Coping Strategies
Part 2 - Stress

In 1936, Hans Selye designed a 3-stage model to help explain the process of stress and how we respond to it. From his research, he found that the body places huge importance on maintaining a healthy balance at all time. If there is an imbalance, the body seeks to redress this as quickly as possible by releasing hormones into the system, in the hope that the stress can be overcome in a matter of minutes.

Stage one is the alarm stage, where an alert is sent around the body to prepare for a threat. The resulting emergency reaction is often called the flight or fight response, as adrenaline and cortisol are produced to give you greater strength, energy and heightened awareness.

Stage two is about resistance. The body is now as ready as it will ever be to resist the stress, but it cannot do so for long before it weakens.

If the stress continues for some time, the third and final stage is likely to be exhaustion. Here the body cannot resist the stress any longer. Ideally at this stage, the body is looking to repair itself as soon as it can. If this is not an option, the body is in danger of facing burnout.