We have developed as a species to be on the lookout for potential threats and to sense when our brain is under stress. When the brain senses threat it begins to shut down the parts it doesn’t need for immediate survival and keeps the parts turned on (and up !)that will help us to run or fight … everything is put into helping us stay alive.

For example, our brain senses stress and becomes “dysregulated” (starts to press the panic button) when we are too hot or too cold; or too tired or in immediate danger or bored. All of these things are examples of things can that stress out the brain and make us less able to put a lid on our emotions. In the past, a threat would more likely be a physical threat, such as a bear coming at you. But today’s threats are more to do with day to day living - such as how to pay the bills; how to get through all your work; getting all of jobs done in the house.

Recently scientists have discovered a lot more about how the brain develops and how it responds to stress.

Remember this video from earlier?

Through the work of people like Bruce Perry we now know that the brain develops in a particular order - from the bottom up, and from the inside out.

When we are stressed, the brain turns off its thinking brain (at the top -”upstairs brain”) and instead uses the lower parts of the brain (downstairs brain) that are designed to ensure our survival.

The difficulty with using the lower parts of the brain to make decisions is that they are reactive and not able to use logic.

Handy when you need to run away from a threat - not so useful when the person in the queue in front of you is being too slow and making you late for something!

That is why you can’t reason with someone when they are having a tantrum!