As the year begins again each fall, MIT life speeds up. Sometimes that strategy pays off, but other times it just doesn't seem to work. Then there are too many projects to list, too little time, and the changes come so fast that you feel dizzy. You start complaining about stress. Stress has a bad reputation these days.
Stress tends to increase during periods of rapid change.
Most of the time, people succeed naturally at managing the stress in their lives. Almost everyone develops a balanced way to respond to the causes and consequences of stress. Sometimes, though, various factors make it difficult to maintain this balance. Too many emotional and intellectual demands can start to outweigh anyone's natural ability to manage stress. Unanticipated challenges can be especially difficult.