Toxic Stress in Children and Relaxation Techniques

Transcription

1 Toxic Stress in Children and Relaxation Techniques

2 Toxic Stress in Children and Relaxation Techniques Objectives: 1) Define healthy levels of stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress 2) Identify stress relief and relaxation activities 3) Hands -on experience of relaxation techniques 4) Conclude with review, resources, and practicality Synopsis: We will define various levels of stress that we see in our interactions with children. We will identify healthy levels of stress, tolerable levels of stress, and the damaging effects of prolonged toxic stress on the development of young children. Exploration into stress relief and relaxation activities that we can integrate into our teaching practice will demonstrate some of the ways we can support children to deal with the stress in their lives. We will experience stress relief and relaxation activities designed especially for children. These will include: silly games, deep breathing, stretching, and guided visualization.

3 Outline: 1) State objectives 2) Discussion of experiences with children experiencing stress 3) Define levels of stress: healthy, tolerable, and toxic 4) Introduce stress relief and relaxation activities 5) Invite participants to join in as we engage in: silly games, deep breathing, stretching, and guided visualization (offering chairs to observe for those who are not comfortable participating in the hands on activities) 6) Review objectives 7) Conclusion: Make a group list on a whiteboard or on chart paper of ways objectives were met, as well as further questions or resources desired

4 Define Stress Define stress and then identify sources of stress for children: Case studies-partner work: please work with another participant. Participant #1 will ask the first question and record their partner s response to the question. Participant #2 will ask the second question and record their partner s response 1)What is your definition of stress? 2) Share an example from your experience of a child who you would describe as stressed out.

5 Stress is defined as: Definition Stress is defined as an organism's total response to environmental demands or pressures. When stress was first studied in the 1950s, the term was used to denote both the causes and the experienced effects of these pressures. More recently, however, the word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response. (This content is provided by imedix and is subject to imedix Terms.)

6 Positive stress response is a normal and essential part of healthy development, characterized by brief increases in heart rate and mild elevations in hormone levels. Some situations that might trigger a positive stress response are the first day with a new caregiver or receiving an injected immunization. Tolerable stress response activates the body s alert systems to a greater degree as a result of more severe, longer-lasting difficulties, such as the loss of a loved one, a natural disaster, or a frightening injury. If the activation is time-limited and buffered by relationships with adults who help the child adapt, the brain and other organs recover from what might otherwise be damaging effects. Toxic stress response can occur when a child experiences strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity such as physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, and/or the accumulated burdens of family economic hardship without adequate adult support. This kind of prolonged activation of the stress response systems can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other organ systems, and increase the risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment, well into the adult years.

7 Stress Relief and Relaxation Activities: silly games, deep breathing, stretching, and guided visualization Everyone Join In!

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13 Guided Visualization: Meditation by Genevieve Jereb from the album: Say G day Other albums by Genevieve Jereb:

14 Objectives: 1) Define healthy levels of stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress 2) Identify stress relief and relaxation activities 3) Hands -on experience of relaxation techniques 4) Conclude with review, resources, and practicality

15 Conclusion: Make a group list on chart paper of ways objectives were met, as well as further questions or resources desired

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