On Monday night, I had the opportunity to attend the table talk on “stress”. One one hand, we always talk about stress, about how people only slept for 4 hours on the night before as a badge of honor. Cornell’s naturally competitive nature prompts students to talk in such ways. However, is this really necessary? How can we deal with stress in our daily lives?

One point during the discussion was that there is no need to avoid stress, because it is largely a natural phenomenon and impossible to avoid. Instead, we should get accustomed to dealing with stress, and find ways in which we can all find our inner peace. One way that I deal with stress is to take myself away from all my academic and social pressures, either by showering or taking a brief nap. While spending time alone for too long may not be helpful, it is a strategy that helps in the short-term when I am ever stressing over prelims or how everyone is so overachieving academically.

From now on, I will continue to think of myself as myself and forget about over-comparing myself to others. Friendly competition is sometimes integral for self-progress, but it is sometimes important to face yourself and admit that people have their flaws.

Finally, I will make a personal mantra to remind myself about living a healthy but stressful lifestyle. Stress is natural, and we should go about our lives appreciating the opportunities around us and respecting ourselves for who we really are.