How stress affects your body

In this Ted-ed animation, Sharon Horesh Bergquist gives you a look at what goes on inside your body when you are chronically stressed.

Your hard-wired stress response is designed to gives you the quick burst of heightened alertness and energy needed to perform your best. But stress isn’t all good. When activated too long or too often, stress can damage virtually every part of your body.

Your life will always be filled with stressful situations. But what matters to your brain and entire body is how you respond to the stress. If you can view the stressful situations as challenges rather than as threats, you will perform better in the short run and stay healthy in the long run.

Learn more about stress and how to handle it.