Life, work, school, and relationships can bring us both joy and stress. With advances in technology and social media, we have 24/7 access to content from across the world. Some of it can be scary, exclusionary, shaming, or discriminatory. At the same time, we may have less in-person time for connection, spending time outdoors, and other activities that help us buffer stress.
In addition, many of us have experienced personal traumas as children such as abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional), neglect, living with a caregiver who has a mental illness or struggles with alcohol or substance use, or intimate partner violence in the home. These traumas, known as adverse childhood experiences or ACEs, are very common and are present across communities, income levels, races, and ethnicities. Based on a study conducted by RAND for Live Beyond, an ACES and toxic stress campaign by the State of California, 3 out of 5 Californians have experienced at least one ACE, and 1 out of 5 youth and young adults in California have experienced four or more ACEs.
Past traumas can impact our life, health, and relationships today.
Some stress is good for us and builds resilience. If we have a supportive environment, coping skills, and healing interventions, we can overcome many if not most challenges. However, without support, toxic stress – when the body's stress response is activated too often or for too long – can lead to wear and tear on our physical and mental health. Toxic stress often shows up when we haven't had the support, coping strategies, and healing interventions we have needed to balance our stress response system.
The impacts of ACEs and toxic stress can influence our mental and physical health, and show up in unexpected ways and situations, affecting how we feel and act. Here are a few examples.
- Heightened reactivity: Irritability, impulsivity, lack of engagement, learning issues, or even diagnoses like ADHD, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.
- Disconnection: A "freeze" state characterized by detachment, numbness, quietness, or depression.
- Perfectionism and people-pleasing: Common in those who had to be caretakers or were overly cautious to avoid negative or harmful attention.
- Relationship challenges: If childhood taught us not to trust others or ourselves, we may struggle with forming secure attachments.
- Heart disease: If stress hormones continuously tell our heart to beat faster and our immune system to be on guard, this can increase the risk for high blood pressure and inflammation in our blood vessels.
- Obesity and diabetes: If our stress response is repeatedly pumping out extra sugar into our blood stream, this can overtax the system and increase risk for insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes.
It is never too late to begin healing
Wherever we are on our stress, health, and well-being path, we can all cope, heal, and flourish, and it's never too late to begin. We need to listen to our body and what it may be trying to tell us. We, then, can assess and address whether we have (1) control over our environment such that we could decrease the stressors in our life, and (2) implement strategies that help us cope with the things beyond our control, lower our adrenaline and cortisol levels, and bring us back to a state of balance.
These evidence-backed strategies include supportive relationships, quality sleep, eating well, physical activity, mindfulness, and experiencing nature. California's aforementioned Live Beyond campaign offers a range of healing strategies that can be incorporated into our everyday lives and can help us heal and thrive.
For some, stress may trigger underlying vulnerabilities to mental and physical health challenges that could improve with extra support. Many people dealing with the effects of ACEs and toxic stress find therapy helpful. Look for therapists that practice trauma-informed care, visit the Start Healing page from the Live Beyond campaign to learn more about ways to care for your mental health, or try one of these free apps: Soluna is a free mental health app for youth ages 13 to 25, and Bright Life Kids is a free parent support app. Additionally, you can search the ACEs Aware Clinician Directory to find a subset of health care providers who have completed training on ACEs and can support your physical health.
It's never too late to begin healing or to support others in their healing journey. If you notice a young person and/or their caregiver is struggling, reach out – as a friend, relative, co-worker, classmate, neighbor, or community member. Together, California is paving the way to a healthier and more resilient future.
Dr. Rachel Gilgoff is a senior clinical and science adviser to the ACEs Aware Initiative with UCLA-UCSF ACEs Aware and Family Resilience Network. She's also an adjunct clinical associate professor with Stanford University School of Medicine, integrative medicine clinician at GetzWell Personalized Pediatrics, and a member of the Live Beyond campaign, a mental health awareness initiative created by the California Surgeon General. While Gilgoff does not personally identify under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, she is dedicated to helping all folks from the Bay Area, including the LGBTQIA+ community.
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