Stress. We all have it. How am I going to finish this essay? I'm going to bomb my interview. Will he ever text me back?Though our stress is all caused by different things, we all experience the same side effects: lack of sleep, nervous stomachs, grey hairs, breakouts, unplanned emotional breakdowns, the list goes on. What many people forget is that stress wears you down and can severely damage your health. It has been proven that people who do not stress and worry live longer than those who do. Don't we all want to age slow and live long? Here are a few things that we often stress over and reasons why we shouldn't.

We are often worried about things we cannot control. We've all pulled an all-nighter or two cramming for an exam. We've all entered a testing room with sweaty palms and a racing heart. But why? At that point, there is nothing more you can do to prepare; either you know the material or not. So what's the point in stressing out right before the test? Most likely, all you will do is push the information that you do know out of your head and do worse. Give yourself a mental pep talk beforehand: "You know this. Worrying will not help. You have to go in with a clear mind."

A key component to reducing stress is time management. If you can manage your time well, you won't be stressed about missing deadlines. I'm sure you've all heard someone say "there just aren't enough hours in a day." But there are, if you spend them wisely. If you have a math exam to study for, a research paper to write and a case study to do, plan out exactly how much time you will be spending on each! This way, you can ensure that you will get all of your work done in a timely manner.

As a college freshman, I often worry about my future. I worry about what I am going to do with the rest of my life; I worry about failing in my career or choosing the wrong career path and being stuck. Yes, these are logical things to consider, but not to stress over. I am still young with ample time to figure it out. There is no way to determine how my future will turn out, because I am molding it right now. If I focus on the present and stay focused and stress-free, I can figure everything out and succeed in any career.

Overall, stress is something that, believe it or not, you can control and eliminate from your life. Remove negative people and energy from your life, do things that make you happy, drink tea, eat clean, stay organized and focus on bettering yourself. You will see a difference in your physical and mental health.