Honorable Mention #1

Author: Jeremy

Stress. You love to see it. Feel it. Experience it. Then eventually succumb to its negative effects of it. Losing sleep, not eating, closing out friends and family, losing interest in hobbies and aspirations, and half-heartedly completing tasks. Or... perhaps on a more positive side, overcome them, conquer them, and continue to live an amazing life. Stress is so detrimental to an individual and those around said individual, but you more than likely already knew that. Stress kills. Be that as it may, stress itself is not immortal or everlasting, and can be killed as well. So, how do I deal with stress?

Well, I’m glad you asked, good to know there are people that care about my personal well-being; though there is a slew of things that keep me at ease with myself. Talking to my close friends and family, achieving my goals, improving my mind and body, experiencing fulfilling moments in life such as going on vacation, graduating high school or college, or even just completing a project you’ve been working so diligently on and yielding great results from it. Life in itself can be a great stress reliever. Though, I suppose you’re looking for a more specific answer.

One huge way I help cope with my misery and qualms is music. Music helps me ease my mind and helps me escape. Music is really a revolutionary concept. It’s a feast for the senses, truly. It helps me clear my mind and put my conscience at ease. Music can really help convey my emotions as well. A song with a resounding beat or rhythmic melody coupled with insightful lyrics is amazing to help relieve stress. Especially when that song is specifically made to do just that: get you out of a slump and into a positive and productive mindset. Though, there are also just songs that just resonate with you and speak to you personally. The song can be about anything but it can be very soothing or empowering to listen to or the lyrics can convey a message with an intensity that can uplift you. For me, it can be anything from overcoming a mental, physical, or emotional challenge of cosmic proportion, or simply just psyching up my overall demeanor and exerting a pure, gleaming radiance and confidence, boundless to meager comprehension or will. As extreme as that sounds, that’s what music makes me feel. Whenever the world has me pinned down or cornered music has always been my sure-fire way to get back on my feet. Tuning the world out and turning the music up has always assisted me greatly in dealing with my fleeting and recurring stress. With that being said, I appreciate you taking the time to read this, as I stated before, good to know people are concerned about my mental health. Lastly, let me kick it back to you: How do you deal with stress?