Who’s stressed out, raise your hand…If you’re feeling stressed YW’s Trauma Prevent Services are here to help.
- How many adults in your workplace right now would raise their hands? Are you raising yours?
- How many students in a 3rd-grade classroom would raise their hands? In a 7th-grade classroom? 11th graders? College students?
Is all stress bad stress?
Not all stress is bad for us – when we have a short burst of stress over a presentation, an upcoming appointment, or your student has an opening night for the play or a big game tomorrow or a test next week – this stress shows that we care about something enough that we want it to go well. It is important that as humans we experience some levels of stress as we develop and grow – allowing us to see that we can achieve and do hard things.
Repeated stress that grows over time and is continually present – is not the stress we want day in and out. Stress plays a huge role in our Sympathetic Nervous System (think our fight and flight reactions) and our Parasympathetic Nervous System (think rest and digest response).
Have you ever felt so stressed out in a situation where everyone else is calm, relaxed, and connected? You wonder, “Why can’t I get free from this feeling of being stressed out?”
Your brain still has the light on in the region of the brain where you felt that stress… it doesn’t feel safe enough to turn that light off. How can you help yourself and reduce your stress response?
There are a lot of answers to this, but one very simple tool is Breathing for your Brain.
Breathe for Your Brain with YW’s Trauma Prevent Services
Take a pause and allow yourself to simply be for a few minutes, only focused on your breathing. Not breathing for your lungs, this mindful breathing for your brain looks and feels a little different. Try the square breathing technique the next time you are feeling stressed… repeat it at least 3 – 4 times.
Help yourself today with a pause for mindful breathing. Breathe for You Brain with YW’s Trauma Prevent Services. The more you practice it, the more you will create a positive feedback loop for your brain – it will begin to allow you to turn off a few of those lights that were still on.
Help yourself and then help someone else – who around you could learn about Breathing for their Brain?
Are you ready to learn more skills like Breathing for your Brain?
YW3CA offers Trauma-informed Trainings 101 – 109 for organizations, corporations, school districts, Boards, and any other human beings.
Reach out to learn more: kpiacine@ywcatricountyarea.org.
