Acute Stress: Emotional and physical strain caused by an episodic event.
Chronic Stress: Stress caused by repeated, long-term traumatic events or by poorly managed every day stressors like a tough job or struggling marriage.
Episodic acute stress: The short-term response to multiple environmental stressors. Episodic acute stress can become reclassified and chronic stress is not effectively managed.
Eustress: “good”, motivational stress that benefits the body and positively affects overall health. Examples include exercise or starting a new, fulfilling job.
Cortisol: A steroid hormone produced and released by the adrenal glands that regulates the body’s stress response.
Adrenaline: A hormone produced and released by the adrenal glands during the body’s stress response. It contributes to the “fight or flight” response.
Fight or Flight: An evolutionarily designed instinct to either defend oneself or flee a situation when faced with an external stressor.
Stressor: An external or internal stimulus that induces stress in an organism. Stressors do not always have to be physically present; they can be psychological as well.
Homeostasis: A stable equilibrium between different biological processes in an organism; a healthy organism will always strive for balance and homeostasis.