Awareness has the power to alleviate the negative health effects of stress. Stress Basics Stress is the body’s response to a challenge or a threat. The brain encounters a perceived threat through one of the senses or triggered by a thought or emotion. For example, imagine you are relaxing at home and you smell something burning and see smoke. You jump up and run to investigate; this is a stress response. Or, you’re relaxing at home and your mind drifts to your to-do list; th