Blog By: Alex Kronstein, a Self-Reg Foundations Certificate Program learner.
As I progressed through the Self-Reg Foundations 1 course, there were several aspects that really stood out for me.
One of the first things that stood out for me was the description of the Triune Brain, as well as the description of the interbrain. I already had some basic understanding of the triune brain, but I’d never heard it referred to as such until this course. I especially understand now how people, especially children, regress when they’re under extreme stress.
Understanding How Stress Influences Learning and Physical Health
Another thing the course helped me understand better is that stress responses to perceived threats significantly impact one’s ability to learn. Kids will certainly have poor educational outcomes if they’re frequently sick.
And excessive stress can certainly have adverse effects on your health. Speaking from experience, often when I’m under stress with my work, I tend to have trouble sleeping or eating – mainly sleeping, since I tend to wake up after only a few hours, often unconsciously.
Stress Behaviour Versus Misbehaviour
One extremely important thing the course helped me understand is the distinction between misbehaviour and stress behaviour – and also how to read the signs of stress behaviour.
So many teachers and other authority figures don’t know, or care, how to distinguish between the two or how to read the signs. This is doubly true when PBS/PBIS/PEBS are predominant. As a result, kids tend to get punished for stress responses.
What I’ve Learned About Stress, Dopamine, and the HOOK Model
The discussion around super-stimulants was extremely informative. I totally get that people become drawn to super-stimulants, especially food, when they’re over-stressed. I myself have been guilty of this on occasion – mostly junk food.
And whenever your brain gets an increase of dopamine, you’ll likely be triggered, almost unconsciously, to seek out that same thing again that gave you the initial dopamine high. For me, however, this hasn’t been a major issue. So cutting out the dopamine junk is definitely something that applies to Self-Reg.
Two other things that stood out to me in the course are: the idea of boredom being a kind of stress. Nobody ever thinks of it that way, especially teachers. And last but definitely not least, “There’s no such thing as a bad kid!“
All told, Foundations 1 has been very helpful for me, especially for how it improved my understanding of the body and brain’s reaction to stress.
