Stress is Temporary

You know, I have been pretty stressed lately. My experiences at school have been pretty rough, since I have so many papers to revise and edit. Just know, the stress will be gone...

This, too, shall pass

In every moment when you feel stressed, ask yourself the question: are you stressed about this very moment or are you stressed about what might happen in the future or what has happened in the past? Even thinking about that could reduce stress - generally speaking, we're safe in most moments. We can enjoy whatever is there for us. We get stressed when we think about the future, when we think about all the stuff we believe we need to do, whereas in this very moment, we have everything. Nothing can harm us. The moment is just here for us to enjoy.

That's a good point, its like anxiety is the stress experienced about fear of some element of potential future. Then 'if' it manifests in the present it becomes something else.... like panic, anger or abandon! But on a more positive note it need not always manifest, and instead can vanish in the light of reality or sometimes just continue as a residual physical tension which has to be worked through. If you can work through fears in advance of them manifesting then I guess it puts one in a much better place to handle the situation and learn from it. Though in a sea of potentials the unknowns can hide the emergence of which fear is imminent, so maybe its better to view stress like a crouching tiger, as a pretension to directed effort and shaped action - part of a constructive and successful process, rather then a failing weak one.

I've been pretty stressed myself lately.

Interestingly, the things that we usually think of as causing stress us are called stressors, and are only a part of the stress response. Just like huge amounts of fuel will not burn if oxygen is missing, some stressors cannot stress you without the state of mind that would otherwise allow them to.

So yes, stress is temporary.

I've found the most useful thing to do when I'm feeling stressed is breathe and observe... why am I stressed? What can I do about it now?

If there is nothing that can be done about it now, it's not worth the mental resources.