(Information in diagram correlated from article by Dr H. Schomer)

Stress Response Stage	Response / Examples	Preventatives / Help
STRESSORS	* Coffee * Cigarettes * Change of any kind * Social life * Emotional insecurities * Pressures (self-induced and external) * Quantitative (too much) work * Qualitative (too hard) work * Conflicts (work, social, family) * Frustrations * Competition (work, social, family) * Pollution (noise, air) * Sense of helplessness	Environmental engineering (understanding and/or changing the circumstances which are causing the stressor)
INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT of STRESSOR	Based on: * Personality * Experience (history) * Biological predisposition (eg. diabetic) * Self-concept * Emotional state of mind at the time * Age, gender * Social support These affect the Degree of Stress as well	Therapy (to understand)
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM	Sends messages all over body that a stressor has been detected. Tells body to prepare for fight/flight.	Laughter, Exercise, Relaxation, and various therapies
PHYSICAL STRESS RESPONSE	(in preparation for fight/flight): * Neural system moves into action (sending messages) * Different types of hormones released * Blood flow to kidneys, gastrointestinal and skin decreases * More sugar released into blood because of the increased demand of energy * Free fatty acids released * Heart rate increases * Blood pressure increases * Heart attack risk increases * Cholesterol increases * Breathing becomes rapid and shallow * Body perspires to cool down.	Laughter, Exercise, Relaxation, and various therapies
FIGHT/FLIGHT	If the physical stress-response is not used for either fight or flight, they become residue (left overs), clogging the normal function of our bodies. Detailed description and examples found at Impacts of Stress and Impact of Stress Diagram.	Emotional and physical catharsis (cleansing, letting go of) through laughter, exercise, relaxation and different therapies

The Way it Works

Once a stressor is noted, it is assessed by you based on various things: personality, emotions, past experiences, self-esteem, and your biological predisposition. Next, the central nervous system (the brain and spine) sends messages around your body telling it to prepare for either fight or flight (the choice depends on how the stressor was assessed: threatening or challenging). This results in many physical changes occurring in the body: inter alia, the release of adrenaline and fatty acids, heart rate increase and blood pressure increase.

Your body is now fully prepared for action. But, because of the structure of modern-day society, we are not able to have a physical fight or run away from the stressor. The compounds that would have been used up in a fight are therefore left in our bodies, clogging up space.

After each stress-attack, more compounds are released, building up, and they become residues and result in you feeling stressed. To release these, exercise, relaxation and laughter are good methods. They can also be used to prevent a stressor from becoming stressful. For example, if one laughs a lot and leads a humorous life, fewer stressors will actually result in stress.

At each level, there are certain methods that can be used to stop the stress-response from continuing to the next level. For example, when a stressor is noted, changing the circumstances will result in the termination of the stressor. In the same regard, therapy aims at exploring the individual to understand the reason why particular events result in stress.