Fear

Fear, which is a form of stress, affects the body in many different ways. Your pupils will widen to let in more light. You will become more alert. Your adrenal glands will begin to pump more adrenaline and other hormones into your bloodstream. Your heart races, your blood pressure rises, your muscles tense. Your liver starts converting starches to sugars for energy. Digestion slows. Sweat production increases and the hair on your body may feel prickly and actually stand on end. All these physical reactions were designed to save your life. Your body is getting ready to defend itself. But these reactions are no longer useful in modern life and can actually be harmful if you keep yourself in such an alert state for too many hours each day. Too much stress also affects your immune system, weakening it and making you more susceptible to colds, coughs, and infections.

Too Much or Too Little Stress: Depression

It's perfectly normal to feel down or to have "the blues" for a while. Everyone does at some point, especially during stressful times or times of boredom. The best ways to cope with these feelings are to get out there and make new friends, participate in sports or your favorite hobbies, and talk to trusted friends and adults about your concerns. Most of the time, your feelings will pass in a couple of days or weeks and you'll be your old self again.

However, sometimes it can all seem to be just too much, for too long. You may be clinically depressed if you've been feeling down for several weeks or more, including any of the following:

*Feeling hopeless
*Feeling worthless
*Losing interest in your favorite activities
*Feeling bored all the time
*Having trouble eating or sleeping for several weeks or more
*Hating school
*Feeling unloved
*Drinking or using drugs
*Having thoughts of death or suicide

If you've been feeling this way for a long time, it probably won't go away on it's own, so it is very important to talk to a trusted adult about your feelings. There is help available that works. If you don't have someone you feel comfortable talking to, you can contact the National Mental Health Association at www.nmha.org or call 1-800-969-6642.