Page 42 - Unit 7 Brain Stress

Unit 7: Brain Stress Answers

6. Some children are born with greater sensitivity to stressors

and cannot manage them so well. Their brains are simply wired a

bit differently.

7. We need Executive Function Skills to manage stressors.

8. We shouldn’t aim for children’s lives to be totally stress-free.

It will mean they will not be able to cope so well as an adult. As long as

we have enough yellow ‘Feel Good Chemicals’ in our system, adding a
little bit of blue stress turns into growth stress (aka resilience).

9. If we do not have enough ‘Feel Good Chemicals’ in our system, it is

harder to be resilient. Cortisol builds up. We start to wear blue lenses.

Blue lensed people find it harder to engage and get on with others.
Learning and life are tough for them.

10. If stress chemicals continue to be released without periods when the

body is soothed and calmed, it can turn into toxic stress: stress
chemicals become locked up high. The child is on constant high alert. They

wear red lenses, finding it hard to be calm, flexible, to focus and think

things through. They may become easily defensive, hyper or lethargic.