Stress is the process by which a person perceives and responds to events appraised as threatening or challenging. The same objective situation—a public speech, a medical test, a tight deadline—can produce intense stress in one individual and mild arousal in another. Appraisal is therefore central.

The physiological response involves the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Heart rate rises, cortisol is released, and resources are mobilized for immediate action. In the short term the response is adaptive. When activation is prolonged or repeated without recovery, wear and tear accumulates and health risks increase.

Psychological research distinguishes acute stress from chronic stress and examines coping strategies that range from problem-focused action to emotion regulation and social support. Individual differences in resilience, prior experience, and available resources strongly moderate outcomes.

• Transaction between person and environment
• Involves cognitive appraisal
• Acute versus chronic forms
• Physiological and psychological components

Effective management often combines reduction of unnecessary stressors with improvement of coping skills and recovery practices.