Since the day I started planning for my future, I have experienced this feeling that I just can't shake. Thoughts pile on top of each other and clutter the mind. Anxiety builds. Workload seems to be never ending. I had officially understood what it meant to be stressed. Anytime I complained about being stressed, I received the same response. Elders especially were always the first to say, "You don't know stressed. You're so young. Do you know who's stressed? I'm stressed!" Apparently some people believe that belittling another person's feelings is more effective than giving actual advice. Regardless, I have learned that everyone has stress. Some more than others, but it is still there, taking over our minds, our bodies and our lives. When people get overwhelmed by their responsibilities, they tend to lose the balance and rhythm in their lives. In order to get back on track and reach your goals, it's important to find some kind of consistency. Adding a few consistencies into your everyday life helps the brain process chaos in a more productive way.

It is common for people to focus on big gestures to help them feel better when stress becomes a burden on their everyday lives. They believe a lavish vacation or a grand purchase will help them crawl their way out of their daily funk. While I am always ready for a trip overseas or some retail therapy, these are merely quick and temporary solutions. The feeling of freedom and joy does not seem to last long after a vacation or some retail therapy shopping. Eventually, these mini highs die down, and we find ourselves constantly itching for the next. The quality of our everyday lives slowly diminishes as we let our stress consume us. I don't believe there is one simple solution for getting rid of our stress. What I do believe is that all of the little things in our lives can help.

Over the past two years alone, I have experienced stress more than I have ever known. I know this is just the beginning, but already through these experiences I have learned a great deal. Sure, the stress that a college student faces will differ from that of a CEO of a big company, but we can all help ourselves a little at a time just by paying attention to the details of our day. It's incredibly cliché to say, but I've learned that the little things we tend to overlook really matter. These "little things" in our day-to-day lives act as constants. Keeping up with the little things helps create a consistency in a world where you're constantly thrown curve balls. Consistency turns into a plan, and you can't efficiently reach a goal without one.

I'm not going to end this by saying, "Consistency is key." (But know that it is.)