What is Stress?
A Working Definition of Stress

A basic definition of stress is our response to a force or stimulus that disrupts our equilibrium, or balance.

How should we define and think about stress?

We feel stressed when the amount of adjustment required of us strains or exceeds what we are capable of.

Just as a bridge will snap when subjected to too much stress, so too we will "snap" when we are stressed past our breaking point.

Since we use the term "stress" to describe the source of stress, as well as our reaction to it, it can be a little confusing to talk about stress.

But this actually kind of makes sense, because stress can be a vicious circle.

Something that stresses us makes us stressed, and being stressed can make us even more stressed, so that, like the chicken and the egg, it's hard to tell which came first.

But for clarity, we will call the sources of stress "stressors," and our response or reaction, "stress."

What are stressors?

Psychological stressors are harder to pin down, because whether we perceive something as a stressor depends on the individual.

What is stress for me may not be stress for you. For example, working long hours may be a stressor for one person, but someone else may thrive on it.

But almost everyone considers aspects of dealing with work, parenting, relationships, money, and family to be stressors, at least occasionally.

Difficult bosses, crying children, nagging spouses, small bank balances, and annoying in-laws are common sources of psychological stress.

These distinctions are not clear cut in practice, though. Physical stressors can lead to psychological stress, and vice versa.

Illness and lack of sleep stress our physical bodies, and such physical stress can, in turn, result in psychological stress, such as irritability and fluctuating emotions.

In turn, divorce or job loss are psychological stressors that can result in physical stress, like head or stomach aches, neck tension, appetite changes, and insomnia.

This working definition of stress will allow us to think more clearly about the best approaches for managing stress. With good stress management, what is stress today may not be stress tomorrow.