Your Body on Stress: Incorporating Reality Into Your Novel

This is a slightly different type of post than my previous ones.  The idea came for it when I hit a serious case of writer's block trying to describe a chase scene involving my heroine.  As I was describing the scene I realized that while the reader would get a pretty good idea of how the action was occurring they had zero idea of what the heroine was experiencing.  Was she scared?  Was she hot, cold, numb, in shock, terrified?

I tried to go back and add some detail but everything just sounded cliche:

• "Her heart raced."  
• "Her heart leapt in her throat."
• "Her blood pounded in her ears."

My amazing hubby obliged me by sitting in the living room and acting out the scene to get a better idea of how the action would progress, what my heroine would feel, etc.

While I got more ideas for action (and hid a smile at my super tall hubby pretending to get thrown off a horse), I still got very little in the way of content for describing what my heroine was going though.  My college physiological psychology professor would be so proud if he knew that my next step was to start looking at how the body physically responds to stress.

So what does happen?  We all know some of the telltale signs, racing heart and frantic breathing included.  But what are some of the other symptoms we experience, not just physically but emotionally? 

HelpGuide.org provided an excellent table that summed up a tidy list of symptoms that people can experience during stressful situations:

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

While the symptoms were general they still provided an excellent starting point for me to incorporate more detail and show the event through my heroine's eyes versus simply telling the reader what was happening (one of my biggest weaknesses).

This chart is a great jumping point for those who need a quick idea or are great about adding on detail.  I still wanted to get some additional insight to make sure future scenes didn't mirror this one too closely, so I collected a few more resources that I've included below:

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/body-stress-response_n_2902073.html
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987
• http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm
• http://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body
• http://www.patient.co.uk/health/acute-stress-reaction-leaflet

I finally got a first draft of my chase scene down.  It will definitely undergo some changes during the rewriting and editing phases, but it was a step in the right direction.

The research also helped me realize that yes, some of my characters' responses were going to sound banal because many people experience the same symptoms when faced with stressful situations.  

I enjoy writing.  If that means that my heroine's heart "beats wildly in her chest" or "her face turned pale," so be it.

As always, thanks for reading!

-Scarlett