The Art of Taking It Easy: How to Cope with Bears, Traffic, and the Rest of Life's Stressors

by Brian King

Bad things happen all the time, but what ultimately makes the difference in our lives is how we deal with those situations.

“We don’t laugh because we’re happy, we’re happy because we laugh.”

The simplest description I have ever come across is that stress is our brain’s reaction to a perception of threat.

our brain creates these things called beliefs, values, and expectations, and they influence how we perceive the world.

The traffic was real, but it was your own beliefs, values, and expectations that made the situation into one that you found stressful.

most of our stress is from percieved threats, not clear and present threats.

Learn to assess your stress. Learn to tell the difference between bears and traffic. The first thing we should do when we start to feel agitated or stressed is stop and ask ourselves, “Is this situation actually threatening?” If it is, then Houston, we have a probl—uh I mean, bear!