Although stress is a natural part of every day life, it can be lethal if it is prolonged and chronic. Cortisol is a hormone released in to our bloodstream in order to help us fight or flee during times of a threat to our well-being. Once the threat is neutralized, our body returns to a state of calm. However, if a system is constantly in a state of fight or flight, the alarm may not be able to turn off properly and the body is left in a continual state of alarm and tension. 

​

Factors that can lead to stress are a sense of losing control, uncertainty of what is going to happen, and a lack of information that may point to what to do. Stress is mediated by demands and coping resources (see image). When the demands of a situation exceed our coping resources, we experience stress. This means that two things need to happen in order to re-position the teeter-totter.  First, we need to look at whether or not we have any control over the demands of a situation, including if we can decrease it. Second, we need to increase our coping resources in order to buffer the effects of the demands.