Stress Test: How to Stop Being Its Victim
Emilia Szymańska
2026-03-25
8 min. read
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Stressful situations are an ever-present companion to most individuals. Chronic stress generates tensions that lead to unpleasant feelings. In times of high tension, a quick response is needed to alleviate them. That's why many people resort to addictive behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or eating to cope with stress. These solutions provide immediate relief but do not solve the fundamental problems. Unfortunately, it's impossible to completely eliminate stress from one's life, but you can learn to deal with it. How can one stop being a victim of stress?
Understanding stress: physiological and psychological dimensions of the body’s adaptive response mechanism
Stress constitutes a multifaceted array of biological and emotional responses triggered by the body in reaction to external or internal stimuli perceived as threatening, challenging, or overwhelming. Building upon the foundational research of Hans Selye (1963), contemporary scientific discourse distinguishes between two primary categories of this phenomenon: **eustress** (alternatively termed *mobilizing* or *short-term stress*), which serves an adaptive function by enhancing performance, focus, and goal attainment, and **distress** (*chronic* or *long-term stress*), whose persistent presence disrupts homeostatic balance, compromises immune function, and undermines both mental and physical well-being. The critical distinction between these two states lies in their divergent outcomes—whereas the former may facilitate personal growth and resilience, the latter is associated with a heightened risk of systemic dysfunction and disease.
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