This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

Stress has become the unwelcome companion of modern existence, threading itself through our days like an invisible current that affects everything we do. From the moment we wake up to check our phones to the last anxious thought before sleep, stress shapes our experience in ways both obvious and subtle. Understanding what stress actually is and how it operates in our lives represents the first crucial step toward managing it effectively.

At its core, stress is a physiological and psychological response to perceived threats or challenges. This response system evolved over millions of years to help our ancestors survive immediate physical dangers. When faced with a predator or natural disaster, the stress response would flood the body with hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, sharpening focus, increasing strength, and preparing the body for fight or flight. This ancient system served our ancestors well in life-or-death situations that required immediate physical action.

The challenge we face today is that our stress response system hasn't evolved to distinguish between a charging tiger and a demanding email from our boss. Our bodies react to modern stressors with the same intensity as they would to immediate physical threats, flooding our systems with stress hormones that were designed for short bursts of intense activity rather than the chronic, low-level stress that characterizes contemporary life.