Why Too Much Stress Makes Us All Regress

"When most everyone is dysregulated, our reactivity creates an unsafe world. And without safety, everyone gets even more dysregulated, pushing us towards escalating disorder in all our interdependent systems, from the health of our bodies to our communities, countries, geopolitical relations, and ecosystems."

"In these moments, our higher brain's prefrontal cortex—the part that functions in complex reasoning, such as considering long-term consequences, values, other perspectives, and empathy—is deactivated by stress. Instead, we flip into the false refuge of certainty: We know we're right, stick to our story, and shame and blame anyone who suggests otherwise."

"Our nervous system's regulation acts like an oven's thermostat. We function best when we're in balance and not too hot or too cold. But there are many situations that require us to turn up or down the heat."

Stress serves as a necessary alarm system for detecting threats, but prolonged dysregulation creates harmful cycles where widespread reactivity generates unsafe conditions, further dysregulating everyone. When stressed, the prefrontal cortex deactivates, replacing complex reasoning with survival instincts, certainty, and blame. This triggers a dangerous spiral across health, communities, and ecosystems. However, people are neither stupid nor evil during dysregulation—they simply experience temporary loss of skillful response capacity. Nervous system regulation functions like a thermostat, maintaining optimal balance. Threatening environments require heightened emotional awareness to signal important information and guide behavior. Individual sensitivity varies based on biology and past environmental adaptations, affecting how alarm systems respond.

Read at Psychology Today