Whether you know it as acute stress, adrenaline rush, sudden anxiety or even kill-or-be-killed in extreme cases, fight or flight in all forms happens to us far more often than we think.

“A brief fight-or-flight response is a good thing. It kicks your sympathetic nervous system into high gear to help you defend against a threat. And, normally, you escape the danger with little or no harm,” said Dr. Daniel Greenberg. “The real problem is chronic stress, which has all sorts of negative effects.”

Chronic stress can come from family upheavals, money problems, personal relationships, illness and death and even dealing with traffic. When these conditions happen too often, or even in one or two life-changing moments, they can affect your health in many ways.

But Dr. Greenberg advised that regardless of the size or frequency of the fight-or-flight stresses, finding your own way to handle them is the best you can do – especially if you are a student.

Get to know your fight-or-flight response and the risks associated with chronic stress in this article by L. C. Leach III.