Not all stress is bad. In fact, stress can save our lives. Your natural fight-or-flight response is crucial to help you get out of a dangerous situation alive.

And even the hormones produced in response to stress, including cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine, aren’t always bad either. Their levels change throughout the course of the day in response to various challenges you face, including waking up in the morning (yes, that is a form of stress), dealing with traffic, managing an unruly child, or being showered with a birthday surprise.

During times when you feel stressed, various hormones (cortisol included) are released. And once the stressful event is over, levels should return back to normal.

This form of acute (or temporary) stress usually won’t mess with your health too much. It is your body’s natural reaction to circumstances, and, as discussed, can be a good thing.

When the “threat” (a.k.a. “stressor”) is gone, the reaction subsides, and all is well.

It's the chronic, or long-term stress that's a problem.

You see, your body has specific stress reactions. If these stress reactions are triggered every day or many times a day and cortisol levels are never allowed to subside, your health will pay the price.

This kind of stress (and the stress hormones that go along with it) can have a huge impact on every aspect of your health.

Let's dive into this "stress mess.”