Page 94 - Improving Control Centre (Executive Function) Skills: A Strength Based Approach

Resilience

These stress responses were a great thing thousands of

years ago when we were being chased by

mammoths. They’re even a pretty helpful

thing now if we are in real danger and

need to escape, such as if we are in a

building and there’s a fire.

But they aren’t very helpful in most situations nowadays.

Most problems are better sorted by facing them calmly and

thinking things through.

When someone gives us help

or when a problem we have is

solved, the stress chemicals in

our body go down and we feel

calm again.

If we don’t get the right help or another bad thing happens

too soon, the stress chemicals stay high. If it keeps

happening, the stress chemicals stay too high, all of the

time. This may make us feel on ‘high alert’ – even when

there isn’t any real danger. We may then react more easily,

even to little things that aren’t so important.

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