What is stress?

Have you ever felt nervous about an important exam coming up? Or felt pressured to get good grades? Maybe you’ve been overwhelmed by a lot of schoolwork? Well, those are all good examples of stress, and there are so many more examples! 

First of all, let’s start with the basic question: What is stress? Stress occurs when you’re faced with situations that feel difficult to manage or control. It can impact how you think, feel, and physically respond—and it’s something nearly everyone goes through at some time in life. Even though many people perceive stress as a bad thing, there is such a thing as good stress. 

As Elizabeth Scott explains in her Verywell Mind Article ‘What Is Eustress’, eustress, (pronounced: you-stress) which is what good stress is called, can help sharpen your focus, increase your energy levels, and push you to stay motivated. Some examples of eustress include: Learning a new skill or hobby, planning a big event (like a birthday or a vacation), preparing for a competition or performance, or starting a new project or assignment that you’re excited about. You’re probably thinking, why does it matter so much? Well, it helps you grow, take healthy risks, and can even help you reach goals. As the article stated, “Eustress is often thought of as a beneficial type of stress because it can positively impact your life. However, it’s important to remember that eustress is still a type of stress. Because of this, eustress can become distress, or even chronic stress, if it becomes too intense or lasts for too long.” This means that it is healthy to have eustress, but not for too long.

As the article ‘Understanding distress’, from the website Change Mental Health said, distress, (pronounced: diss-stress) is what bad stress is called, and it can make you feel overwhelmed and helpless. It can take a toll on both your mental well-being and physical health. It decreases your performance, focus, and motivation and it feels like it’s out of your control. It’s also linked to some negative emotions, such as anxiety, fear, sadness or frustration. Some examples of distress include: Being overwhelmed by work, relationship conflict, health problems or medical diagnoses, or facing trauma, loss, or failure. If you think you have distress, check for these symptoms: Headaches, fatigue, sleep problems, weak immune system, anxiety, depression, mood swings, irritability, and unhealthy habits. The article stated that, “Distress can also come in ways like sadness, helplessness, anxiety and irritability, along with physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension and sleep problems.”

What does stress do to the body?

How does negative stress affect your body? According to the Honest and Goodness article “The Effects of Stress on Your Body,” the impacts of stress can include the following:

• Brain: Trouble focusing, mood changes, and mental fatigue.

• Heart: Raised blood pressure and higher risk of heart issues.

• Muscles: Tension and soreness.

• Immune System: Weaker defense against illness.

• Skin & Hair: Breakouts, hair thinning, and dry skin.

• Stomach: Upset stomach, bloating, and digestion problems.

Stress statistics

What about the statistics? The CDC reported that 34% of kids aged 6 to 14 did not get enough sleep. Moreover, 77% of high school students lacked sleep. The recommended amount of sleep is 9 to 12 hours for children aged 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 hours for kids aged 13 to 17.

Pew Research Center’s report added that “68% of teens (13–17) felt pressured to get good grades” and “41% of them also felt compelled to fit in socially.” These statistics show that many teens, worldwide, feel pressured in many different ways.

Research.com shows that “21.6% of students in grades 6 through 12 were attacked online or via text, with female students being bullied more than male students.” This statistic shows the sides of cyberbullying and not just stress. 

The same article, ‘50 Current Student Stress Statistics: 2026 Data, Analysis & Predictions’ by Research.com, shows, “60% of intense social media users expressed low parental monitoring and weak parental relationships.”

Another fascinating statistic from the same article, focuses on teens who participate in extracurricular activities. “33% of teenagers believed they were pressured to have extracurricular activities.”

Not only is this bad for mental health, but for physical health too. These statistics only go to show how stress affects all ages.

How to overcome stress

Now, the final question that solves it all: How to overcome stress? If you’re a person who experiences bad stress and wants to stop it, here are some tips and tricks! First of all, stress doesn’t come only from school or work. It comes from other things as well, such as financial problems, relationship conflicts, obstacles up ahead, and more. Everyone experiences and overcomes stress differently. The Cleveland Clinic recommends these common methods.

• Let go of grudges – Holding on to past conflicts can add emotional stress. Learning to forgive can bring relief and improve relationships.
• Use music to relax – Music can change your mood, help clear your mind, and reduce feelings of stress.
• Exercise – Exercising can be a great way to relieve stress. It helps you work out your feelings and gives you a fresh mind.
• Spend some time in nature – Spending time in mother nature is one of the BEST ways to relieve stress. Even just taking a walk around your neighborhood could be good for you. As long as you step outside for a bit, you can relieve stress.
• Play with your pet – Playing, petting, cuddling, whatever it is, spending time with your beloved pet could be a great stress relieving method.
• Talk to a trusted person – Talking to a teacher, counselor, parent, sibling, friend, or pet. If you’re ever feeling like you want to talk about something, go to a trusted adult or friend and they will help.
• Try meditation – Focusing on your breath and quieting your thoughts can help you feel calm and centered.

These methods are excellent for relieving stress. Some of these wouldn’t work for you, but that’s alright because everyone experiences stress differently and overcomes it differently.

How do students and teachers at iUP experience stress?

Now, let’s see what other people say! I asked a few students and teachers about their stress and how they overcome it, let’s see what they say!

Let’s start with the teachers! Art teacher Mrs. Carlin said that on the average week she experiences only 5% of stress from being tired or hungry. She said that when she’s tired or hungry, it’s hard for her to problem solve. What helps her calm down? She said that if it’s a small stress related problem, she sets a timer for five minutes and takes a break from whatever is stressing her out. For bigger issues that require problem solving, she goes for a long run or swims laps for an hour. Physical activity combined with being alone helps her calm down.

The school’s 7th grade Math teacher, Mrs. Cowley said she gets 30-40% of stress on the average week, depending on what day it is. Parenting and deadlines are her main stressors. She calms down by stepping away from the stressor, leaving the desk to go take a walk outside or do something to get her mind fully off of it, and return when she has calmed down. For parent-related stress, if she can safely separate herself from the stressor, she walks into another room and takes deep breaths before returning.

Now, the school’s 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. Daliso gets 20% of stress in the average week depending on what’s going on in that week. What stresses her out the most is when people she loves, such as family and dogs, get sick or their health is in poor condition. How she calms down is thinking through the worst case scenarios. She said that when she does that, it helps her cope better knowing things could get worse. 

Let’s hear from the students now! Fifth graders, Isabella Soriano and another student, each experience stress on different levels. Isabella experiences stress 30% of the time in the average week, while the other student experiences stress 100% of the time. The other student gets stress from when the teachers loads them with work while they are practicing gymnastics, and Isabella gets stress mostly from her brothers. Isabella calms down by staying in her room with her kitty, while the other student calms down when they complete their work.

Sixth grader Annelise Lee, experiences stress 80% of the time in the average week, with school stressing her out the most. She likes to take naps to calm down from stress.

 Seventh graders Madison Famada and Payslee Shultz experience stress way differently. Madison, 10% in the average week and Payslee 60%. Payslee gets stressed with her extracurriculars and Madison when her computer is being slow, or when she’s late to a Live Lesson. However, they calm down similarly. They both spend time with their pets! 

Eighth grader Zander Box experiences stress only 5% in the average week, with chess games and sometimes schoolwork being his stressors. Re-reading passages and making good moves in chess helps him calm down when experiencing stress.

Another student from 10th grade said that they experience stress in the average week about 60% of the time, mainly from missing assignments or what’s ahead in the future. Reading, listening to music, and going for walks help them calm down.

A student from 12th grade claimed they experience stress 70% at the highest in the average week, but don’t experience that everyday. They get stressed out the most from the lack of time to complete school work and extracurricular activities. They calm down by saying that they are ahead and that it’s okay if they don’t always complete the exact amount of assignments they wanted to. They also said stepping outside helps too.

These interviews show that everyone experiences stress in unique ways, and there are many personal strategies that can help manage it!

Resources: 

Bouchrika, I. (2025, September 19). 50 current student stress statistics: 2025 data, analysis & predictions. Research.com. https://research.com/education/student-stress-statistics#2

Cleveland Clinic. (2024, October 2). 20 ways to relieve stress. Health Essentials. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-relieve-stress

Honest and Goodness by Claire. (2025, March 12). The effect of stress on your body. Honest & Goodness. https://www.honestgoodness.ie/blog/stress-effect-body

Scott, E. (2025, September 16). Eustress is the good type of stress you didn’t know you needed. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-eustress-3145109

Change Mental Health. (n.d.). Understanding distress. https://changemh.org/resources/understanding-distress/