Stress!!! Is it Good or Bad?

STRESS! We have all had our experiences with it. It seems to be a common everyday malady.  To hear, “I’m really stressed out!” or “This is making me totally stressed.” seems to be heard almost every day. When we feel this way, we probably are worried or uncomfortable about something. As a result, we may also experience feeling bad. Stomach aches and headaches are well known symptoms. Being “stressed out” occurs in our students’ lives, too.

Often we think of stress as being a bad thing. However, there is such a thing as good stress. Good stress can help us get things done and/or done better. Times when we feel good stress might be when we have a report in school, are called on in class, or are going up to bat in a ball game. This stress can urge students to prepare better for the presentation, do homework more thoroughly, or practice batting more. 
Bad stress can happen when the stressful feelings keep going over time. When this happens, the stress won’t help us and actually can make us sick. The good news is that there are things we can do to control and help us when we are “stressed out”.