Never inventory your stress.
In the early days after Pete’s death I searched for “ways to navigate estates without going through probate”. I also searched for “easy prep meals for one” and “where to donate glasses after someone dies”. Because of those searches I’m inundated on all social media platforms with “how to widow” content and occasionally I take the click-bait and end up down a rabbit hole. One of those adventures lead me to the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory , a 43 question survey designed to determine your stressors from the last 12 months and, if your score is above 300, you have an 80% higher chance of a health breakdown in the next two years. My score was 572. Their recommendation to lower my stress? “Avoid future crisis situations.” If I gave blind credence to this type of derivative test I would become stressed about getting out of stress. I would work to control that which cannot be controlled. I would speed towards that health breakdown. I was tempted to just toss the results aside. Except, I