13) Stress

Lately I've been feeling the physical effects of stress. Big time. After working at my desk for a prolonged period of time, I'll realize that my shoulders are all hunched up unnecessarily around my ears. If someone starts talking about a particularly trying project during lunch, I'll start to eat faster for no apparent reason, turning to chocolate whenever possible. In the morning when I make the mistake of checking my email on my phone while I'm still in bed, I can actually feel my heart start to pound, and my adrenaline levels crest. However cliché and common these symptoms are, it's still fascinating to feel my body react physically to purely mental stressors.

The first reaction might be to dream of a stress-free occupation, absent of tweaked backs and chewed up fingernails. But can you ever have a job that you care about that doesn't involve stress? Aside from the outside stressors - superiors and their expectations, financial concerns, etc., is it not your desire to excel in what you do that causes stress?

Obviously, too much stress (and its physical consequences) isn't healthy. But stress gets a bad rap - you never hear anyone mentioning its benefits. In small doses, stress is really just the sick and twisted second cousin of motivation.