Youth talk

A group of 28,000 individuals in a study that aimed to explore the effects of stress on health were asked how stressed they were in the past 12 months of their lives and were then asked to rate how they felt that stress affected their health.

Participants of the study were then closely followed for a period of nine years and it was observed that those who believed that stress contributed to negative effects on their health has a 43 per cent more likely chance of premature death.

It was found out that stress does not necessarily lead to ill effects on health-cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure to name a few - but that believing it does.

A better approach is to think of the symptoms commonly related to stress, such as an increased heat rate, as your body prepares itself for action.

Indeed, it is often how we react to adverse situations in life rather than the situations themselves that can determine how stressed, or happy, we usually feel.

Viewing mistakes as opportunities for learning, rather than a mishap on your part, and trying to focus on the bright side are definitely ways of living a more content life.