Let me "stress" this...

Let's talk about mechanisms. Not the type of mechanisms associated with biology, chemistry or philosophy. Not even the mechanisms associated with sociology, technology or engineering. I am referring specifically to coping mechanisms. The little cogs in the machine of life that are designed to directly, or in some cases indirectly, deal with stress.
I have a tendency to write, organize, plan and simply "do" when I am stressed. These are my methods of coping. In an environment, like our everyday lives, that is so random, these methods seem to make sense to me. I can create order where there is none, see organization out of a disorder and piece together a plan out of nothing but variables. It's pointless, it's frustrating; it's my coping mechanism.
When I was younger, I used stress as a motivator to accomplish my goals. The higher the stress level, the "sharper" I was. I covered alot of ground very quickly thanks to stress. One thing I realized as I got older, however, is that the more you depend on stress to get you through, the harder it was to shake that "edgy" feeling you get during and afterwards. It's almost like adrenaline, but dirtier. Now, I can hardly relax at all. Unfortunately, I don't have the energy of an 18-year-old anymore, so the "doing" part of my coping is sometimes shelved until I can get up motivation to "do" something.
Hobbies are good ways to alleviate stress. In fact, that is a good portion of the reason I began to write this blog. It is a hobby that takes time, planning, some time to research, organize and produce. It's a perfect fit for my desire to produce while trying to make sense out of something that is impossible to detail.
Perhaps if I had more money I could have hobbies that made more of an impact on either my life or the world. Certainly more of an impact than simply blasting out my opinion on every subject that happens to lazily wander across my path. Maybe I could skydive, or even better, skydive for charity! I suppose I am not altruistic enough to pursue such lofty sounding acts for the good of the order. Like most, I can only do what my time, energy, circumstance and disposition will allow, although, I'm sure I could do more if I tried.
In the end, I'm sure that at some point in my life I will look back and see a variety of mole hills I crushed, mountains I leaped over and opportunities that I flat out missed, all while applying my tactics for sanity and peace. Luckily, I have the support of family and friends that will make that journey not only manageable, but meaningful.
So, with all of that, I suppose what I am saying is that stress is the result of the journey and being tired is a side effect of the trip. A little fatigue certainly beats the alternative.
Until next time, enjoy the pure random.