"I'm so stressed out, it's not even real."

"I can't even begin to tell you how much I have to do."

"My list of things I absolutely have to get done is like, a mile long. I'm not even exaggerating."

"I've consumed enough caffeine today to power a semi-truck and send it to Arizona."

"I feel like haven't slept since preschool nap-time."

What do all of these phrases have in common? "I..me...my...". The me-centered nature of these declarations of self-misery feed into the issue of feeling overwhelmed. Focusing on one's problems, lack of sleep, and high stress levels doesn't exactly solve anything except maybe one's desire to earn some pity from others.

Believe it or not, there's another way to feel better. Try this: "How are you?" The simple practice of focusing one's attention on someone other than self is a definitive way to help end the vicious cycle of self-pity we so often find ourselves in. There seems to be an ongoing competition of who has the most stuff to do, who is more stressed out than the other, and who thinks their life is worse.

If we would only choose to invest in the lives of others instead of walking around proclaiming how much coffee they've consumed and how little sleep they've enjoyed, a beautiful perspective shift would most likely follow. Asking "how are you?" instead of beginning every interaction with "I'm a mess!" would undoubtedly make you seem more approachable and feel more joyful.

Simply stated, the challenge for the season of stress and responsibilities is to ask people how they are doing and stop complaining about the tasks that lie ahead. Everyone has things to do, almost everyone feels stress at some point in their life, and nobody is alone in feeling like there's an impossible about of work to accomplish. I, for one, resonate with these feelings on many levels.

So, I ask: how are you?