Our first impulse with stress is to draw inward (which seems logical), but maybe we are missing out on the much-needed blessings of reaching out.

When I'm super busy, the last thing I want to do is serve or count my blessings. "I'll make time for that later, once I finish this task," my brain reasons. And so I dig deeper into my self-focus to try to get stuff done that seems so important at the moment.

But then Ann Voskamp's The Broken Way opened my eyes to a new way of seeing life: each moment is a chance to serve. And though we think that would chip away at us, it actually builds us up and heals our broken parts. Serving makes us whole somehow. Voskamp allows her life to be the canvas for this attitude change and she showed me how much abundance it actually brings.

It's counter-intuitive, but it is backed up by the Bible and science.

In Scripture, serving is the way to gaining in the upside-down Kingdom of God: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for [Jesus] will find it" (Matthew 16:25).

A Yale study found this principle to be true as well!

If you don't believe this paradox, look to the cross: in service to the point of death, Jesus brought us incredible joy, peace, and salvation. How could such blessings come out of an event so dark and despicable?

And if you still don't believe me, look at the fallen leaves: how can they be so beautiful in their death? They fall to make way for greater life.

During a difficult moment today of despair and exhaustion, I chose to take my earbuds out and engage with the person next to me. It's the small things, people. These are the daily gifts that are so enlivening.

I chose to help my mom instead of relaxing so that she too could have a chance to slow down.

And yesterday, even though I am in the craziest part of the semester yet, I called up someone I love to spend time with them, as God pressed on my heart that this person needs me (and I need to extend outside myself) more than my homework does. It turns out that our time spent together did wonders for both our spirits. We brought each other joy.

I find joy in these little gifts because I now see how harmful it is to crawl inward with my pain. Reaching out to others is part of the healing process and is necessary for growth, as much as I try to ignore this reality. My challenge is to find three little ways each day to be the gift to someone else, even when I'm stressed - especially when I'm stressed.