This TED Talk features writer and activist Miriam Zola Perez, recorded live at TED Women, 2016.

So most of you can probably relate to what I'm feeling right now.

My heart is racing in my chest.

My palms are a little bit clammy.

I'm sweating.

And my breath is a little bit shallow.

Now, these familiar sensations are obviously the result of standing up in front of a thousand

of you and giving a talk that might be streamed online to perhaps a million more.

But the physical sensations I'm experiencing right now are actually the result of a much more

basic mind-body mechanism. My nervous system is sending a flood of hormones like cortisol

and adrenaline into my bloodstream.

It's a very old and very necessary response

that sends blood and oxygen to the organs and muscles

that I might need to respond quickly to a potential threat.

But there's a problem with this response,

and that is that it can get over-activated.

If I face these kinds of stressors on a daily basis,

particularly over an extended period of time,

my system can get overloaded.

So basically, if this response happens infrequently,

super necessary for my well-being and survival,

but if happens too much, it can actually make me sick.

...