What is Stress?
Stress is a physical, mental, or emotional reaction to changes that require a response from the body. Stress is a normal part of the human experience and our bodies are made to handle it. There's 'good stress', which is typically triggered by a happy or exciting experience (e.g., a first date, promotion, roller coaster ride). Another is acute stress, which is a short-term type based largely on recent or future events that often dissipates after the stressful event has passed. Unlike 'good stress', it is triggered by unhappy/negative experiences. Acute stress can become chronic when ongoing and left untreated. Chronic stress (bad stress) is harmful and known to cause severe emotional and physical effects if not treated.

How the Body Reacts to Stress:
Stress causes respiratory, hormonal, cardiovascular, and nervous system changes. During periods of stress, the body’s autonomic nervous system engages its “fight or flight” response (often characterized by a fast heartbeat, bursts of energy, and rapid breathing) and this response should only be for emergency situations. A prolonged response of “fight or flight” due to chronic stress causes emotional and physical damage to the body.

Continual stress without relief can cause a distress condition and lead to many mental & physical symptoms/health issues including:

• immune system weakness 
• elevated blood pressure
• headaches
• stomach upset
• sexual dysfunction
• sleep trouble
• chest pain
• depression
• anxiety
• irritability
• panic attacks