Stress in Modern Society

The stress response is a primitive response. It helped our ancestors escape from tigers, and from some of our other ancestors. It is a general response which is carried out by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. Many changes take place throughout your body when it is stressed.

Another example- You're driving on the freeway and someone cuts you off, makes an obscene gesture and takes off. This type of common occurrence can also bring about the stress response (along with anger), but you can’t resolve it, and in many people, it hangs on for a while. In this example, the stress response has no purpose because there’s nothing you can do about what happened. However, it takes its toll as additional wear and tear on your body. This is called distress. It does nothing to help you deal with the situation. Stress, during a true emergency is helpful.  But, tightening your neck and shoulders, preparing to attack things over which you have no control is distress, and only wears on those parts of your body involved, while doing you no good. Distress, during everyday annoyances does nothing but add to the wear and tear on your body.

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