Why Mom-to-Mom Friendships Are Healthier Than You Think

Stress is a consequence of life and has been around since the dawn of civilization. As early as 1926, Dr. Hans Selye, known as the "Father of Stress" said, "Without stress there would be no life." While still in medical school Dr. Selye developed his now-famous theory of the influence of stress on people's ability to cope with and adapt to the pressures of injury and disease, concluding that stress plays some role in the development of every disease.

Doctors Corwin and Klein define the physiology of the stress response as, "A process, in which environmental or psychological events, called stressors, threaten an organism's safety and well-being. Stressors can range from environmental (e.g. noise, natural disasters) and physical (e.g. exercise) to immunological and psychological. Stressors can be pleasant or unpleasant, and may vary in duration and frequency."