When you cope with the stresses of everyday living, you have chosen to live. Coping with life is the opposite of avoiding life. Too often, people choose not to face their problems – to stay in their comfort zone – and let life pass them by. Their choice, of course, gives them an easy road to travel in the short run; but, over the long haul they constantly fight the gnawing reality festering inside them that, “I could have done better.”
Facing up to stress – accepting it, confronting it, attacking it – puts you on a rocky road that forces you to carry a stress load that cries out, “I can’t handle this!” But you can, and that’s why you must persist. Only by confronting stress can you discover that the obstacles in your life road are not obstacles – they are the road.
Choosing to travel this road brings you long-term benefits: empowerment, self-esteem, and a healthy connection to yourself and others. You come closer to a humble realization of your potential, as who you are emerges from empathetic actions in service of others. You discover your Honor and the humanity that comprises it: integrity, decency, morality, and values.
Psychology and Stress 