According to Selye, people go through a series of stages as they are faced with stress over time. Together, these stages are called the General Adaptation Syndrome and begins with mild affects to severe mental and physical harm as a result of stress. In addition, the stress does not have to be severe enough to produce harm to be classified as a stressor. What is also important to know is that stress can be produced by anything a person perceives as stressful. In other words, stress is a matter of perception.
Some people find traffic so stressful it causes physical discomfort.
Others do not find traffic stressful at all. At the cognitive appraisal stage, a stressor is evaluated and interpreted. If a person interprets a situation as stressful, then the stages continue, stress, and the effects of stress on the mind and body build. However, if a person does not interpret a situation as stressful, then it may subside and the next stage in the psychosomatic model can be avoided. Not all stress is bad.