There are many ways stress can be viewed in our normal day-to-day struggle, but I’ll do my best to try not to treat it like a superficial topic. We will start by analyzing the classic research on the stress response, moving on to define generally what stresses us. We will take a look at our character and how our perception and attitude play a role in defining our stress reaction and how our mind can get us to perform suboptimally under intense pressure. We will see how recovery plays a role in our reaction to stress, both physically and mentally. Finally, we’ll analyze our leadership style and how that can affect the people around us, and how to manage their stress levels. The ideas in this book are taken from classical and clinical psychology, as well as sport and performance psychology, the science of nutrition, sleep, biology, and anatomy.