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6.2: Patterns of Stress

  • Page ID
    215470
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    Patterns of Stress:

    green patters .png

    "Pocket Parks Steel Pattern" by TobiasMik · WhatWeDo is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

    Stress can be positive or negative. Stress serves an important role in our lives...

    • it is what triggers the fight or flight signals that allow us to run away if we encounter too much danger
    • a little bit of stress causes "butterflies" in our stomach when we are nervous to do something, and may help us to focus and do a better job

    Images generated with Open AI and under no copyright

    If stress is predictable, moderate and controllable, it promotes tolerance and resilience. If stress goes on too long, it can become toxic and can be harmful to a person’s brain and body. Some points to remember:

    • prolonged stress can cause physiological harm to our bodies (increases in adrenaline and oxytocin cause a constant state of hypervigilance.)
    • reoccurring, unpredictable stress can cause us to not trust anyone or anything
    • extreme stress can cause us the same distrust

    If stress is unpredictable, extreme or prolonged it can lead to sensitization and vulnerability. Children used to chaotic environments tend to disassociate as a coping mechanism. Their brains are wired to disassociate whenever they feel threatened or stressed.

    When people encounter trauma, it partially re-wires their brains. Depending on the exposure, this can impact their lives. Chronic stress pulls energy away from the developing brain causing the brain mass to actually be smaller than “normal”.


    6.2: Patterns of Stress is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.