There are two types of stress. The first type is acute stress. That’s the kind where your body senses danger and adapts to the threat by making physical changes which enable you to quickly get out of harms way. This occurs because your body secretes chemicals and stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These chemicals are secreted in response to your thoughts and cause your body to prepare for “fight or flight.” For example, let’s say you are crossing the street and you notice a car quickly approaching. You see the car which causes you to feel fear and anxiety. Your body then adapts to the stress by secreting chemicals and hormones which send messages to your heart, lungs and organs in order to prepare them to handle your crisis. Your heart rate increases, blood flow is diverted to muscles allowing for quick movement, your pupils dilate and more oxygen flows through your lungs for an extra burst of energy. These changes allow you to react quickly, enabling you to jump onto the curb to safety. Within a short period of time your body calms down and things return to normal. This protective mechanism is crucial to your safety and is designed to protect you against danger.
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