What is Stress? At its core, stress is an internal response to a perceived threat to our existence or wellbeing. The word "perceived" is crucial, because stress isn't just about what happens to us, but how we experience and interpret what happens to us. For a child, stress might look like the first day of school, separation from a parent, or navigating social dynamics on the playground. For a young adult, it could be the weight of college debt, the pressure of academic perfor