I'm gonna put it right out there and say that the last year has been, for the most part, more stressful than not. I'm also going to admit that a lot of it likely comes from myself. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well in all areas of my life: work, friends, family, studies, and hobbies. I don't want to just do decently at my job: I want to make an impact. I don't just want my friends to like me; I want to be a steadfast and healthy presence in their lives. I don't want to just be a member of my family, I want to be a caring, considerate, dependable member of my family. I don't want to just live in Japan; I want to learn Japanese to a near fluent level, and absorb all the Japanese learning I possibly can while I'm here. I don't just want to stay healthy; I want to be noticeably fit. I don't want to just write in my free time; I want to publish a novel. (Hell, at this point, I'd settle for finishing a goddamn story.) I put a hell of a l...