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Stress depends not only on what happens, but also on how we evaluate the situation.

Our resources, such as knowledge and skills, influence whether challenges feel manageable.

Recognizing unhelpful interpretations can be an important step toward coping better.

I’ll be stuck here forever. This always happens to me. This is going to ruin my whole evening!

Your jaw tightens. Your breathing becomes more rapid.

What is the problem? Nothing, technically. You are just stuck in traffic. No immediate danger is present, yet your body reacts as if there is. Now you look at the driver in the next lane. They look relaxed, listening to music.

Same traffic. Different experience.

Why does the same situation feel stressful for you but not somebody else?

We often think stress belongs to events themselves. Traffic jams, exams, and divorce proceedings are potential stressors. But stress also involves bodily reactions, such as the fight-or-flight response, which is part of what is known as the stress response.

In psychology, stress is often defined as the interaction between a person and a situation. More specifically, psychological stress has to do with our evaluation of the relationship between a situation’s demands and the resources we have available to meet them.

Resources can include money, health, skills, time, knowledge, resilience, social support, etc.

Consider Robin and Jordan, two nurses who work in the same unit. Both get laid off the same day. Robin has savings and a very supportive partner. But Jordan is already facing financial hardship after a........

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