Stress affects everyone differently. While some stress is necessary for survival, prolonged stress can negatively impact your physical and mental health. What Is Acute vs. Chronic Stress? Acute stress is short-term stress. It helps you react quickly in challenging situations and can even enhance focus and performance. Chronic stress, however, occurs when your body remains in a constant state of heightened alert. Over time, this prolonged stress response can contribute to serious health...

Here is an example of what a massage therapist may use during intake to get a better idea of a person's self-reported levels of chronic...

Our bodies breathe naturally without us even having to think about it and we have conscious control of our breathing when we want to.