How to Help Your Baby Manage Toxic Stress
Not all stress is bad. In fact, embedded in the World Health Organisation’s definition of mental health is the ability to cope with the normal stresses of life. In 2005, the National Scientific Council for the Developing Child, in its third working paper, identified three types of stress: positive, tolerable, and toxic stress . These terms refer to the effects of the stress response systems on the body, not to the stressful event or experience itself. Positive stress: A normal, brief reaction that is essential for development, characterized by brief increases in heart rate and mild elevations in hormone levels. Examples include the first day at a new childcare setting or the temporary fear and discomfort that can come with receiving an immunization, with a supportive relationship from an adult caregiver to help buffer against the child’s stress response. Tolerable stress: More severe, longer-lasting reactions that activate the body’s alert systems to a gre...
