When you’re stressed, one of the first things to get cut are, ironically, the very things that will probably alleviate that stress: cooking, exercising, creative outlets, and doing things you enjoy.

I think most of us have an intuition about our energy level. You wake up with a limited amount of it, and over the course of the day, it dwindles down. Like a glass of water, for example. For a long time, one of my first instincts when stressed was to cut out everything "extra" and run my life in a barebones way.

If you think about it, the correct answer is actually counter-intuitive. Extras aren't superfluous, they're "extra energy": like your elevated mood after you have coffee with a friend, or after a great workout.

Add some fun, rather than taking it away.