

Toxic Stress
-
Chronic exposure to stressful situations where one PERCEIVES the situation as a threat vs. a challenge.
-
Brain and body adapt to consistent hyper-arousal.
-
Activates trauma reactions (flight, fight, flee) in body.
-
Revs up the inflammatory system, shooting stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) throughout the body.
-
Impairs mood regulation, emotional regulation, shortens one's "window of tolerance."
-
Diminishes one's ability to access "higher brain" in the pre-frontal cortex.




Secondary Trauma
Symptoms
aka: Compassion Fatigue, Vicarious Trauma
-
diminished joy toward things once loved
-
feeling trapped by one's work
-
feelings of hopelessness associate with teaching
-
dealing with intrusive thoughts
-
diminished sense of efficacy, satisfaction, and accomplishment
-
loss of sleep
-
increased irritation/ anger
-
over or under-eating
-
feeling jumpy or on edge
-
worried about not doing or being enough for students
Resilience:
Style of Stress Perception



vs.
