Understanding Stress

Hello, and welcome to the “Move and Play the Stress Away” course! At the beginning of our journey, we are discussing a topic that’s probably all too familiar: stress. It’s a word we use daily, but what does it really mean, and how does it affect us, especially in demanding professions like teaching?

The fast-paced world we live in, the constant flood of information, and the pressure to excel in our various roles—whether as educators, partners, parents, or friends—all contribute to the stress we feel. This course is about getting intentional with our stress management and finding effective ways to cope. We’ll start by looking at the science behind stress and then explore some practical ways to connect with nature to find relief.

The Scientific Definition of Stress

According to Hans Selye’s pioneering work, stress is the process by which an environmental event or stimulus compels an individual to change their behaviour. We can think of it as your body’s non-specific response to any demand. The key insight from researchers like Thoits is that stress is often triggered by changes that are sudden, undesirable, uncontrollable, and outside of our normal routine. This certainly sounds familiar to anyone working in a dynamic school environment, where no two days are ever the same.

We now know that managing stress and coping with it is one of the biggest challenges we face. However, it’s also a learning process. As we develop our coping skills, we build up a kind of toolbox of behavioural strategies that can help us handle future stressors more effectively. We can think of it as building your resilience muscles (Pikó, 2002).

What happens in our body, when we are stressed?

When our brains perceive a threat, the sympathetic nervous system activates the fight-or-flight response. This is an ancient, hardwired survival mechanism. Hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood the body, causing an immediate cascade of physical changes: your heart rate and blood pressure soar, breathing becomes rapid, and muscles tense up. Your senses become hyper-aware, and blood rushes to your limbs to prepare you to either confront the threat or run away from it. This is a very useful response if you are facing a truly dangerous situation, but it’s not so helpful when the “threat” is a looming deadline or a difficult conversation.

This is where the problem lies. In modern life, we often face psychological rather than physical threats, but our bodies react the same way. If this state of high alert is prolonged due to chronic stress, it can lead to negative health consequences. The body is designed for this response to be temporary, not a constant state.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the counterbalance. It’s often called the “rest and digest” system. It works to calm the body down after the threat has passed, bringing your heart rate and blood pressure back to normal, relaxing your muscles, and allowing your body to recover and restore itself.

Effective stress management is about learning how to deliberately activate this parasympathetic system. By understanding this internal push-and-pull, we can gain control over our stress responses and prevent our bodies from being stuck in a perpetual state of “fight-or-flight.”

Why Is Effective Stress Management So Crucial?

Why should we dedicate time, energy, and even money to managing stress? Because it pays off in spades. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo (2018) argues that effective coping strategies can significantly reduce the harmful effects of stress on our health. He defines healthy coping as an action that either lessens or completely eliminates the source of stress.

Over time, this constant state of high alert can lead to serious health issues. Chronic stress can suppress your immune system, making you more susceptible to illnesses. It can also contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure, and digestive problems. Emotionally, it can lead to anxiety, irritability, depression, and even burnout—a state of physical and emotional exhaustion.

Burnout is particularly relevant for teachers. It’s not just feeling tired; it’s a deep sense of cynicism, a loss of enthusiasm for your work, and a feeling of being ineffective. It often arises when the demands of the job exceed your resources, leaving you feeling helpless and drained.

In this module, we will continue to learn more about burnout—but first, let’s learn something about coping with stress: practical exercises on how to ground ourselves, tune into our bodies and breath into space. The following videos are about these.

Resources:

Bach, É. (2020). Természetkapcsolat – otthonról (Connecting with Nature – from Home). Mindennapi Pszichológia. Retrieved July 6, 2025, from https://mipszi.hu/cikk/201130-termeszetkapcsolat-otthonrol.

Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y. (2019). Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10:722.

Mihók, B., Fekete, M., Frankó, L., Martos, T., Pataki, Gy., Sallay, V., & Báldi, A. (2021). Természet és lelki egészség (Nature and Mental Health). ELKH Ökológiai Kutatóközpont, Vácrátót-Budapest.

Pikó, B. (2002). Egészségszociológia (Sociology of Health). Új Mandátum Könyvkiadó.

Selye, H. (1956). The Stress of Life. McGraw-Hill.

Thoits, P. A. (1995). Stress, Coping, and Social Support Processes: Where Are We and Where Should We Go?. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36(Extra Issue), 53–79.

Zimbardo, P., Johnson, R., & McCann, V. (2018). Pszichológia mindenkinek 4. Zavarok, terápiák, stressz, stratégiák (The equivalent English title would be: Psychology for Everyone 4. Disorders, Therapies, Stress, Strategies). Libri Könyvkiadó Kft.