“Stress is really the body’s response to some type of a challenge,” explains Dr. Patrick DeLone, a clinical psychologist, “whether it’s a physical challenge, an emotional challenge, or a combination of both.” At its core, stress triggers the familiar “fight or flight” cascade: cortisol and adrenaline spikes that sharpen focus, speed up your heart, and prime your muscles. “In fifth grade you learned about fight and flight…your metabolism goes up, you can see better, you focus better”—all reasons why short‐term stress can actually enhance performance.

&ldquo;Stress is really the body&rsquo;s response to some type of a challenge,&rdquo; explains Dr. Patrick DeLone, a clinical psychologist, &ldquo;whether it&rsquo;s a physical challenge, an emotional challenge, or a combination of both.&rdquo; At its core, stress triggers the familiar &ldquo;fight or flight&rdquo; cascade: cortisol and adrenaline spikes that sharpen focus, speed up your heart, and prime your muscles. &ldquo;In fifth grade you learned about fight and flight&hellip;your metabolism goes up, you can see better, you focus better&rdquo;&mdash;all reasons why short‐term stress can actually enhance performance.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at&nbsp;<a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.