The 3 Stages of Neuroendocrine Response to Stress (cont.)
Resistance
As the body becomes used to the stress levels, we initially become more resistant to disease, which leads us to believe we can easily adapt to these more stressful situations. However, this is only the immune system fighting to keep up with demands and expectations. But the body is required to work at abnormally high levels. In this second stage of the stress reaction, the pituitary stops that large secretion of hormones and reduces the alarm phase. The person still feels the stress but not as intently and moves into a reasoning phase. The mind and body connect to begin to learn to adapt to the circumstances. If the body is continuously exposed to the stress, the resistance and coping may become less effective. For example, if the stressor is starvation due to anorexia, a person might experience a reduced desire for physical activity to conserve energy, and the body might work very hard to maximize the absorption of nutrients from food. Eventually the person would suffer from malnutrition.
Exhaustion
Eventually reality kicks in and our bodies give up on trying to maintain a high level of stress. Parts of the body literally start to break down and we become very unwell. If we continue to fight this situation, the consequences can be grave. For example, a person with a stressful job may experience long-term stress that might lead to high blood pressure and an eventual heart attack.