Everyone faces their own trials and tribulations in life, and can lose sight of how dreadful things could actually be. Stress is a very relative term. While some are stressing about exams or custody battles, others are stressing about where to find clean drinking water to avoid dehydration. So, it’s not fair to compare stress factors, but more important to have perspective and ask ourselves, “is this really worth all the stress and dramatics?” Take a step back and assess the numerous dilemmas others are facing, as well as the battles many people have encountered and prevailed. Here’s a list to get you started:

1.

Between 1933 and 1945 more than 11 million people were killed during the Holocaust. Over 1.1 million of those were children. Screaming, crying infants were pulled from their mother’s arms and sent straight to gas chambers. Some children had already suffocated and died in the cattle cars before reaching the camps, while some were thrown into a ravine (dead or alive).

2.

One million, six hundred and eighty-eight thousand, seven hundred and eight: this is the estimated number of new cancer cases in 2017 for the U.S alone.

3.

Nearly 30,000 Americans commit suicide each year. This comes out to be approximately one person every 16.2 minutes. What if one of these were your brother, sister, mom, dad, or best friend?

4.

More than 2.5 million children are homeless in the U.S. Eleven million in the world.

5.

On average, we lose 4-7 children in the U.S every day due to child abuse and/or neglect. Last year, a three-year-old girl was grabbed by her feet and thrown against a wall and beat to death with a belt. Sometimes the children survive, like the nine-year-old boy who was beat in the head with a hammer by his father.

6.

Regardless of reasons, more than half a million people are homeless in the U.S.

7.

Across the globe, there are at least two billion people who get drinking water contaminated with feces.

8.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, slowly causing loss of motor function, and ultimately death. An agonizing, horrific, painful death. At least 20,000 people are diagnosed with this disease each year. While there are therapies to help with associated pain and symptoms, there is no cure.

9.

Last year, more than 3,000 homes were lost due to wildfires. In September this year, Hurricane Harvey destroyed 12,700 homes.

This not to make you feel guilty or sad, but to encourage taking a brief moment and consider the difficulties others are facing. Humble yourselves, stop complaining about your problems, and appreciate the fact that you have problems. Your world is not the world. Enjoy the life you have and appreciate every single minute because there are no guarantees. Say how you feel, but only say it if you mean it. Follow through. Treasure the people in your life, good or bad. Take a chance even if you know you will land flat on your face because… what happens if you don’t? That’s exactly it- you will never know.