Stress can mean a few different things in a few different situations, although it is caused by pressure.  Whether this is the pressure of two things pushing against an object, or the pressure of having lots of work and not enough time.  With semester finals around, there is likely a lot of pressure on students and teachers, which then causes a lot of stress.  So, we know what causes it, but what is stress?

Stress is a natural mental state that causes anger, nervousness and frustration.  Although stress seems bad, it provides motivation to tackle problems in life, since you want to stop being frustrated and be happy with the problem causing stress being dealt with.  Though unfortunately, a lot of stress can be counterproductive, and will make things unrelated to the task causing it worse.  A lot of the symptoms of stress are directly caused from the emotions it causes, having trouble making decisions, concentrating, and remembering things, and being more sensitive to things and worrying about problems more, being more irritable too.  Physical symptoms of it are similar in being caused by emotions, clenching jaws and tightening muscles, though it also causes some unique symptoms, making it seem less like a mental state and more like a disease.  For example, it can cause headaches, stomach aches, and nausea.  So, how do you deal with unhealthy stress?

First of all, if possible, try dealing with the problem that is causing you stress.  Sometimes though, you can’t deal with the problem directly, and have to find a different way to end stress.  One of these ways to relieve stress is to simply try to live healthier physically and mentally: being physically active, eating balanced and healthy, avoiding unhealthy things like caffeine, trying to sleep a healthy amount, or you can socialize with other people and talk about the problems you’re having.  Ways to help avoid stress would be taking breaks when you need them, and trying to keep a routine to keep yourself from spending too much time on something.