responsible citizen

This week (and specifically this week and next week, probably not more than that) I'm under an amount of stress that is short-term physically damaging. People (mostly my superiors) in various projects missed deadlines (and if you are one of them, know that you are only one in a slumgullion) in ways that both create more work for me and give me less time in which to do that work, and I can't move the end times; it's like one of those classic situations where I have maximum responsibility and minimum power. (It's similar to that in that it is exactly that, except it's not just one.)

There's a lot of waiting for inputs while having other people mad at me for not having the outputs finished. Sometimes the same people. All of whom are also stressed, and I'm not unsympathetic. It will sort itself out because eventually those deadlines will be met or not; the dates will happen.

(Note the disabled comments: I really, really don't want anybody to advise me or pat my head or any other damn thing. I know. I love you.)

My body has responded by producing stomach acid in excess of what I need. Which makes for interesting bathroom times. But more to the point, and the reason I'm writing: It makes me wonder, what makes this useful as a survival mechanism? Why does stress = stomach acid?

Is it so that I empty my stomach really quickly so that I'm better able to sprint?

It is a less useful version of being able to shoot my sea cucumber internal organs to divert a predator?

Oh stomach, you archaic thing. You upset me but I cradle you. I cradle you.