Stress seems to be a dirty word in our culture, something to avoid at all costs, something that needs to be reduced or, even better, eliminated.

However, stress is a necessary and vital component of our lives.

To get out of bed every morning requires a stress response, albeit a mild one, to get us upright.

Bodily systems must make adjustments to blood pressure; blood flow and thousands of integrated changes take place in this simple act.

Our bodies are fantastic machines in this way helping us to adapt to myriad circumstances, especially those that are unforeseen, such as a crisis.