Check out Kelly McGonical’s speech on how counter intuitive stress is.

The next time you feel stress, try this exercise:

If you catch yourself trying to use the internet, eating snacks, or some other habit to avoid stress, stop what you’re doing and focus on what you are avoiding. Physically loosen up your body as much as possible and welcome the stress. Notice how there is nothing inherently good or bad about the feeling of stress, how you interpret and react to stress will determine the consequences. Just observe the sensation of stress with total concentration with no judgement.

• Is stress occurring in the stomach? In your mind?
• Do certain thoughts about the future trigger stress in your body?

Notice how thoughts are just thoughts and are not real compared to the present moment. Notice when you allow stress to come and go as it pleases, it will actually go away much quicker than resisting or avoiding it.