What makes you nervous?

There was a time when I often got nervous about minor things, as seen today, but remember this time, I confess I was nervous, primarily regarding my grades during my university time. I wanted to be among the top students and worked very hard to achieve that. So, I was very nervous every examination period, especially until the results were announced. This attitude suddenly switched close to the end of my master’s studies when I was finishing my master’s final thesis. I felt very exhausted, maybe because of my chosen complex topic. The title was “Antique Heroes in Contemporary Literary Texts: Demythologization.” Until I had finished this thesis, I didn’t care anymore about what grade I would get.

This was when I started to view life differently, and I would say it was more relaxed. Since then, and after reading Epictetus, a Greek stoic philosopher, I have the motto: It isn’t worth getting nervous about things when it’s not in my hands to change them. But it depends on how I react to unpleasant situations, though not to feel inconvenienced or under pressure. This means I don’t put myself under pressure to please everyone around me or enormously exceed my limitations, only to prove myself.

The only reason I get nervous now is during a soccer or basketball game, especially if my favorite team wins the match.

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will. ”
– Epictetus –