How can we measure what it means to be less stressed? How do you know if you’re doing “better” at managing stress? Well, because it’s such a subjective thing, and because you can’t really control how stressed you are, I’d offer that our actions, decisions, and mindset are the things that we can alter to reduce stress. Control what you can and simply deal with things that you can’t control in an unemotional way. You’ll feel better, and you may find that the stress number on your smartwatch or phone goes down as well.