Page 92 - Strength Based Approach to Executive Function Skills
P. 92
Resilience & Emotional Regulation
These stress responses were a great thing thousands of
years ago when we were being chased by
mammoths. They are 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 is 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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