Feeling Stressed?
Here are 7 Neuro-Science Backed Ways to Become More Resilien
Understanding the effects of our past can help us deal with stress both now and into the future. Gleaning from the study of brain formation and function, neuroscience has discovered what is known as a pattern of stress which can help us become more resilient to the stressors in our lives. But, first, let’s talk about how stress works.
Stress is a very real part of life. It’s inevitable and often unavoidable. You’ve probably heard it said before that a moderate level of stress can serve a purpose. Stress is our body’s way of telling us how to adapt and respond to something.
Example:
If you and I were crossing the road and a car came barreling towards us, our stress response systems would kick in and help us quickly get the heck out of harm’s way! As we see here, when stress comes to us in the right way and in the right amounts, stress can be helpful.
When we have had unpredictable, uncontrollable, or prolonged periods of stress, it can cause us to become more sensitive or vulnerable to stressful experiences from that point forward. When we have had such experiences, our pattern of stress can become activated. Once a pattern of stress has been active at these rather extreme levels, or over longer periods of time, we may feel stress at more intense degrees.
A typical level of stress is where it’s alerting our attention, like the road crossing scenario. The range for experiencing stress when we have not had a pattern of stress is between active and alert. Here the brain is open and available to think, plan, and problem solve.
However, the way in which we feel and respond to stress today is not always because of what’s happening right here and now. What may be happening is that our stress response system, as a result of being shifted in the past, is activated at a neurological level and brain functioning may also have been shifted as a result.
We all have had some accumulation of different patterns of stress during our lives. If we have experienced poverty, homelessness, unemployment, racism, cultural marginalization, community fragmentation, community violence, domestic violence, or maltreatment in childhood there is a higher chance that our stressors were likely to be more on the extreme, unpredictable and prolonged side.
Why Some Have Had Hardships But Still Manage Stress Well And Others Do Not
Some of us have had support to help in times of stress: connectedness to close family and friends, meaningful work, secure income, secure housing, cultural connections, living amongst one’s mainstream culture and ethnicity, safe and stable families, and a safe and stable community. However, some of us have not had these buffering supports and may, therefore, need more intentional shifting of our pattern of stress.
Changing our pattern of stress really means being able to deal with our stressors at a new, more manageable level. Our aim is to move our pattern of stress:
· From unpredictable to predictable
· From extreme to moderate
· From prolonged to controllable
· From sensitization to tolerable
A quick caveat about those with neuro-typical brains and those who are neuro-diverse. Making these changes is not easy for anyone, and requires time and patience, as well as some trial and error to determine what works for you. These changes may also be more or less challenging depending on whether you are neuro-typical or neuro-diverse and will also depend on the particulars of your pattern of stress experience.
What Helps Shift This Pattern of Stress
Here are 7 ways to start shifting this pattern in a positive direction and begin moving away from overwhelm and towards resilience. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer for everyone, but here are some of the main categories to pay attention to. Keep in mind that everyone will engage with this a bit differently.
Some practical applications of shifting your pattern of stress, might seem overly simplistic, but added up over time, have been found to help. If our goal is to move from vulnerable to resilient, we may benefit from making some of the following lifestyle changes.
- Having daily structure, as opposed to minimal daily structure.
- Eating balanced, healthy meals, as opposed to comfort eating.
- Limiting media use, as opposed to unlimited media use.
- Working to move from emotional isolation to intentional connection with others.
- Working to move from sedentary to getting more movement throughout the day.
- Working to move from disturbed sleep to sleeping through the night.
- Working to move from negative ruminations about the future, to a positive, hopeful state.
These are easier-said-than-done. It is important to recognize that we can’t necessarily just move from vulnerability to resilience because we know what helps but we may take an inventory of these areas and look at making some adjustments. Small changes can make a difference and every little bit helps.
Tips to Make This Easier
The support of friends and family can help when they know where we want to make certain adjustments in our lives. The idea would be for them to support and encourage you, not to nag or pester you. Choose someone you already enjoy talking with about things in your life and ask them to come alongside you as you seek to make these changes.
A counsellor can also help you identify your goals, help you become more aware of your past pattern of stress, and work with you to help you become more resilient in times of stress both now and into the future.
Here’s to you as you work at shifting your pattern of stress,
-Andrew Saliba,
Canadian Certified Counsellor
References
Palix Foundation, 2023. Alberta Family Wellness Initiative, Brain Story Certification.