Stress is something nearly everyone has to deal with. Unfortunately, stress can be the trigger of many health problems. For this reason, part of being healthy is having the ability to properly manage stress. To help, below is a brief outline of what stress actually is as well as some of the best ways to deal with it.Stress is usually thought of as a psychological phenomenon. It is defined as the emotional duress a person experiences.However, the mind is what allows every other part of the body to function. Due to this fact, stress can also manifest itself in more physical symptoms as well. For example, painful headaches are a symptom of stress for many people. Other common symptoms include anxiety, sleeping problems, dizziness, irritability, and the inability to concentrate.Most usually, stress is brought on by a person thinking about a problem too often. Many times, this person may view the problem as dwarfing him or herself as an individual. The problem or issue may seem unsolvable, and this can create stress.Thankfully, there are many ways to deal with stress. Different people may use different coping mechanisms. Despite this fact, it is good to have more than one strategy to handle stress. Having multiple methods can prevent a person from relying on one method too much to the point it loses its effectiveness.One such method is controlling how you breathe. This is due to the fact that people breathe differently when they're stressed out. When people are suffering from stress, they take shallow and short breaths. Instead, you should try to take deeper and longer breaths. This can tell your body to calm down. It allows your body to recompose, and it can break the chain of negative thinking that creates stress.Positive thinking is another successful stress fighting strategy. This is due to the fact that stress is psychological in nature. It's caused by dwelling on negative thoughts that create an impending sense of doom. If you can instead focus on something positive, even something small, it can help break that chain that creates stress in the first place.Another key to fighting stress is having something to look forward to each day. If you are buried in work at the office, you should at least have some time to yourself to do something you enjoy when you get home. This could be reading, watching movies, or doing your favorite hobby. Whatever the case, you always need to make time for yourself.