"I read the news today, oh boy..." - John Lennon

At times, the world seems crazy—like today. I just read the news and felt my stress go up and my happiness go down. So, I took a mental vacation with my stamps. Just seeing them puts me in a different state of mind. I’m happier. Each stamp reminds me of its story. I enjoy learning more about the stamp, why it was issued, and what it represents.

Looking at my stamps activates different parts of my brain. I feel myself relax both mentally and physically. Mentally, I’m calmer and focused on a happy topic that fills me with positive vibes. Physically, my face relaxes, my shoulders unclench, and I breathe better and deeper. I’m happier, and I can feel it.

I control my part of the world—my world of collecting and history.

Here are two ideas to read stamp stories:

• Mystic Stamp has thousands of different stories about U.S. stamps.
• This Day in History is an archive of stamp stories for each day of the year. Want to know what happened on June 1 related to stamps? Check it out!