 stress is the desire for things to be different than they are in this present moment. So the very first step to lowering stress is mere acceptance, is saying that what's going on around me right now is outside of my control, and I might not like it, and it might not be my preference. But this is what is going on right now, and our stress doesn't come from events and circumstances. Our stress comes from our response or our resistance to those events and circumstances. And when I heard that, it was like a light bulb went off, and I find that incredibly empowering and liberating, because that means we are no longer victims or puppets to the events and circumstances happening in the world. We get to choose our response, and that to me, that means we always have the keys to the car.