Have you ever felt the weight of a thousand thoughts pressing down on your chest, each one demanding your attention? The main points I wanted to talk about are what causes stress and how long stress has been recognized, but also how stress has impacted me.

Back in 1936, a man named Hans Selye began a pioneer study on stress and the development of content of general adaption. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the personality types were identified which led to other different breakthroughs. It wasn’t until 1992 that stress awareness became an awareness month in April. Stress can weigh heavily on a person, seeping into both body and mind, like a storm that clouds the skies and leaves a trail of exhaustion in its wake. It can take a toll on our health physically, mentally, or often both at once. The triggers are many: the pressure of work, the constant worry of financial struggles, or even the complicated dynamics of family life.

Stress has a peculiar way of affecting our bodies, often in ways we don’t expect. It can creep into our muscles, leaving behind a trail of pain, tightness, and soreness, as though our body is holding onto an invisible weight. The heart, too, isn’t immune to stress—it races in response to the pressure of looming deadlines, thumping faster as worry tightens its grip. And then there’s the immune system, our body’s natural shield. Stress can weaken this defense, like a storm gradually eroding the strength of a once-solid fortress, leaving us more vulnerable to illness.

Stress is something I’ve come to know all too well. Living with a disability, it weaves itself into every part of my day, making me question if I’ll be able to accomplish even the simplest tasks. Can I do this? Will I be able to do that? On top of that, my Generalized Anxiety Disorder adds another layer of tension, constantly pulling my thoughts into a web of worry. But through it all, I’ve learned that when the pressure becomes too much, the best thing I can do is to pause. I take a deep breath, steadying myself like a ship finding its course in a storm, and I shift my focus to something else, allowing the chaos to settle just enough to regain control. Everything in my life has been on going roller coaster with having a disability that I have to live with for the rest of my life but, I know in the end everything will be ok with the support of my family and friends.