When you understand that stress is the body’s reaction to any change, you will be better able to identify and anticipate stress.  You cannot see stress, but you can see the effects of stress on the human body. Most people link headaches, stomach aches, angry responses, and forgetfulness to stress. However, the excitement of a new job, the surprise of an unexpected reward, the anticipation of a performance are examples of changes that feel good and still cause physical response. The events that trigger a stress response are calledstressors.  With self-awareness, you can learn to spot and manage the stressors in your life.

The American Institute of Stress points to The Human Function Curve to illustrate the difference between positive stress (stress) and negative stress (distress). Reading the graph form left to right, you can see that as stress arousal increases, body performance increases.

Most performers would agree that a little anxiety sharpens the mind for recall and tightens muscles for quick movement. However, notice that as stress arousal continues to grow and performance levels increase, fatigue will eventually start to reduce performance. If stress arousal continues, performance will eventually break down completely.  Some stress arousal is helpful, more is good, and too much is disastrous. The intensity of stress and duration of stress can turn an exciting change into a distressing experience.