Overview

The stress cycle is a three part cycle. There is:

1. An activating event
2. The fight or flight response
3. The recovery phase

Many people think of the stress cycle in relation to the caveman or cavewoman. Big Brontosaurus or Triceratops sneaks up on the caveman or cavewoman. This is one of the activating events that we are most familiar with. The caveperson becomes afraid that he or she will be eaten. This is an activating event.

The caveperson then has to decide, if they are going to try to run away, hoping to outrun the dinosaur, or, if they want to try to stay and fight the dinosaur off with a big stick (hopefully, there is some fire at the end of that stick).

Next the caveperson or persons would take a big, long nap because all the stress from the attack would have worn them out, even if the running away or the fighting tooth and nail with the club didn’t wear them out. Rest would have been necessary.

That is the Stress Cycle that many of us were taught. Since this website has to do with health and wellness, when you click on the above links, you will go to different pages that address how the stress cycle affects our recovery.