pleasant it is to get things done when I don’t stress about them. Trust me. I've lived this from both sides. In high school I was an overachieving valedictorian stress monkey who lived on No-Doz and slept 4 hours a night. Not stressing out is like having superpowers. It's like having some kind of hyperdrive at your fingertips. Really. Manage your stress.

Stress is physical. Stress is biochemical. Respect the organism. Managing stress is largely about the physical, biochemical cycle. Lack of exercise, crappy diet, and lack of sleep = stress. If you have an exercise routine, keep it up, even during finals. If you don’t have an exercise routine, get one.

Amen, sister.

Lots of us in this world of achievers and stress monkeys could benefit from these insights. It’s one interlocked piece in the jigsaw puzzle of health, fitness, and happiness.