Page 5 - Course 3 Neurobiology Part 3 Signs of Stress

We need the skills to manage unmet needs…

▪ We need good skills to tolerate the unpleasant feeling of an unmet

need - a stressor.

▪ If the stressor is not too big and someone has good skills, they can

tolerate the unpleasant feeling. We call this ‘catching the prickle’.

▪ Without strong Executive Function Skills,

a person can find it too hard to tolerate the

unpleasant feeling and go into a stress

response (like fight, flight or freeze).

▪ If the stressor is too big or is repeated again

and again (leading to toxic stress – see next

pageeurobiology unit), it may be too difficult to

manage, even for someone with good skills.