stress management

Stress-Free AI?

Sometimes I wonder if I’m actually a robot. I mean, it’s possible that that technology exists. Whether it could have existed back in the 80s is more of a question… but then, what if I’ve just been programmed to believe I’ve been around since then? I could be a brand new machine, for all I know.

The main thing that makes me wonder is the fact that everyone else seems so stressed out, while I feel kind of immune to it. Nothing really gets to me. Pressing deadline? Not a worry. Relationship crisis? No sweat. Eviction notice? I can deal. Whatever life throws at me, I seem to be uniquely equipped to glide through it without losing any sleep.

People think I’m putting it on. Either that, or they’re lining up to ask me for stress management tips. The thing is, I don’t really have any. I’m just like, I don’t know… have you tried not giving a heck? I get that cortisol spikes are a real thing that people experience, and that they can adversely affect wellbeing, even leading to chronic health complaints. But I guess I don’t really understand what it is that makes something a stressor, as it seems to vary wildly from person to person.

Like, someone might be a whiz at stress management in the workplace, yet not be able to deal with pressures on the home front. Likewise, someone else might be cool as a cucumber with their home and family and social life, yet feel overrun and anxious in their job. Yet another person might be good with everything except visiting their parents. Where’s the pattern there? And where does it cross the line from being a motivating force to being excessive and a health hazard?

As you can see, I’m really not the person to be asking for advice on managing stress. I don’t actually have any skills in managing it, because I simply don’t experience it.