Junior Grace Oliver knows stress.

“My head starts to swim, my heart beats faster and I break into a cold sweat,” she said.

Between a frenzy of AP classes, after school jobs, clubs and the all-important college applications, the stress level of the average high school student skyrockets.

Stress is very individualized. While one student may tear through the halls, bearing three AP textbooks and a wild look in her eyes, another may mosey by, earbuds in tow, casually holding the same textbooks.

“So much of stress is perception,” Bert Nash psychologist Dr. Marciana Vequist said. “We control how we perceive the external factors around us and the attention they demand.”

Stress…so what is it?

Strangely, the hormones that would be triggered if you were falling off a cliff are the same hormones that are triggered by stress: the body’s “fight or flight” reflex. Adrenaline is pumping, gearing the body up for a big event whether it is skydiving or writing an application essay.

Stress in small doses is actually healthy. If you’re under pressure and want to do well, a little bit of stress and anticipation will provide motivation, and hopefully, some extra credit.

“Stress is a good motivator. If I wasn’t stressed, I’d be a potato,” Oliver said.

However, some people stress out no matter if they are about to take the SAT or a simple review quiz in Spanish class.

According to Dr. Vequist, “conscientiousness” is a personality that is more prone to stress.

“This is a personality that predicts success and can be a really positive thing,” Dr. Vequist said. “However, the problem is when people become too conscientious about too many things.”

Am I stressed?

Calculus- and/or “Great Expectations”-induced headaches do exist. Headaches, along with upset stomachs, sleep loss and irregular eating habits are physical indicators of stress.

In addition to the hectic teenage lifestyle, fluctuating teenage hormones also factor into stress.

“When hormones come into play, they affect our ability to address stress effectively,” Free State social worker Cindy Trarbach said.

Oliver agrees.

“When I get too stressed, I have a negative outlook on life,” Oliver said.

I’m tearing my hair out, what do I do?

Dr. Vequist recommends two coping methods. The first is called “experience.”

“The more experience we have with a certain stressful situation, the less stress we feel,” Dr. Vequist said.

The second method is skill. It’s simple–develop the skills you need to feel more comfortable in times of stress. “Take small steps,” Dr. Vequist said.

Junior Tiana Hupfauf, who radiates calmness and relaxation, has it all figured out. She runs every day, gets plenty of sleep and tries not to dwell on the negatives.

“I know I sound like a hippie, but sometimes I just listen to music and burn incense,” Hupfauf said.

Dr. Vequist and Trarbach both recommend the norm: a diet low in fat, sugar and carbohydrates, 30 minutes of exercise a day, and at least six to eight hours of sleep every night.

However, according to Marie Claire magazine, certain foods can actually reduce stress.

Turkey has an amino acid that helps keep the body’s serotonin, or “feel-good” brain chemicals in check. Oranges are rich in vitamin C, which helps return serotonin levels back to normal while simultaneously fighting colds.

Yeah…but I still have all this homework…?

“Don’t over-schedule yourself,” Trarbach said.

Trarbach suggests mapping out activities and assignments and chipping away at each a little bit every night. When writing a paper, sometimes it’s necessary to even turn the Internet off.

Be realistic with your activities and expectations. “We can’t all be NFL players,” Trarbach said.

Home help

“Social support is very important,” Dr. Vequist said. “You need someone to vent to.”

Whether coping with stress means eating spinach and lean turkey breast at every meal, mapping out each minute of the afternoon or meditating while burning incense, remember to stop and breath every once in a while.

“I just think, everything’s gonna pan out, the chips will fall where they may,” said Hupfauf, with a smile and a casual shrug.