Most current definitions state that stress is
the mental and physical response and adaptation
by our bodies to the real or perceived
changes and challenges in our lives. A stressor
is any real or perceived physical, social, or
psychological event or stimulus that causes
our bodies to react or respond.2 Several factors
influence one’s response to stressors,
including the characteristics of the stressor
(Can you control it? Is it predictable? Does
it occur often?); biological factors (e.g., your
age or gender); and past experiences (e.g.,
things that have happened to you, their consequences,
and how you responded). Stress
can be associated with most daily activities.
Stressors may be tangible, such as a failing
grade on a test, or intangible, such as the
angst associated with meeting your significant
other’s parents for the first time. Importantly,
stress is in the eye of the beholder:
Each person’s unique combination of heredity,
life experiences, personality, and ability to
cope influences how the person perceives an
event and what meaning he or she attaches
to it. What “stresses out” one person may not
even bother the next person.