I am no expert when it comes to maintaining good mental health, but from my own experience, I am always my own worst enemy.

We all suffer from stressful situations from time to time, but how we deal with those moments differs. Some people are able to brush off their stress (or put up the facade that they're doing just fine), but others, like myself, fit into the category of people that become consumed with their own thoughts. The habit of intensifying the pressure one feels, of pondering about all the worst-case scenarios, of forgetting to look at the big picture, creates an overwhelming feeling of loneliness in this seemingly never-ending process.

One moment, all your stress stems from school/grades/graduation, and then next all, these elements build up on top of one another, and it begins to feel like the end of the world. Despite knowing this couldn't be farther from the truth, and in reality,, you are aware everything will work itself out eventually, your pain and anxiety are aggravated by this mindset. Of course, there are much worse situations, such as grief and depression, that have an impact on the amount of stress we undergo, but forcing yourself (or simply allowing yourself) to only think negatively certainly will not encourage any improvement.

Because the truth is, you have to want to get better. Therefore, you must be purposeful in your trek to recover from any sort of stress.

The first step in limiting how much you overthink things that specifically damage your ability to be happy is to recognize that this detrimental pattern. Without this step, you will continue to compound your angst and be stuck in the cycle of worsening your overall mentality and well-being.

Next, you cannot make your stress only a personal, internal battle. Think about it like this, from the perspective of a short anecdote. A couple of weeks ago, I met with a trusted friend and she asked me "How are you, Zach?" As we all know, the typical, nonchalant response of "good" is not sufficient when someone knows you well (and can tell you are anything but "good") and is genuinely curious how you are doing. I could not lie, so I had no choice but to reveal that I was quite stressed. "You are always stressed, Zach...You do know you are doing the best you can, right? That you are on the right track? That there are people out there that want to help you? Reach out for help more often!" Although that is not verbatim what my friend said, the advice I received was along the same line and was exactly what I needed to hear. I willingly buried myself in my distress and truthfully was not active enough in finding a desire to recover.

However, there are tools that every person possesses to overcome this human tendency of overthinking.

Above all, learning how to take deep breaths is incredibly helpful. From my own experience, I begin to lose all power of my senses when I am stressed out (leading me to become ill sometimes), so recently I have started to find ways to just breathe and relax. Furthermore, as already mentioned, you must take the opportunity to reach out to people when they become engulfed in stress, because as my friend indicated there is always someone out there willing to help or at least listen to what you are going through. Finally, with the severe, almost subconscious tension that is facilitated when we over-analyze every single thing, we must find distractions that will take our minds off the stress. For me, that is either writing in my journal, reading my favorite book, or watching a movie; find what that is for you and relax. We all deserve a break.