Great drugs? Lol. Totally kidding.
You have to learn to let it go. Stress is like a demon in your body that really does actual, physical damage. It wears you down, lowers your immune system, changes the way your body looks (skin, hair, etc.), can give you ulcers, and basically it just hurts your body all around. In order to deal with the stress in your life, there are a few things I think you should do.
1) Why stress about it in the first place? If you accept that these things happen and don't let it get you all riled up, there's no reason for these things to be stressful.
2) What can you control? I know it's really the motto for addicts, but I think the A.A. Prayer is probably the most useful thing to live by. In short: Change what you can, accept what you can't change.
- Have a school project that you're worried about? Well, you're completely in control of that, right? Don't wait until the last minute, work on it a little at a time, and plan to have it done 2 days before it's due (when possible).
- Have a lot of things you need to balance? Keep a calendar and plan things out. Stress happens when you feel like things are out of your control, so do what you can to keep things on your terms.
3) Identify things that are your problem and leave other people to theirs. My sister gets SO worked up over things that her friends are going through, and it annoys the crap out of me because I look at her driving herself insane over something that isn't even happening to her. In some situations empathy (feeling what others feel) is an admirable trait...in most situations, it's really not helpful at all. It's okay to be supportive, but let them deal with the emotions of it all. It's not your issue to handle. Your only job is to make you happy, not to keep them happy. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't be nice and supportive and a good friend, but boundaries are a good thing too.
I really don't get stressed out over most things. I try to address it, accept it, then let it go. When you get stressed out, the only thing it has an effect on is you. Freaking out doesn't change the situation, and emotional decisions tend to be bad ones. So, calm down and take a deep breath and figure out how you can "fix" the problem.
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