Stress and Your Health Stress is a simple concept but it affects us in the most drastic ways, from positive to negative. Everyone experiences stress in their lives, without exception, from end-of-life stress to something as simple as a teacher grading a test. The effects of stress are both easily visible and difficult to detect, another spectrum among many that revolve around this “simple” concept. To begin, let's first ask a question: what is stress? Stress is a response that the body must put under pressure due to a stimulus coming from the environment in which we find ourselves. This translates into a motivating force in small quantities or a health risk in large quantities. amounts. The accumulation of stress causes a variety of effects in the body which include; increased blood pressure, rapid breathing, slowed digestive system, increased heart rate, lowered immune system, muscle tension and insomnia (due to increased alertness). These can become harmful over time if the body is in this constant state due to the increased amount of work the body has to do to maintain this state. Here's how...