Stress is any type of physical, emotional, or psychological strain, which everyone experiences to some degree. According to Mayo Clinic, if you don’t pay attention to your stress the following effects can occur:

• Heart attack
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Weight gain

To effectively cope and prevent these effects, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), both have many trips and tricks to help which include:

• Maintain a daily routine; set time for regular meals, exercise, daily chores, etc.
• Sleep Adequately; achieve at least 8 hours at night, go to bed at the same time, avoid caffeine before bed
• Exercise regularly
• Make time to unwind; do activities you enjoy
• Talk to other; share your problems and how your feeling with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or priest

Even trying one of these coping strategies should help reduce your daily stress levels. To keep it manageable, start by choosing one of the bullet points above and work on it for a week. See how the strategy reduces your stress, and if it doesn’t have the desired effect try a different tip or trick the following week.