The Stress Response

Selye's research on stress revealed that the body undergoes a physical response to stress, regardless if the stress is physical or emotional, actual or perceived, distress or eustress. He called this the general adaptation syndrome, and it consists of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

During the alarm phase, the body is exposed to the stressor. The autonomic nervous system is engaged. This branch of the nervous system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response. Begin thinking about what is happening during this stage. If the stress is not neutralized at this point, the individual becomes susceptible to illness and disease. Much energy is expended during this hyper-aroused state.

It is during the resistance phase that attitudes and coping skills are employed as we try to counteract the stressor itself. Illness can occur during this phase as well, especially if the source of stress becomes chronic. This diagram is good for a number of reasons. First of all, the sheer size of the resistance phase allows imagination of all the potential stress alleviators in our arsenal! We see how it only takes a "little" stress to set off the alarms. We also see how long our bodies can survive in resistance mode before reaching the exhaustion phase, which also results in illness, or even death.

Start thinking about the various ways your body responds negatively to stress, our next topic. You will then have an opportunity to measure your own stress before we finally begin the best part: exploring some great strategies that just may help you regain a little balance in life!