Stress is a word that we are all familiar with, and believe it or not, some stress is good for us. In the right circumstances, when it’s manageable and short lived, it can help motivate us, help us achieve our goals and challenge us to learn and grow.

Stress can also protect us from danger. If our bodies think we are in danger, from an external threat like some of the Adverse Childhood Experiences, our brains release hormones into our systems and kick into “fight, flight, freeze mode” This can be really useful to protect us in the short term.

However, if we face fear every single day, then our emergency “fight flight freeze” response is activated every day, which stops the rest of our brain from growing and functioning as it should. Our systems become overloaded. When the stressful situation becomes unmanageable, is unsupported, or doesn’t end, then our bodies go into toxic stress.

Children with toxic stress, spend their lives in constant fear, and their brains priority then, is managing and protecting them from threats or perceived threat.
This can have a number of affects on the way our brains and body functions.