The American Psychological Association (APA) defines psychological stress as an emotional reaction to an external stimuli. Stress may be short-term or long-term, depending on whether the cause is transitory or chronic. Stress causes the release of certain hormones, including noradrenaline and cortisol. Stress causes changes to practically every system in the body, altering how individuals feel and behave. Stress causes mind-body changes, which contribute directly to psychological and physiological disorders and illness, as well as mental and physical health, lowering quality of life. Furthermore, stress manifests itself in four stages: alert, response, adaptation, and exhaustion/burnout (Butto, 2019). The first stage of stress, alarm, is characterized by early responses to stressors and often lasts short periods of time. To trigger the stress response, the endocrine system boosts the synthesis of steroid hormones such as cortisol. Stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which causes the adrenal glands to produce catecholamines.

In this Course you will also learn about:

• Psychology of Stress

• What is stress?

• Causes of stress

• The stress response

• Acute vs. chronic stress

• Cognitive appraisal of stress

• The role of emotions in stress

• Coping strategies for stress

• Mindfulness and stress reduction

• Stress and the body

• Stress and the immune system

• Stress and mental health

• Stress and performance

• Managing workplace stress

• Conclusion: Thriving under stress