There can be many factors at play here. We become more easily stressed when we are tired or unwell. But with all things being equal it is what we think about a situation that will determine whether we are stressed by it or not.

For example, let's look at two people waiting for a phone call from a potential romantic interest and how differently they respond when they do not receive phone call.

Person A starts to fret and draws many conclusions about why person hasn't called and will most likely start to think about all times in past that they have been let down in a similar manner. They might start to think things like - "men never call when they say they will, there must be something wrong with me because no one wants to go out with me, men are totally unreliable, no one is ever going to want to go out with me again etc." With all these negative thoughts and self-talk, person A is likely to become stressed, depressed and/or defensive.

Person B on other hand simply thinks that potential caller forgot, were busy or changed their minds. They may feel a little disappointed that phone call did not occur but they do not get involved in a lot of negative thinking and simply let it go and get on with their day.

A brief story. Soon after graduating I left home for adventure and discovery, and perhaps a life-changing experience. My mind was virtually a blank canvas for experience to paint a path for my future. I traveled afar and engaged in different employments in different places. I met many interesting people, in interesting places on my journey to discover what I wanted to do with rest of my life. A year passed. I'd had a fantastic time, but, I hadn't really discovered where my future lay.