Have you ever felt yourself worthless even though you know that you're working hard? Is there anyone asking why you always look so serious even you're not before? Have you overthought about something and couldn't sleep well even though it's not a big problem? Is your mood usually up and down in the blink of an eye?

For me, and many others, it's called stress- the silent killer in our lives. It is a killer in both psychological and physical perspectives.

Stress is caused by many reasons. You can be stressed because of suffering from studying or some troubles with your social relationships. Furthermore, stress is also the result of other mental health such as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Which is developed in some people who have experienced a dangerous, shocking or scary event.

Stress is more dangerous than what we have known about it.@knowledgefusion (Instagram)

For me, I usually get stressed during school-years and from some events in the past. My face looks so serious as an old lady even though I don't want to. The invisible pressure from my family, professors, and even myself makes me feel depressed. Nobody wants to know that I got bad grades even though they say to me it is ok to fail. They will probably sad and disappointed, or they just keep silent to me, which is even scarier.

In addition, spending nearly one month in the hospital with my little sister and witnessing her last breath over five years ago made me suffer PTSD. I get stressed more easily; sometimes I can shed tears without any reasons. Stress makes me feel unhappy with my life even though I realized that I should be pleased with everything I have had recently.

Also, I figured out that sleep-walking is one of the symptoms when I feel so tired and stressed. I used to walk and open a wardrobe to find a DVD when I was sleeping. I didn't perceive my behavior because I thought it was a dream until my mom asked me why I did that. She looked so scared and confused, so we decided to lock all the doors and windows carefully before going to bed. Fortunately, this hasn't happened to me again so far.

I do know and understand that I shouldn't keep everything inside. It will be much better if I'm able to share my feelings with people, but honestly, it's difficult for me because I don't easily trust others. So, how can my stress be healed?

I don't have many friends who have time listen to me or I can absolutely trust in U.S. Therefore, I come to my school's counseling center, and there are many people who are helping me a lot. I can trust them because we signed some papers relating to confidential information, and they have lots of experience, and they give me many useful advices for my life.

Furthermore, I have also learned how to express my feelings, how to be more patient, how to be calm and how to give and take. It will still take me more time to happily smile more like before. Stress is dangerous because it can cause suicidal thoughts for some people, and it's challenging to get over it.

I also had thoughts about ending my own life when my mood was suddenly so down because of stress, but then I felt I was so stupid. I should take care of myself well because it has taken over 20 years for my mom with her blood, sweat and tears to raise me. I need to do something to pay her back, and the first thing is to stay healthy.

People rarely bring flowers to a suicide.
—Jennifer Niven—