Stress is a physical, mental, or even emotional reaction caused by the demanding events in your life.

Think about an alarm system. If the alarm system senses a threat, that alarm system will react with high pitched sounds and maybe even flashing red lights!

Let’s adapt this idea to our own bodies. You have your own alarm system in your body that protects you. If your brain senses a threat, hormones are released to give you enough energy to either run away from the threat or confront it. After the threat is gone, your body goes back to normal. 

For example, if you were hiking in the woods after a long day and saw a bear, your heart would start beating faster and suddenly, you would have enough energy to run away. When you got away from the bear, your heartbeat would slow down and you would need time to recover from the scare (and catch your breath)!

However, if you don’t allow time to recover from stress, this could lead to severe health issues.