Learning Outcomes
After this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain stress and levels of stress, including symptoms, impacts, and trauma.
- Explain the basics of the three-part brain model and each level's attributes.
- Describe stressors and implement self-care tools to calm the brain and body.
Introduction & Grounding
I want to begin this course with a grounding exercise since we are going to discuss stress and trauma for the next hour. I want to make sure that we are all coming into this space grounded and regulated. Take a moment, hopefully, you are at a desk or somewhere where you can be seated. Sit up nice and tall with both feet flat on the floor and your back into the chair, if you can. Take a moment to come into this space, recognizing and applauding yourself for being here because you understand the importance and need for self-care. Those of us who have come to a helping or healing profession like healthcare, often come for two reasons. One is either we did not have a great childhood, and we want to make sure others do not have to experience what we did. Or the opposite, where we had a wonderful childhood experience growing up, and we want to make sure everybody experiences the health and well-being that we did as well. Regardless of which way you come into this space, knowing that you come here with all of your history, past, and how that changes the work you do. That is where self-care and mindfulness come in, to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves, and ensuring none of our issues come into the workspace. Take a moment and take three deep breaths together. Nice deep inhales through the nose and exhales through the mouth. Inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth. On this last inhale, taking it in through the nose, see if we can drop our shoulders away from the ears on the exhale. Good, I hope that felt as good for you as it did for me.
Stress & Trauma
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain and tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Being stressed is not a normal state, even though it may feel like it in today's world. Stress is a state resulting from adverse experiences and is a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. This state of being generally refers to a psychological perception of pressure because each of us has a different perception. We may have different ways of viewing the world in certain situations and environments. Stress is the psychological perception of pressure; whether the other person or environment has intended to create the pressure or not, it's our perception. The body's response to stress involves multiple systems within our body: metabolism, muscle, and memory. Every time we experience a very high toxic level of stress, that causes long-term impacts on our health and well-being. I want to discuss the levels of stress because we have a negative connotation of stress. Stress is not always bad; some stress is positive.
Positive Stress
This type of stress creates a brief increase in the stress response, which could be a quickened heart rate or shallow breathing. Positive stress is a limited or perceived threat, but once the threat has passed and the problem is solved we return to our normal state. This type of stress reminds you there is something important that you have to do, or you'll have a negative outcome. Generally, we can handle positive stress. It begins to create action in the body and then we do what it is needed. Those stress hormones dissolve in our body, and the heart rate returns to normal.
Tolerable Stress
This type of stress is a temporary increase in the stress response. Typically, tolerable stress is caused by a serious but, temporary threat to safety. Tolerable stress is buffered when we have supportive relationships and resources to deal with the threat that has been posed. This can be preventable if we are aware of the situation arising, and we can prevent it from occurring. If left unaddressed, tolerable stress can become chronic stress. An example of tolerable stress might be a flat tire on the freeway, and it's only tolerable if you have the resources and the relationships to buffer that experience. For example, if I get a flat tire on the freeway, I'm going to panic, but I've got AAA and know those things will be taken care of. Eventually, my tire will get fixed, and I'll be back on the road.
Toxic Stress
This level of stress is what most people think about when they think about stress. Toxic stress is an overwhelming stress response, which gives stress its negative connotation. This occurs when your body is so overwhelmed. Typically, the heart rate increases, pupils dilate, and you are so focused on what's happening that you can't pay attention to anything else. Generally, there is a serious or prolonged threat. Toxic stress removes our ability to cope with what is occurring at the moment. Again, we are overwhelmed and it pulls us out of our normal ways of thinking and being, and causes physical illness and disease. Toxic stress is a prolonged activation of the stress response, which means there is adrenaline and cortisol running through our body without resolution.
Trauma
Judith Herman's book, Trauma & Recovery defines trauma as "a deeply distressing or disturbing experience" (Herman, 1997). She says traumatic events overwhelmed the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection and meaning. Trauma can be a one-time event or it can be multiple events. A key aspect is being able to recognize that trauma overwhelms our ability to care for ourselves and we feel a loss of control. Trauma pulls us away from being in community with others. Some individuals lose their sense of meaning, purpose, or place in this world when enduring trauma.