DUE to adverse or demanding circumstances, stress can change an individual’s mental or emotional state.

Stress can either be good or bad.

Good stress, also called eustress, has its advantages. For instance, it can help you to meet your daily challenges and motivate you to reach your goals. Good stress keeps you feeling alive and excited. With good stress we can cope with situations, it is short-term and it improves performance.

Bad stress also called distress, on the other hand, is not good for health. It can weaken the immune system and cause illnesses such as heart diseases, depression, fatigue and high blood pressure.

There are three different types of stress:

ACUTE STRESS

This stress is very common as it is caused by thrill and excitement. An example can be riding a roller coaster. Too much acute stress, however, can be exhausting and can lead to health issues such as headaches and an upset stomach.

CHRONIC STRESS

If acute stress is not resolved and begins to increase over a long period of time then it becomes chronic stress. Chronic stress can be detrimental to one’s health as it can cause cancer, heart diseases, accidents or even suicide.

ACUTE EPISODIC STRESS

This refers to a situation where acute stress is seen as a way of life. Persons might have trouble saying no, always have something to do and is always in a rush to get things done. Symptoms include persistent tension, headaches, hypertension and heart diseases.

There are many signs of stress in teens. These include:

* Poor performance in school

* Loss of interest in previous enjoyment

* Prefers to be alone

* Grief

* Complaining or mention of suicide

* Constant nightmares

* Little rest or food intake

* Turning to drugs or alcohol

* Trouble sleeping

Bad stress can be caused by issues at home where there are frequent arguments between family members. Teens can also feel stressed when they have many assignments to do or tests to revise for or even to maintain the expected standard of the school.

Here are ways to cope with stress:

1 Learn to relax. Through this you will create a sense of peace and calm. Ensure to pencil in your timetable time for relaxation. Read a good book, watch a movie, go out with friends or treat yourself to a massage.

2 Be mindful of what you’re thinking. Your attitude and thoughts plays an important role in how you perceive things. Having a dose of optimism can help you to make the best of a difficult situation.

3 Take one step at a time. If you have a lot of tasks to complete and you feel overloaded just execute each task step by step. If you try to do everything at once then your mind will shut down or you will suffer from frustration.

4 Believe in yourself! If you believe you can do it then you can, if not, then you can’t. It is all about the mind. When you believe in yourself then you will not doubt your capabilities and will not allow stress to get the best of you.

“Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.” — Bill Phillips

— Sicourney Jackson