How Does Stress Affect the Body?

What is Stress?

According to an annual market research study conducted in collaboration with the American Psychological Association (APA), participants’ self-reported stress levels in 2020 increased significantly in several different categories compared to previous years. (American Psychological Association 2020) Some types of stress are normal and necessary, generating the impetus necessary to convert thought into action, whether that action is planting a garden, meeting a deadline, or escaping from a fire or flood. In fact, stress has been the force behind much of humanity’s progress through the ages. But when stress becomes a frequent occurrence, it can negatively affect health, goals, and relationships by impacting mood and the ability to think clearly. It can also weaken the immune system, increasing susceptibility to illness. (Dhabhar 2014)

Stress is essential to our survival, triggering a built-in fight or flight response when exposed to threats. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is central in regulating the stress response. (Smith 2006)(Tan 2018)