When we think of stress, we think of it as either being annoyed with a situation or being mad at something we cannot get over. That is not what stress is at all. Stress is a way of your body responding to a demand or threat. When you are stressed, multiple things happen to your body, like your heart may pound faster, your blood pressure will rise, and your muscles will tighten. Stress may occur when you have a tremendous amount of bills you have to pay, you are fighting with a friend, or you are trying to complete a big project.

Stress also has some major symptoms, like aches, nausea and chest pains. Stress can affect your immune system as well, causing fevers, colds, and other diseases that could cause death. There are also emotional effects that stress can take on your body. These effects may include, depression, anxiety, moodiness or anger in some cases. Loneliness and isolation may occur when the person feels like there is too much going on in there life, which can lead to negative habits like smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

There are many different ways you can get over stress that do not result in negative habits. Those things may include talking to a certified therapist, doing daily walks or runs throughout the day, and trying not to overload you work amount. Student Taylor Hodge says, “When I’m stressed I just listen to music to calm my mood”. Another student, Kaydence Brewer, says, “I just go to sleep so I can wake up and feel relaxed”.

So the next time you are stressed, take a look at what is causing you to feel this way and try to figure out if you can avoid it going forward. If not, there are plenty of healthy habits for you to pick up in order to make yourself feel better!