Taming StressWhat is stress?You would normally define stress as: last-minute paperwork, a pile of unpaid bills, heavy traffic, and so on. However, these are just stress scenarios, examples of stressful events and circumstances. Stress is defined as an automatic physical response to any stimulus that requires us to adapt to change.¹What happens when we are stressed? Our bodies are in homeostatic balance and adding stress causes an imbalance. Let us remember the problems that arise when our body deviates from homeostasis. When we are stressed, we have an increased heart rate, muscles tense, breathing speeds up and we may start to sweat. ¹You experience these sensations because of the stress response that begins in the hypothalamus. A network of nerves in the brain that sends signals throughout the body through the autonomic nervous system that regulates the body's involuntary functions. Signals from the hypothalamus are sent to the sympathetic nervous system (turns the body around in response to perceived dangers) or the parasympathetic nervous system (calms the body after the danger has passed). ¹GOOD STRESS/BAD STRESS There are two types of stress, good stress and bad stress. Good stress allows you to perform tasks more efficiently and motivates you to achieve your goals. Intense stress, however, can weaken the immune system and lead to problems such as high blood pressure, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Recent Significant Discoveries 1950-60: John Mason, Seymour Levine, and Hay Weiss at Stanford University's Water Reed Army Medical Center and Rockefeller University found that when there is no outlet for stress, individuals have no sense of control, no support, or feel like there is no better “ending” to… middle of paper… n breaking down glucocorticoids. The breakdown of glucocorticoids prevents damage to the nerve cells of the hippocampus, which means no memory impairment. Works Cited1. Benson, Herbert. “Understanding the stress response.” Health and Wellness Resource Center. Harvard Health Publications Group, May 2006. Web. May 8, 2014. .2. Sapolsky, Robert. “An emerging understanding of stress pathways in the brain points to treatments for anxiety and depression beyond Valium and Prozac.” American scientist. Np, 2003. Web. 7 May 2014. .