At certain times in our lives, we are faced with different moments that can be stressful. These are not necessarily negative, since it is a necessity for our body. The problem comes when those moments become stages and stick to our rhythm of life.
When we are faced with a stressful situation, each person acts in a different way, but thanks to research in 1975, today we can conclude that there are three phases through which how stress acts on our body and mind is explained.
The three phases of stress
Alarm phase
It is in this first phase that our body recognizes stress and prepares to face it or flee from it.
That’s when the symptoms of stress start to kick in and our brain signals the adrenal glands to release cortisol, also known as the stress hormone.
An increase in heart rate, dilated pupils, increased sweating and respiratory rate, among others, are some of the sensations that our body experiences.
Adaptation or resistance phase
Our body resists adapting to this prolonged situation that has caused us stress, staying alert.
During this phase, when an active response occurs, our body begins to secrete glucocorticoids, which increases our blood glucose level, equating it to the amount our body needs for its proper functioning.
Exhaustion phase
It develops when tension and stressful stimuli are prolonged in time in such a way that our body feels unable to bring it down when exhausted.
It is the most destructive and problematic phase since it is where the consequences, both physical and psychological, derived from stress begin to appear.
Among the most common and harmful changes that can occur in this last phase are changes in the cardiovascular system; back and headaches; Stomach problems; or dermatological alterations.
