Stress, Allostasis, and Allostatic Load

  What’s stress? We’ve needed an answer to this question for decades, but it isn’t simple. In fact, it involves consciousness, the organism, and the context. So, does stress mean feeling tired, overwhelmed, or lacking in strength? To answer, we must first make a distinction between the concept of stress and activation. Activation is a requirement for every living being, it’s the spark of life. But, is being stressed the same as being activated? Activation is a common and unavoidable component of being alive. Stress Doctor Hans Selye claimed that stress is a non-specific response that the body emits to…