Stress on the brain

How can I identify the tabs that are open in my mind due to trauma and stress?
Living in a trauma-embedded community and dealing with continued retraumatization is the common denominator for your brain to have too many tabs open. When our brain has too many tabs open it causes stress which can result in acute and chronic changes in neurochemical systems and specific brain regions resulting in long-term changes in our brain circuits.

It’s important to understand the relationship between stress and trauma and how it affects certain parts of our brain. Trauma and stress are a group of emotional and behavioral problems that may result from stressful experiences. These traumatic and stressful experiences can include exposure to physical or emotional violence or pain, including abuse, neglect, or family conflict.

What role does the prefrontal cortex play in dealing with traumatic experiences and making decisions during trauma?
When the environment in which we reside exposes us to traumatic events and we continuously experience extreme fear, “Fear Circuitry” may kick in and the prefrontal cortex begins to function less effectively. This means that amid trauma, a person may not be able to think through the situation and make decisions such as calling for help.

There are 3-parts of the brain that are mostly affected by emotional trauma. They can make a trauma survivor constantly fearful, especially when triggered by events and situations that remind them of their past trauma.

It’s important to learn some effective techniques for closing open tabs in your brain to help reduce stress and fear.
This is not as easy as it sounds. Not to overload yourself, focus on 1 tab at a time and explore exactly what’s inside of the tab, for example: A big tab for me is constantly seeing the same guys on the corner next to the bodega I like to get my coffee from. These guys have become an eyesore to me and since I know they are hot-headed and violent, things can erupt at any given minute. I invested in buying a coffee machine to make my coffee. Whenever I absolutely must walk that way to get on the train, I take the longer route to avoid them. This has helped reduce my fear and helps me to stay safe. Today I have been able to close that tab that was open on my brain.

You can begin practicing different techniques to help close tabs in your brain. Make this exercise a part of your self-care as it will greatly enhance your wellness.