Stress is a person’s physical and emotional reaction to change, South counselor Sandra Johnson told a group of students during Stress: Coping with the Pressures of School, Work and Family Nov. 2.

“There is such a thing as good or bad stress,” she said.

Anger is a strong enemy to the human body, so students need to know what gets under their skin, Johnson said.

“Students must get to know themselves internally,” she said.

Every decision a student makes counts for something, and a harvest is involved for every choice, Johnson said.

“Have you done your homework? You need to know what you are eating, drinking and thinking,” she said.

Some students go all day long without eating, just pushing the envelope, which is the quickest way to diabetes, she said.

Johnson said if students know certain diseases or conditions run through their family, they should be taking the necessary steps to counteract them.

“Know your family history and genetic makeup,” she said.

Loneliness is a stressor, Johnson said. Even married people can be lonely because the spouse is never there or they are living separate lives under the same roof.

“We have to think about ourselves quite a bit more,” she said. ”We abuse ourselves quite a bit.”

Johnson spoke about an aunt who lived until age 96 and her grandmother who lived until 97.

“My grandmother told us how important it is to take care of our feet because our bodies breathe through our feet,” she said.

Education of the human body is vitally important to maintaining good health, Johnson said.

“Do you have good posture?” she asked. ”If you don’t, your body is under stress.”

Sitting in front of computers all day is not good, Johnson said.

People need to get a good dose of vitamin D from the sun for at least 15 minutes a day.

“Knowledge is important, but we want to appropriate it accordingly,” she said.

Johnson said people can work on maintaining their bodies.

“We might not be able to fix it, but we can do maintenance,” she said.

South student Shirley Davidson said she will incorporate what she heard by taking occasional breaks and letting stress go as much as possible.

Davidson said the main point that stuck out to her is how stress affects her life every day.

“The spirit of a man or woman sustains them,” Johnson said.