College students stretch their limbs to relax in yoga sessions. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Anxiety has benefits

Li, who also works as a psychologist at the university's counseling center, identifies stress as an instinctive behavior that reacts to such external factors as threats or danger.

Constant stress not only makes people feel miserable but also causes such problems as sleep and eating disorders.

"There's a limit to how much stress a person can take," says Li.

"When it becomes unbearable, the person needs to consider saying no to certain things and learn to lower expectations."

Li warns that many widespread means of stress release are harmful.

"Certain common strategies, such as smoking, drinking and drugs, are extremely addictive," says Li.

"Activities like shopping, gaming and eating junk food provide instant gratification" but may have long-term consequences, says Li.

But stress has its upside.

People can tweak their mindsets to transform anxiety into energy that helps them perform under pressure.

"Stress forces people to live in the moment," says Li.

"I have friends who take advantage of the feeling of working under stress, which allows them to complete projects in the shortest possible time. So they don't have to spend too long feeling worried."

Contact the writer at zhangzefeng@chinadaily.com.cn