Stress

• Stress is upsetting the balance of homeostasis

• Homeostasis is the steady state within the body

• Stress is a condition in which the human system responds to changes in its normal balanced state

• A stressor is anything that is perceived as challenging, threatening, or demanding

  • This can include new jobs, moving into adulthood, marriage, retirement, death of a loved one, financial problems, chronic illness/injury, workplace stressors, divorce, and more

• An adaptation is a change in the response to a stressor, which can be physical or mental

• Eustress is stress interpreted as beneficial, while distress is perceived as detrimental

General Adaptation

• Developed by Hans Selye

• Explained the reactions to stress

• The alarm reaction occurs when stressors upset homeostasis, and an ‘alarm’ is sent to the entire body

  • An acute, short-term, intense response

• Resistance is the body fighting back by adjusting to the stressor

  • A chronic, long-term, less-intense response

• Exhaustion occurs when the body is no longer able to resist the stressor