How does a person's response to stress change throughout all three phases of Selye's general adaptation syndrome? In the first phase of the general adaptation response (the alarm phase), the body reacts to a stressor with an alarm reaction. A person may notice a quickening heart rate and an increase in breathing and energy. In the second stage of the general adaptation response (the resistance phase), the body releases hormones to stabilize body, but the body still remains at high alert as physiological responses remain elevated. Finally, the body reaches exhaustion phase if the stress continues. In this phase, the person has used all resources and has nothing more to use to cope with the stressor. It is during this stage that the person's emotional and physical health begins to decline.