How Does Stress Affect Your Workout?

Have you ever experienced long term stress? Ever had a project that felt as if it took a millenium to complete? Yeah, I'm there. Even though I'm only two weeks or so from completing my thesis, I look back and realized that over the last 6 months I've been extremely stressed out. And, sadly, by being stressed, I've neglected many workouts.
I'm not sure why it happens. I love working out. My days and moods are always better after I workout, I just tend to let everything else take priority over it. 
And yet, I hope to soon turn that type of thinking around. I recently purchased a book, Zen and the Art of Running, and in it the author discusses the idea of attachments. Attachments being the ideas/views we place on things/thoughts. According to the book, when I talk myself into staying in bed simply because I think it feels more comfortable than going for a run, well, then, I've attached an idea of my bed compared to my run. It's a way of breaking old thought patterns that impact motivation, and simply taking life as it is rather than fluffying it all up with my ideas. It's an amazing theory, one of which has been around for thousands of years, and I'm sure it will take more than just a read for me to really get it down. But, I'm trying. 
I have two races coming up in May and June that I'd love to run in. I'm a little anxious that I don't have enough time to train for them, but they're both fairly short and when it comes down to it, I can run on spit and pure desire, and repair the slight banged up muscles/soft tissue later. 
So, what about You? How does stress affect your workouts? Do you use it as motivation or does it sap your desire and strength as in my case? And, what ways are you working on in regards to stress? I'd love to hear your tips and stories, Link Up below!
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...
Like this post? Vote for me!