We may just be having a bad day, or feeling pressured by too many things to do and too little time to do them. Or we may have had a fight with a friend or family member. Or our job may be getting to us - feeling that it is just a rat race without a purpose, or feeling too much pressure and a lack of support and camaraderie. Rarely do we give much thought to the longer time frame and how our body is handling or not handling the pressure. Yet, it is the longer time frame of months and even years that is important for understanding the bad side of stress.
Stress activates adaptive responses.
The body marshals its forces to confront a threat and, generally, does a good job of protecting us in the short run. Stress can prematurely age us and leave us chronically fatigued or depressed. In contrast, cortisol works more slowly, helps replenish energy supplies and, at the same time, helps us to remember important things. Many physiological systems are pitted against one another so that neither system can get out of control. This is why we take corticoids for an inflammation or skin irritation.