Everyone in our little world at North Dakota State is on the verge of insanity right now.

If you’re not, then you must be doing something wrong … Or you have the mental mindset that we all strive for. Life in the 21st century moves really fast. If you can’t with stand the pressure, it’ll steamroll you and keep moving on like nothing occurred.

It’s no question that life has its downs. It can be stressful, sad, hard and overwhelming all at the same time. We can look back on a time where we can place these feelings of hardship.

Certain emotions can affect each person differently. When you’re nervous you may feel nauseous and some one else may feel lightheaded. Emotions can make you feel sick, tired, giddy, tingly or heated.

A person’s mental state can have everything to do with how they feel and influence how they act. This is due to an actual physiological reaction. Thoughts, feelings and emotions from the brain send signals to different parts of the body and release different hormones, which in turn elicit the physical reactions that you experience.

Mental health is an overlooked aspect of overall health. There is an undeniable stigma when it comes to psychological health. People often feel that it’s a sign of weakness or feel uncomfortable when someone is dealing with “personal issues.” However, there is no reason to feel you have to stifle these problems. One should learn where to draw the line, but not be afraid to reach out for support or find a release.

Find good habits of relief instead of bad habits that will only exacerbate the situation. Release can be in the form of exercise, social support, religion, meditation, or there’s even no harm in the occasional comfort food. It’s just so important to remind yourself that though other releases like alcohol, binging and smoking may seem like an easier alternative at the time, they always end up making the situation worse.

Even though stress can make it rough for a while, life has its ups that make all the downs worth the struggle.