Between final exams, landing summer internships, managing social lives, all the while being broke, the best way to describe the end of the semester for any college student would be stressful. Stress, is defined as, "a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension." We've all experienced it at some point in our lives and at certain times way more than others. It's an inescapable fact of life and too much stress can have incredibly detrimental effects. The self-care community on social media has made strides in finding ways to get rid of or at least minimize stress. As a society, we've grown so accustomed to the belief that stress is bad and we must find solutions to fix it. However, I believe that this mindset can do more harm than good in relation to our success and well being.

When thinking about stress we cannot forget that stress can actually be good. Not only for us but for the world we live in. The best examples of stress being positive can be found in Earth's natural processes. Wildfires, for example, are aggressively destructive to habits but are an incredibly necessary part of the ecosystem. The stresser, in this scenario being fire, clears away weaker trees and debris and returns the nutrients back into the earth as ashes. They exist to maintain a balance within nature. Stress on tectonic plants within the earth's layers creates beautiful landscapes such as the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountain Range. These gorgeous places would not exist without stress being forced onto the earth. Not only is stress necessary to the earth, but it's necessary for the health of our bodies as well. When we work out or lift weights we put stress on our bodies and in return gain muscle. Lifting weights literally breaks down muscle fibers and our bodies repair them through cellular processes. If our bodies and even our planet are equipped to handle stress, certainly our minds are right? I argue, absolutely.