What is the definition of stress?

• A. The negative or overwhelming physical and psychological reactions as a response to the world around us and how it affects us.
• B. A way of dressing.
• C. A dialect within psychology.
• D. The positive feelings we get in everyday life.

Answer: (A)

Stress is the body's response to demands, threats, or challenges from the world around us, showing up as both physical changes (like a faster heartbeat or tension) and psychological reactions (such as worry or irritability). This definition emphasizes how the environment interacts with our bodies and minds, producing reactions that can affect thinking, emotions, and behavior. When those reactions become strong or long-lasting, they can disrupt performance, sleep, and daily functioning, which is what people commonly mean by stress.

In physical education and daily life, stress can come from things like performance pressure, upcoming deadlines, changes in routine, or recovery from injury. Recognizing what stress feels like helps students use coping strategies—like calm breathing, planning, setting realistic goals, and seeking support—to keep those reactions under control and stay balanced.

Why the other choices don’t fit: dressing is unrelated to how the body responds to demands; a dialect within psychology is a language variation, not a process the body undergoes; positive feelings describe a different emotional experience and don’t define the stress response.