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

by Brian King

Learn to assess your stress. Learn to tell the difference between bears and traffic.

When stressed we should ask ourselves, is this an actual threat? If it is an actual threat, then can I do anything about it?

We begin responding to stress before we have a chance to think about it. However, we have the ability to overcome our initial response.

Worry is a thought process that falls into this category and it is just the worst. Worrying is nothing more than internally generated stress—stress we impose on ourselves thanks to some particularly troublesome thoughts. Worrying is a behavior, although a mental one, and we often worry about life stressors, but worry itself can sometimes be the cause of additional stress.

If we can’t do anything to change a situation, what is the point of worrying about it?

As it turns out, worry provides relief to the brain for a very uncomfortable condition it sometimes experiences called “inactivity.”

being resilient means having the right kinds of thoughts in your head, and those thoughts relate to how well you feel you can handle whatever situation you are facing.

Three things we can do in the moment to calm ourselves down: Deep breathing Physical exercise Force a smile