The Stress Response

The body responds to stressors with what is called the “fight or flight” or “stress” response. It is a primitive adaptation designed to help us either confront or flee from a real physical danger.

Anyone narrowly escaping a traffic collision has experienced the “fight or flight” response – the pounding heart, wide-eyes, holding your breath.

Commonly referred to today as the “stress response,” this physiological mechanism is triggered when a person is presented with a real or imagined threat to their well-being.

During the stress response the body activates a series of changes including:

faster heart rate
faster and shallower breathing
increased perspiration
greater muscular tension
elevated body temperature
dilated pupils
constriction of pilomotor muscles (goosebumps)
rerouting of blood away from internal organs
slow digestion
dry mouth
increase in metabolism

This same stress response occurs if we only imagine a physical danger, as in reading an adventure novel or watching a scary movie.

It may also be induced by psychological threats such as fear of speaking in front of a group of people, interviewing for a job, meeting deadlines – anything which a person perceives a threat to his/her well-being.

The strength of the response is related to the degree of immediate danger perceived. The greater and more immediate the danger, the greater the response.

A chronic, but low grade response may not be noticeable, especially if a person becomes accustomed to being under stress. Many people don’t realize how much stress they are under, or have forgotten what it feels like to relax.

The stress response is a natural survival mechanism designed to be a temporary response to an immediate threat.

The body is meant to return to normal functioning once the treat is gone.

A prolonged stress response with no relief is what causes the physical and mental ills associated with stress.