Stress was first defined in 1936 by Seyle as the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change. According to Seyle, stress is the body’s response to change – any change.  Moving to a new city, taking a new course in school, trying out and making it a varsity level in a sport are all examples of change. None of those changes sound particularly threatening by themselves. Whether change is threatening often depends on your perspective.  The excitement of a new job can be as stressful as the distress of losing a job. Beginning a varsity season can be as stressful as being benched due to low grades.

In this lesson, you will learn about stress: what it is, how your body responds it, and how stress impacts your learning. You will also complete a personal stress inventory to help you identify stresses you are facing and consider some options for coping with that stress.