Stress is an inevitable conundrum. We often think that if we carefully organize our priorities and try our best not to procrastinate, we’ll prevent the evil stress monster from entering our lives. But while managing our time may prevent chaos to an extent, we cannot control time itself. When life throws us those curveballs, we can’t always rearrange our lives or change the way we feel to reach equilibrium.

For example, I’ve had several friends whose loved ones passed away this semester. How can we prepare for situations like these? We can’t. Although we may set up the pins perfectly, once in a while a strike will be bowled that knocks them down again. So we press the reset button and start all over again.

Stress is impossible to prevent completely, even with meticulous planning and preparation. We need to admit there are things we can’t prepare for. But is it hopeless? Are we to be slaves to stress forever? Of course not. Stress can be lessened and it doesn’t have to dominate our lives.

So then what do we do? We need to be open to new perspectives and deal with the sources of our stress. Oftentimes, if not regularly, when we stress out about all the things we have to do, we wonder why we’re doing those things in the first place. We wonder: Why not just quit everything? Why not give up all our responsibilities and live the good life — be totally free? Because we care. We care about the people and positions we’re put in.

So take the it’s-not-about-me perspective: Think about how others may be feeling. Our first reaction to stress may be to blame others for our situation. Are your professors giving you a hard time? Is your family constantly on your back or not there enough for you? Maybe they themselves are stressed about things going on in their lives. Maybe you need to say something about it.

Does it feel like things will fall apart if you say “no” to something or step down from a leadership position? When I have these thoughts, I need to be reminded that I am not a linchpin for the world. I make a difference, but I do not hold the world together.

And take the bigger-picture perspective: Assess whether or not the things you stress about are guiding you in a good direction, one that’s worth it in the long run. We get involved in all different kinds of activities outside of schoolwork, but are we growing from those experiences? Personally, being administrator on InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s E-Board the past two semesters has been a huge commitment in my college career, but it’s been entirely worth it. It can be stressful at times, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and about working with other people, all of whom strive to see people’s lives transformed and, as a result, to change the campus and the world around us. I would even say that stress can be helpful in driving us forward.

So as finals start rolling around the corner and everything continues to pile up, just stop for a few minutes. Mix in the it’s-not-about-me perspective, with the bigger-picture perspective, as well as flexibility and time management, and I think you’ll have a healthy way of dealing with stress. We need to do our best to prevent and limit stress, but it’s unreasonable to ever do away with it completely. Take a look at what you’re investing in, what direction you’re heading in, and the destination you want to arrive at — is it worth it?