What gets you through stress periods

I was just chatting with my good friend, Justin, and we were talking about times of stress, yes we have loads of that while seeking a doctorate. How do we react to the stress of our Dissertation Proposal getting hung up in committee and the school review team? I usually will pound out verse and try to wring the misery out of my soul through writing. He tells me he tends to do the opposite.

Just as a way of getting your thoughts, I decided to post a little poem I wrote here. It may feel a bit dark, but it is really just reflective of the passing of time in our lives. I hope you like it, and please comment.

TIME

I know the weight of time, and I know of nights grown long
But I would not have missed the trip, it were worth the going on

I hear the long, low haunt of the train, calling me strong
And I know my friends are there too, saying keep on

I remember dylan, joplin, and a few nights of not much wrong
But other times I remember the loss, the pain grown strong

I remember the times of fog, mind cramped by stress and misery
But other times I remember the joy, a new patch of life not dreary

We cannot shake the time of growing trials, and the learning therein
But we can really learn and know the path to settled time is within

Who can speak of tomorrow with certainty, we don’t know it at all
But we can know today, right now, and not let it become a deadfall

We can learn from yesterday, and all that it brought us in total
We can become more than the all our fears and pains sum total

So, you are the first to read my little bit of verse. Comment away!