Relationship between stress and physical illness

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Psycology, Relationship between stress and physical illness

Stress is the body's emergency response to real or imagined danger. A stress reaction prepares the body for a burst of action to fight or flee a threat. The heart races, hands get cold and sweaty, muscles tense, and the stomach feels jittery. Stress that lasts a long time can exhaust the body and cause a frazzled mental state of feeling worried and overwhelmed. Any event, thought, or situation that causes stress is called a stressor.

Stress aids survival, especially in cases when extraordinary effort can overcome real physical dangers. Stress was particularly useful for prehistoric people when life was filled with such stressors as defending shelter and hunting large animals. As civilization developed, life for most people became less physically dangerous. But as society became more complex, mental and emotional challenges increased and became common stressors.

Stress is not always useful as a response to mental and emotional stressors. A mild level of stress can provide a sense of excitement and help people perform at their peak. But severe stress can fill people with worry and prevent effective behavior. Stress that lasts a long time can weaken health