How Hard Should I Push Myself?

By volume, I’m referring to the total number of obligations that you’re committed to complete—from answering a minor question to finishing a major project. As this volume increases past a certain threshold, the weight of these efforts can become unbearably stressful. Humans are uniquely adept at crafting long-term strategic plans for accomplishing

The same is true with stress. A little bit of stress feels challenging and invigorating, often increasing meaningfulness, purpose, and a sense of importance. But as responsibilities increase as you go through life, you start to habituate to higher and higher levels of stress. Staying busy and feeling pressured begin to feel like the right way to li

So there we have it: an unexpected corollary of Epictetus’s advice. If we ignore everything over the other side of that line – everything that we do not control, everything other than our own thoughts and actions – we tend to remove anxiety and even achieve more success. And by reminding ourselves, as and when pressures arise, to distinguish betwee

Unless we develop effective ways of defusing stress (which, let’s face it, is an unavoidable aspect of twenty-first-century living), cortisol can become elevated for long periods, resulting in some serious physiological consequences.