With the new school year falling into place, things tend to become more stressful.

One way your body reacts to stress is by releasing hormones and increasing your heart and breathing rate, much like the fight or flight response that occurs when fear is recognized in your brain.

Stress can affect all parts of your body, from your nervous system to your reproductive system. According to the Mayo Clinic, short-term results of negative stress can include headaches, loss of sleep, stomach aches, and heartburn. All of these effects are anything but helpful when trying to focus on schoolwork or lead a productive lifestyle.

Chronic, long-term stress can cause more complicated, serious effects to your body and its systems. High blood pressure, infertility, and heart attacks are some results of elongated periods of negative stress.

The mind, fragile already, is just as susceptible to stress as your body. Anxiety, lack of motivation, irritability, and depression have been all been linked to negative responses to biological stress.

Some ways to better prepare your body for stress include eating healthy and regularly, getting a good amount of sleep every night, and avoiding products that contain caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol. Also, any kind of physical activity can increase your blood flow and help redirect your energy, and high-intensity activities (like running or playing sports) can release chemicals in the brain that improve your mood.

So, after you finish that big assignment, make sure to care for your mind and body to prevent the harmful effects of stress from weighing you down.