Effective Stress Management through Resilience and Trauma-Informed Thinking
By Leona Kashersky, PsyD
©️5/8/2023
Stress is an inevitable part of life, and while some stress can be motivating and helpful, too much stress can have serious negative effects on our physical, emotional, and mental health. The Stress Spectrum is a model that describes the varying degrees of stress and its effects on the body. Understanding this model can be a helpful tool in learning how to manage stress and promote resilience.
Applying Stress Management
I work with many busy professionals; many have been laser focused on achieving their career goals. However, as their workload increased, so did stress levels. They would often found themselves feeling overwhelmed and anxious, unable to focus on work and constantly distracted by the thoughts racing through their mind. These pain points were affecting not just their work life but their personal life as well. They were snapping at their family and friends, feeling exhausted all the time, and unable to enjoy the things they used to love.
When they discover these stress management models it helps them identify the sources of their stress and helps develop practical tools to manage it. With the help of these concepts, they learned how to prioritize their tasks, set boundaries, and take breaks when needed. Learning intentional stress management strategies provides them tools like guided meditations and breathing exercises that helps them calm their mind and relax their body. They find themselves feeling more focused and productive at work, and more present and engaged in their personal life. These stress management tools can truly transform your life, helping one to overcome pain points and allowing one to live a more balanced and fulfilling life. If you're struggling with stress, I highly recommend giving intentional stress management strategies a try.
What is The Stress Spectrum?
The Stress Spectrum consists of three categories: positive, tolerable, and toxic. Positive stress, also known as eustress, is the type of stress that helps us stay motivated and alert. It can be experienced when we are working on a challenging project or pursuing a new goal. This state can also be described as flow. The 'flow' state, as outlined by Csikszentmihalyi, is a mental state of complete absorption and engagement in a challenging activity, where time seems to fly by and one's skills and abilities are in balance with the task at hand. This type of stress can be beneficial to our health and well-being, as long as it is short-lived and does not become chronic.
Tolerable stress is the type of stress that can be overwhelming and challenging, but with the right support and coping mechanisms, it can be managed. This type of stress can be experienced when we face a significant life event, such as the loss of a loved one, a job change, or a health crisis. While this type of stress can be challenging, it can also promote resilience and personal growth.
The most concerning type of stress is toxic stress. This type of stress is chronic and can have serious negative effects on our physical and emotional health. Toxic stress can be experienced when a person is exposed to long-term adverse situations, such as abuse, neglect, or ongoing financial hardship. This type of stress can lead to a range of health problems, including heart disease, depression, and anxiety.
It's essential to note that the Stress Spectrum refers to the body's response to stress, not the actual stressful experiences or events themselves. This is an important distinction because it means that our physical reactions to stress are not necessarily an indication of the severity of the situation. Two people can experience the same event, but their physical responses may be vastly different.
Learning to understand our physical responses to stress is an essential component of managing stress and promoting resilience. Sensory awareness, also known as interoception, is the ability to sense and understand our physical reactions to stress. This skill is taught in biological-based models such as the Community Resiliency Model and the Trauma Resiliency Model, where it is referred to as "tracking."
Tracking involves learning how to read the nervous system's signals and becoming aware of physical sensations associated with stress, such as a racing heartbeat or shallow breathing. By becoming aware of these physical sensations, we can learn to distinguish between sensations of distress and well-being. This self-awareness can be a portal to self-healing, as we learn to respond to stress in healthy and adaptive ways.
Further, Stress Spectrum is a useful tool for understanding the varying degrees of stress and its effects on the body. By learning to read the signals of the nervous system and becoming aware of our physical responses to stress, we can promote resilience and self-healing. By becoming more aware of our physical sensations, we can learn to distinguish between sensations of distress and well-being, which can help us manage stress more effectively.
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur before the age of 18 and have the potential to impact an individual's physical and emotional health long into adulthood. ACEs can include experiences such as abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, and exposure to violence. Without the necessary social support to mitigate the impact of such incidents, ACEs can lead to prolonged activation of the stress response systems. This prolonged activation can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other organ systems, increasing the risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment in adulthood. The landmark ACE study conducted by Fellitti and colleagues in 1998 demonstrated the significant impact of ACEs on long-term health outcomes, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and support for individuals who have experienced trauma.
Shifting Perspectives: From Conventional Approaches to Trauma-Informed and Resiliency-Informed Practices
As our understanding of the Stress Spectrum and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) continues to grow, there is a significant shift occurring from conventional thinking to trauma and resiliency-informed thinking. Conventional thinking often labels problematic behaviors as a result of a person being "bad" and deserving of punishment. However, trauma-informed thinking recognizes that challenging behaviors may be a result of past traumatic experiences and emphasizes the importance of being sensitive to a person's history. Resiliency-informed thinking focuses on sharing skills for well-being that can help reduce the physiological and emotional toll of traumatic experiences. Instead of asking what is wrong with someone, we ask what has happened to them, and what or who has helped them get through difficult times. By recognizing a person's strengths and providing support for their well-being, we can shift our focus from punishment to healing and ultimately reduce human suffering.
The shift from conventional thinking to trauma and resiliency-informed thinking can have a significant impact on public and mental health strategies. The conventional approach of labeling problematic behaviors as a result of a person being "bad" and deserving of punishment fails to recognize the underlying trauma that may be driving those behaviors. By contrast, trauma-informed thinking emphasizes the importance of being sensitive to a person's history and experiences, recognizing that challenging behaviors may be a result of past trauma. Resiliency-informed thinking focuses on sharing skills for well-being that can help reduce the physiological and emotional toll of traumatic experiences. This shift in thinking can help to reduce human suffering by providing support for individuals who have experienced trauma and empowering them with the tools they need to heal.
Integrating interoceptive awareness to the positive experiences in life can be a powerful tool for those experiencing stress or trauma. By focusing on the physiological sensations associated with positive experiences, such as joy or gratitude, individuals can cultivate a greater sense of present-moment awareness and connection to their own strengths. This bottom-up approach to healing, which focuses on the biology of the human nervous system, can be more effective than traditional top-down approaches that rely solely on cognitive processing. By recognizing the importance of interoceptive awareness and integrating it into mental health interventions, we can create more effective and sustainable strategies for promoting healing and well-being.
Interoception, Reading Your Nervous System to Self-Soothe
The skill of tracking, or the ability to monitor and interpret bodily sensations, plays a crucial role in promoting emotion regulation and overall well-being. By developing a greater sense of interoception, individuals can become more attuned to their internal states and learn to regulate their emotions more effectively. Research on interoception has grown in recent years, with studies exploring the connections between bodily sensations, emotions, and cognitive processing. The insula, a region of the brain that facilitates communication between the body and mind, plays a critical role in this process. By reading physical sensations and communicating with the cortex, the insula helps to maintain internal balance and promote feelings of well-being. By honing the skill of tracking, individuals can cultivate a deeper connection to their bodies and promote greater emotional and physical resilience.
Interoception is an essential sensory process that allows us to sense signals originating within our bodies. As described by Farb et al. (2015), interoception is closely tied to our sense of embodiment, motivation, and well-being. This sensory process is critical for maintaining internal balance and homeostasis, allowing humans to self-regulate and achieve emotional balance. Emotionally balanced body signals are believed to contribute to overall mood states, promoting a greater sense of well-being and emotional stability. By developing a deeper sense of interoception, individuals can become more attuned to their internal states and better equipped to regulate their emotions, leading to a greater sense of overall wellness and balance.
Practice Tracking and Resistance
Here are some simple steps you can follow anytime to practice self-care and improve your mood:
Take a few moments to think about something or someone that makes you happy, uplifts you, or brings you peace.
As you focus on that happy thought, imagine the colors, sounds, smells, and images associated with it. Then, bring your attention to any pleasant or neutral sensations you feel in your body.
If any negative sensations arise, try shifting your attention to a part of your body that feels more comfortable or enjoyable. Alternatively, you can look around your surroundings and notice anything interesting or beautiful that catches your eye.
Keep your focus on the positive sensations and try to stay with them for a little while longer. By doing so, you can help improve your mood and overall well-being.
Resources
Bucci M, Marques SS, Oh D, Harris NB. Toxic Stress in Children and Adolescents. Advances in Pediatrics 2016; 63:403–28. DOI: 10.1016/j.yapd.2016.04.002.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. New York, Harper & Row.
Farb, N. et al. (2015). Interoception, contemplative practice, and health. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 763.
Miller-Karas, E. (2023). Building resilience to trauma: The trauma and community resiliency models. 2nd Edition, Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Struck, S., Stewart-Tufescu, A., Asmundson, A. J. N., Asmundson, G. G. J., & Afifi, T. O. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) research: A bibliometric analysis of publication trends over the first 20 years. Child Abuse & Neglect, 112, Article 104895