Okay quick-what's so bad about stress really? We hear that stress is a killer ALL THE FREAKIN TIME but what does that really mean?

Side note: I'm writing this while right in the thick of March Break and let me tell you-I am sloooowly going crazy! I think with all of the internal 10 counts this week I've hit about a trillion. Seriously. And the reason for those counts is that spike in blood pressure, tense muscles and every other hallmark indicator of stress!

I don't need to tell you that stress can come from the things we love the most like our families or a great but demanding job and also from really negative influences like a horrible boss, messy divorce, health crisis etc. The brutal part is that our bodies respond the exact same way to the good stresses (having a baby, getting a raise) as to the bad ones (a loved ones diagnosis with cancer). So how do we deal with all this stress and avoid wreaking havoc with our health?