Understanding the key stages of stress for effective stress management

A Quick Guide

Stress can be described as a physiological and psychological event in which external demands exceed internal resources. As the name suggests, stress is a feeling of being pushed and pulled beyond one’s limit. This process leaves negative effects on the body and the mind. There are three stages of stress. In these, a person goes through multiple physical and psychological changes.

The Stages of Stress

The stages of stress were first outlined by Hans Selye, who called the process ‘General Adaptation Syndrome’ (GAS). He discovered these when he observed the body’s response to different stressors e.g. changing life events, perceived threat or danger, bacterial or viral infection, etc. He found that GAS is a cluster of bodily changes that occur in three stages i.e. an alarm stage, a resistance stage, and an exhaustion stage.

The Alarm Stage of Stress

When faced with a stressor, the body gets aroused and active to defend itself. It is also called the ‘fight and flight reaction’. This simply means that either the body flees or fights the source of stress. The autonomic nervous system regulates this process. It activates the sympathetic nervous system. In this, our heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure & energy increase, digestion decreases, and muscles become tense to fight the threat. Whereas, through the parasympathetic nervous system our body relaxes and restores the used-up resources when the threat is over. During stress, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system is more dominant.

The Resistance Stage of Stress

When stressors and the alarm stage continue to persist, we get into an adaptation or resistance stage. The body is still in high activity mode while also trying to restore the used-up resources to deal with the damage.

The Exhaustion Stage of Stress

If we are unable to adequately manage stress, we may reach the exhaustion stage. In this, our body is exhausted due to excessive expenditure of internal resources in the face of continuous stress. Each person’s capacity to deal with and resist stress may be different, but all of us ultimately reach this stage at some point. Here, the parasympathetic nervous system tries to restore the internal resources by slowing down heart rate, respiration, and lowering body arousal, but is unable to do it completely or effectively. This is because the body is still in a state of stress.

As a result of the prolonged exhaustion stage of stress, we may develop certain physical and mental health conditions. These can range from medical conditions like allergies to heart disease or even death. Similarly, psychological conditions like anxiety and depression may also become apparent.

To find out more about stress, read the related articles in the stress management series.