Formally, stress is defined as the chemical reaction in our brain as a result of uncontrollable factors in our life. Most of the things we stress about are things we can't control. why is that so? it's because we as humans like things when we control them. When things don't go our way, we get stressed. I think the biggest flaw in this thinking is the fact that even the things we can't control, we think we do. For example, people would think they're in control of their bodies. But we don't control how we breathe, how our blood pumps, when our lungs expand or contract. There is a lot of things that even in our own bodies, we can't control. But we like to believe that we do. This is because there is comfort in the known. People feel secure in familiar situations and experiences that we know we can somewhat control or influence. With this virus that is getting worse, it's scary for people if they don't have a say in the virus. Uncontrollable situations can make us uncomfortable. I know it seems rough because we don't know what's going on, how to stop it, or even how it started. But why stress about things we can't control anyways? Even if we do stress and worry about situations, the situation won't get resolved because of our personal concern. The important thing to know in situations like this is that we can only do whatever we know in order to feel in control. For some people, that might be buying out stores and stocking up so they feel prepared (please don't do this by the way), and for some, that might be keeping a consistent schedule, talking to people, trying to do what they can to control the situation on their own. Whatever you have to do to feel secure, do it. But just make sure that it's not our of irrational stress. This will be over, you will get back to your everyday life again, for the meantime...hang in there. I hope you all are staying inside, staying safe, and using this time alone to work on yourself and realize how much of the world relies on stress and control.
-Astha
March 24, 2020
