In 1936 physiologist Hans Selye noticed that wildly different stressors — cold, injury, toxins — all triggered the same three-stage bodily reaction. He named it the General Adaptation Syndrome. Drag the time marker to ride the curve through alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
Resistance to stress over time
ResistanceNormal levelAlarmResistanceExhaustion
Selye's stress curvedrag the marker to begin
Time under the stressorAlarm
Or jump straight to a stage:
Resistance—
Reserves—
Order = ARE:Alarm → Resistance → Exhaustion. If the stressor ends during alarm or resistance the body recovers — only prolonged, unrelenting stress ever reaches exhaustion.
Eustress vs. distress: Selye distinguished eustress (motivating, manageable stress) from distress (harmful, overwhelming stress). The body climbs the same curve for both — what differs is the meaning and the dose.