STRESS

WHAT WE KNOW

Stress can negatively affect your health, your ability to concentrate, and your moods.

• When your body is stressed out, it releases hormones that make your heart beat faster and it sends extra blood to the muscles.  
• The hormones are a response to the "fight or flight" instinct, a person's response to a stressful situation.
• Stress can make a person feel angry, depressed, anxious, and tired. Built-up stress can compromise a person's immune system.
  • Teens today are overscheduled: just 20 years ago, teens had more free time - 12 more hours of free time a week.
  • Stress can sometimes come in positive forms. Good stress, called eustress, is your body's normal reaction to everyday pressures. It helps you meet challenges that you are prepared to encounter. Distress is the opposite.

 

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