Do you ever feel overwhelmed, saddened or irritable and you don’t know why? If so, you are stressed. Stress occurs when your body feels threatened. A challenge like midterms, applying to college, or even just not having enough time in the day to get everything done could cause stress, especially in teens. When people sense danger, their reaction to a stressful situation is called the “fight or flight” response. This is when someone’s instincts cause them to attack back or run away from the situation.

Stress affects everyone, but is seen especially in teens. According to USA Today, in 2014 over 75 percent of students felt moderate to extreme stress.Teenagers are stressed because they try to manage tons of homework, studying and extracurriculars everyday. The lack of time in the day causes stress, which is very unhealthy. The effects of stress can result in anger, anxiety, fatigue, headaches, shaking/twitching, nausea, nail biting, high blood pressure or chest pain. To overcome stress it is recommended that you get plenty of sleep, think positive, join a club or sport, talk to someone, or engage in meditation and yoga.

There are many different types of stress, including acute stress, episodic acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is short term and is the most common. This occurs when someone is thinking about upcoming demands. Its episodic form occurs when people frequently have this form of stress. This is common in unorganized and busy people. Chronic stress is the most harmful type. This is when someone has constant dilemmas without any solutions which causes violent actions. Most teens and adults experience acute stress, which can be overwhelming but curable.