Daily Gratitude: Stress is both good and bad. Actually it’s the stress reaction that’s both good and bad. Without it we would not be able to respond to true danger. But our brain does not know the difference between a bomb dropping on our head and the cancellation of our favorite TV series or being stuck in traffic. It responds the same. The constant outpouring of the stress chemicals is not good for the body. It leads to chronic Illness and pain. “So what do you expect me to do about it? I can’t go live on a fancy private island.” You might be growling. You can change how you think about things, though. So you’re stuck in traffic. Look around you and enjoy what you see or use that time to daydream. It doesn’t do you any good to be mad or upset during that time. Listen to the radio or sing your own song. Change how you’re thinking. When I was in DC I lived 70 miles south and the traffic was always horrendous. One December a storm was coming. I asked my boss if I could leave early. He always said yes knowing the circumstances. But this one day we were having a guest speaker and he said no. I was so angry. But I stayed. Thank goodness. It turned out there was a 100 car accident on I-95 and had I left when I wanted I would have been right in the middle of it. It still took me 8 hours to get home but I was safe and extremely grateful. Make a date with yourself and promise you’ll start thinking about the things that you think are going “wrong” differently. Do it as an experiment and see if you feel better.