Recently I had the experience of fretting horribly over something. I woke up in the middle of the night ruminating for a couple of nights in a row, and generally was very concerned. A couple of days later, the stress was gone. I knew that everything would be okay no matter what happened. I felt more confident that things would work out.

Apparently there is actually a scientific explanation for my experience. When we are stressed, our view of the world can feel very narrow. Something bad can feel like the end of the world.

When we are relaxed, we are better able to see the broader vision, our place in the large world, and to feel more assured that the little stressor will not be the worst thing in the world.

Maybe calm people really do get more work done. Maybe the stressful life isn’t actually necessary to achieve your dreams.