Conflict is EVERYWHERE. And yet, many of us are never taught how to handle it and strive toward peacemaking and reconciliation. In this post, Dr. Ken Acha discusses different human responses to stress and conflict. Keep these in mind not only to evaluate yourself, but when caring for children who have already gone through enough stress in their lives. Teach them how to reflect on their own responses and choose better ones in the future.
“It is common knowledge that we have three basic physiologic responses to stress. When we are faced with a stressful situation, our cerebrums with their executive functions that help us with advanced thought processes, problem-solving, peacemaking strategies, team building, and compassion shut down. And the amygdala, our instinctive brain, takes over. So we default to one of three stress responses: fight, flight, or freeze. I’ve come to discover that conflict is a huge stressor and often activates the stress response.” Read More…
