Hey friend, how’re you doing over there?

Feeling happy, thrilled, psyched, annoyed, tired, irritable, tired? Starting to wonder why the fuck it matters, or why it doesn’t? Having trouble sleeping, getting into fights with your significant other, kick your dog, snarl at your cat, want to throw that bloody smartphone through the fucking window because you haven’t heard back about that thing, or the internet’s down, or you can’t play GTAV yet, or Apple did something or they didn’t – and fuck! – everyone on Twitter’s telling you things that are wrong and how the hell can’t they understand that you’re right and they’re morons?

It’s a bit much now, isn’t it? You’re stressed, society forgives you, tells you to chill out a bit, your friends accept your apology. You vow to be better, to get better at dealing with your shit, and you tell it to the world.

You hit the wall. You get sick. Your heart gives in.

You’re dead, but you’re not.

It’s not fair. I want it all. I want to do it all. Why can’t I have it all?

Why can’t I love me? Why is despise and despair so close at hand? Why does everything I do suck? What does it matter? When will this shit end?

Relax buddy. You’re stressed, severely so. Mellow out, don’t react to every feeling that courses through your body. Take a break when it gets tough, take a longer one when you can’t handle taking breaks. And when that’s overpowering you, when you can’t deal with anything at all, when your body breaks down and you just want to cry.

Then get help.

Stress is a monster. Despite being a solution, alcohol is a poor choice in these situations. It brings out the worst of the doubt and despair, and tend to remind and reinforce the notion that everything’s shit and so are you. But you’re not, and neither is a nice single malt whisky at times for that matter.

Most of us don’t need professional help when stress is starting to overpower us. We just need to be mindful of when things pile up, when it starts to become a bit much. We need to take breaks, to step away for a bit, to remember to enjoy life. If we, you and me, do that, then you won’t need help, nor excessive amounts of whisky, pills to pick you up, or to buy every shiny new thing that comes out.

So how about it? Is it a bit much right now?

Let’s take the evening off and do something for us.