What is stress?

Stress is a difficult term to nail down because what’s stressful for you might not be stressful to the next person and vice-versa. Likewise some stress is helpful because it might push you to do something in an emergency. When you’re body goes into a stress response, often called the fight or flight reaction, hormones are released. The concern is that what’s helpful for your body in a short-term crisis can be harmful over long periods. The long-term exposure to stress hormones can throw a wrench into your body’s processes. It can increase your risk of obesity, insomnia, digestive problems, heart disease, memory impairment, physical illnesses and other complications- even acne. For these reasons and others, health care professionals say it’s important to manage your stress. Techniques that may prove helpful include: exercise, meditation, relaxation techniques like deep breathing, healthy food choices, social support networks, and professional psychotherapy. Watch more video about stress or share your story on video with icyou.