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 patterns 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. For example, if you and I were crossing the road and a car came barreling towards us, our stress response system would help us get out of the way. Stress is a protective mechanism but it can get stuck in overdrive and cause us to feel unnecessarily worried or anxious.
So far, this is probably nothing new for you. But I will also add that stress can also be good because, when it comes to us in the right way and in the right amounts, it can lead us to learn to become more resilient. And resilience is the ability to respond to stressful stimuli and then return to your previous level of functioning.
What is important here is what is known as our pattern of stress. 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.
Once the pattern of stress has been active at extreme levels, or over longer periods of time, we will tend to feel stress at higher degrees. Not just merely at the typical levels where it’s alerting, but where it’s fear inducing or, for some, even perhaps terrorizing.
When we have experienced this pattern of stress, it places us at a higher risk of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. It can also place us at a higher risk for certain cognitive challenges, social interaction issues, and other health issues. This fact in and of itself may awaken some stress for you. If it does, take a moment to pause, perhaps a brief screen break even and come back when you’re feeling ready to continue.
Here’s what’s so interesting – the way in which we feel and respond to stress today is not always because of what’s happening to and around us right here and now. Because our stress response system may have been shifted in the past, this pattern of stress was activated at a neurological level so that actual brain functioning may have shifted.
Here’s how you know: 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, a history of unpredictable, uncontrollable, prolonged stressors in the past makes it more difficult to deal with and tolerate it today.
Where Did My Patter of Stress Come From?
We all, myself included, have had some accumulation of different patterns of stress. For some of us, our stressful times were predictable and consistent, whereas for others they were extreme, unpredictable and prolonged.
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 Don’t.
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.
For those of us who have not, we will need to be that much more intentional about shifting our pattern of stress. Here’s how to start moving away from being vulnerable and towards being more resilient.
What Helps Us Manage Stress?
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 if your goal is to shift your pattern of stress and move from being more vulnerable to being more resilient.
Before we talk about specific behaviour, let me just add some terms to help wrap our heads around what changing our pattern of stress really means.
What we are wanting to think about here is to have our stressors dealt with at a new, more manageable level. So our goal is to move our pattern of stress.
· From unpredictable to predictable
· From extreme to moderate
· From prolonged to controllable
· From sensitization to tolerable
· From vulnerability to resilience
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. Keep in mind, as I am trying to do here, that everyone will engage with this a bit differently.
What Helps Shift This Pattern of Stress?
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 connecting with others.
· Working to move from sedentary to daily exercise.
· Working to move from disturbed sleep to sleeping through the night.
· Working to move from negative ruminations about the future, to a positive and hopeful state.
And yes, as I say, they are simple but they are also 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 shift our pattern of stress.
However, knowing this list may encourage us to take an inventory of these practices 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.
A counsellor can also help you identify your goals, help you become more aware of your past patterns of stress, and work with you to help you become more resilient in times of stress both now and into the future.
References
Palix Foundation, 2023. Alberta Family Wellness Initiative, Brain Story Certification.