Chapter 2: Self-Regulation and The Brain
ECE5J Course Learning Outcome
- Demonstrate an understanding of the significance of repeated experiences and variety and nurturing relationships in the brain’s development.
How Does Stress Impact the Brain?
When we encounter or perceive a threat or fear, our brain triggers an automatic survival response. This leads to the release of cortisol, a hormone that prepares the body to handle the stress. Cortisol is released, increases heart rate, raises alertness and prepares the body to react by activating the “fight, flight, or freeze” responses. Once the threat passes, cortisol levels gradually decrease, allowing the brain and body to return to a calmer, more balanced state.
Reflect: Quiet Night Scenario
It’s a quiet night. You’re sitting on the couch at home; the soft hum of the refrigerator is the only background noise. The room is dimly lit by a few lamps and the glow of your TV screen. You’re feeling calm, perhaps a little tired after a long day, and just starting to unwind.
Then, suddenly—BANG—a loud, jarring sound echoes from somewhere outside, followed by the unmistakable crash of something heavy hitting the ground. Your heart skips, and before you even fully process it, your body is already reacting.
After a few moments, the rational part of your brain (prefrontal cortex) starts to gain control again. You realize that the sound was probably something harmless—maybe a door slamming in the wind or a neighbour dropping something heavy. The initial spike of panic begins to settle as your body starts to relax. Your heart rate returns to normal, and the sensation of threat starts to dissipate. You may even laugh at yourself for reacting so strongly.
But for those few seconds, your limbic system—particularly the amygdala—had hijacked your body’s response, putting you into a primal state of alertness, preparing you to face a danger that, in hindsight, was more imagined than real.
Think about the following questions:
- What part of the brain is responsible for detecting the loud bang and triggering a stress response in the scenario?
- How does the body physically respond when the brain perceives a threat, as described in the scenario?
- What role does the prefrontal cortex play in the scenario, and how does it help balance the initial reaction?
- What is the purpose of the release of cortisol and other stress hormones during a threat response?
The limbic system, which includes the amygdala, monitors the environment for potential threats and safety. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex helps regulate emotions and manage stress. Click on the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex for some brain highlights.
Activity Text
**H5P Description goes here**
Amygdala Highlights
- Limbic Alarm
- Automatic response
- Detects safety and threats
- Fight, flight or freeze
- Cortisol is released
- Bodily changes
- Reactive behaviours and emotions
Prefrontal Cortex Highlights
- Center for decision-making, problem-solving, and emotional regulation
- Keeps the amygdala in check
- Managing and regulating emotions
- Helps to manage stress more effectively
- Develops later than other regions of the brain
Together, the limbic system and prefrontal cortex maintain a delicate balance, with stress tipping that balance toward reactive, impulsive behaviours when the brain’s stress systems become overstimulated.
Read, Reflect & Reimagine
Review the quiet night scenario and reflect on the following questions.
- How do you think knowing about the brain’s response to fear might help you manage your own reactions in stressful situations?
- In the scenario, the prefrontal cortex tries to reason through the situation. How might we use our prefrontal cortex to calm ourselves in a real-life emergency?
- What could you do to reduce the intensity of the body’s stress response in a situation like this?
- How might individuals with anxiety or trauma respond differently to a loud noise compared to someone with a calm disposition?
Stress Behaviour in Young Children
Recall the definition of self-regulation from Chapter 1: “Self-regulation refers to how well we manage stress, how much energy we expend and how well we recover”.
This foundational definition of self-regulation helps us to understand stress behaviour in young children as well as how to support children in recognizing and responding to their own stressors. Remember, the prefrontal cortex is one of the last regions of the brain to develop; therefore, young children are less able to think logically, regulate emotions and deal with stress without the support of adults. When stress floods the brain, the child’s limbic alarm signals fight, flight or freeze. Why is it important to recognize stress-related behaviour? It is important because stress behaviour is often mistaken for misbehaviour.
Read, Reflect & Reimagine
Read the article titled: Masking self reg the basics and Masking Stress with Misbehaviour and reflect on the following quote from the article.
“Dr. Stuart Shanker contends that when we see a person differently, we see a different person (Shanker, 2016). Any of the examples of misbehaviour listed above can be reframed as stress behaviour, thereby deepening understanding of the roots of the behaviour and opening up new ways of responding” (Hopkins, 2023).
Growing Activity
Go back to the article and look at the behaviours presented and the impact of reframing the behaviour. If you look at these behaviours differently, you can see stress behaviour instead of misbehaviour.
Think about how the examples of stress behaviours were presented initially and the impact of reframing.
- What did you see differently? Does it change how you see the behaviour?
Think about a child who exhibits challenging behaviour.
- What if you take a moment to pause and reflect before you respond? If you reframe the child’s behaviour, maybe you will see the child differently.
Blue Brain Red Brain – Based on the Work of Dr. Stuart Shanker
“Shanker Self-Reg® is a process for enhancing self-regulation by understanding and dealing with stress. In Self-Reg, we consider both our responses to stress and our underlying state of energy and tension when we encounter a stress” (Shanker, 2021b).
Read the article: Self-Reg: The Basics
The Merhit Centre’s graphic below allows us to apply our basic knowledge of the limbic system (red brain) and prefrontal cortex (blue brain) to help us understand the difference between stress behaviour and misbehaviour.
What is the difference between stress behaviour and misbehaviour? It depends on which part of the brain is in charge. The blue brain symbolizes the prefrontal cortex when the child is aware of their behaviour. The red brain symbolizes the limbic system, and for the child experiencing a red brain, stress is in charge of their behaviour.
Growing Activity
Let’s dig a little deeper into explaining red brain and blue brain as part of the Shanker Self-Reg process.
Video: “The Self-Reg Triune Brain Glove: A great teaching tool” by The MEHRIT Centre [9:35] is licensed under the Standard YouTube License. [Transcript ]
After watching the video, think about how you can support young children in self-regulating, reducing stress and tension, and returning to a state of calm. Similar to the quiet night scenario, we want to support children in noting their limbic reactions and when their amygdala is about to be hijacked. We want to support them to become mindful of their own reactions and to support them to develop strategies to get their prefrontal cortex back in charge of their executive brain functions. Create your own Red Brain Blue Brain glove for use as a future teaching tool.
Quiet Night Scenario Source
ChatGPT. (2024, November 10). ChatGPT. [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
- Prompt” Create a scenario: home alone at night, hear a loud noise. Include how the limbic alarm and the prefrontal cortex respond.” Only used scenario created. Did not use the detailed explanation of what is happening in the brain when the limbic alarm is activated.
- Prompt “Now, what questions could I ask my students about the scenario?” 7 Sets of questions were produced. Selected two sets of questions most applicable to the key concepts highlighted by the scenario.
- Prompt “Now, what questions could I ask my students about the scenario?” 7 Sets of questions were produced. Selected two sets of questions most applicable to the key concepts highlighted by the scenario.
