There Are 5 'Stress Languages.' Here's How To Figure Out Yours.

Have you ever been in an argument with someone and felt like the two of you were speaking different languages? Turns out that might not be too far off: Those difficulties in communicating could be due to differing stress languages, essentially a way of thinking about how you respond to challenging situations.

“When we are stressed, our blood goes to our body and leaves our frontal lobe area. So our frontal lobe kind of goes offline,” said Chantal Donnelly, a physical therapist, stress researcher and author of “Settled: How to Find Calm in a Stress-Inducing World.”

The frontal lobe is responsible for functions like self-control, emotions and thinking, according to the Cleveland Clinic . “We also have these cranial nerves that start in the brainstem,” Donnelly said. “They’re associated with communication and connection, and those get compromised when we’re in a stress response.”

“So, when you’re in an argument, you are not speaking the same language ― you actually are having trouble communicating and hearing each other properly,” she explained.

This explains why you might have felt you just couldn’t get through to your partner, child or friend during a conflict: You really weren’t understanding each other in the moment.

Donnelly came up with the concept of stress languages while working with her own clients. She found that stress management was the key missing element in their treatment. “Stress language” is not an official mental health term, but the concept can help you learn about yourself and your loved ones, much like the love languages that have become widely known in recent years.

Below, experts share more on stress languages, how to determine yours, and why it’s important to manage your stress.

The 5 Different