Everyone experiences stress. It is the reaction to any situation that the body cannot handle. The human body is designed to react to it. It can take a positive toll, such as driving someone to work harder and be alert- or a negative toll, resulting in long term issues. Some know how to control their emotions and stress, but most cannot handle them. In these situations, there are many factors that can affect a person’s health.

Stress can affect someone’s emotions, behavior, physical and mental abilities. Being able to identify stress symptoms is crucial as it can give ideas on how to control them before getting worse. Emotional symptoms that a person can go through can include mood changes, feeling overwhelmed, and low self-esteem. Someone can also feel or see physical symptoms. This can include fatigue, infections, and insomnia.

Not being able to recognize the symptoms of stress in time can cause chronic consequences such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and even depression.

For a student at Back of the Yards, Jackie Almaraz says that, “stress affects my mental health by making me doubt myself and my decisions, so I get even more stressed out and I start to overthink everything”.  

Finding a way to cope with stress can be life changing. Josephine Sulls says that, “I cope with stress by taking a break so that I think logically and clearly. I do this so that I can feel a bit refreshed when I come back to the situation”. Some possible ways to help relieve stress are eating healthy, sharing your problems with others, and indulging in physical activities. You have more control over your worries than you think. Focus on what matters most and everything else will become easier. Some may think that it is impossible to stop it, but taking little steps can go a long way.

– Yuan Liu