What Is Stress?

 

What is stress?

• Stress is the body's and mind's response to situations that feel difficult, challenging, or threatening.
• Different people react differently to the same situation because everyone thinks about events in their own way.
• A situation that is stressful for one person may not be stressful for another.

Stressors

A stressor is anything that causes stress.

Examples include:

• Exams
• Money worries
• Illness
• Moving home
• Family problems
• Losing a job
• Relationship difficulties

How stressful these events feel depends on how we think about them and whether we believe we can cope.

Good stress and bad stress

There are two main types of stress:

Eustress (Good Stress)

• Helps motivate us.
• Improves concentration.
• Can improve performance.
• Examples:
  • Preparing for an exam.
  • Starting a new job.
  • Playing in a sports competition.

Distress (Bad Stress)

• Happens when stress becomes too much.
• Can make us feel overwhelmed.
• May affect our physical and mental health.
• Can reduce our ability to think clearly or perform well.

Fight-or-flight response

Psychologist Walter Cannon discovered the fight-or-flight response.

When we face danger or stress:

• Heart beats faster.
• Breathing speeds up.
• Muscles tighten.
• Pupils become larger.
• Sweating increases.
• The body prepares to fight the danger or escape from it.

This response helps protect us during emergencies.

Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye explained that the body responds to long-term stress in three stages.

Stage	What happens
1. Alarm	The body recognises the stressor and activates the fight-or-flight response.
2. Resistance	The body tries to adapt and cope with the ongoing stress.
3. Exhaustion	If stress continues for too long, the body's energy becomes depleted, increasing the risk of illness.

Stress hormones

Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, causing the adrenal glands to release hormones such as:

• Adrenaline (epinephrine) – increases heart rate and energy.
• Noradrenaline (norepinephrine) – increases alertness.
• Cortisol – helps the body respond to stress.

Short bursts of cortisol are helpful, but long-term high levels can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of physical and mental health problems.

Health psychology

Health psychology is the study of how thoughts, emotions, behaviour, and stress affect physical health and illness.

Health psychologists study:

• Healthy lifestyles
• Stress management
• Preventing disease
• How psychological factors influence health outcomes.

Key Points to Remember

• Stress is how we respond to demanding or threatening situations.
• A stressor is something that causes stress.
• Everyone experiences stress differently.
• Eustress is positive and motivating.
• Distress is harmful when stress becomes excessive.
• The fight-or-flight response prepares the body for danger.
• Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome has three stages: Alarm → Resistance → Exhaustion.
• Long-term stress can damage both physical and mental health.
• Health psychology studies the connection between stress, behaviour, and health.