We all experience toxic stress and traumatic events

• 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of event or circumstance that is traumatic

Trauma and toxic stress are harmful to our health“The Firehouse Effect”

• Image your body is a firehouse that sends its biggest and best truck to respond to every call. • Sometimes you need the big truck, but

sometimes just a bucket of water

• Because we have a similar level of response to all stress, it wears down the system

• Based on research done at Rockefeller University

• Our natural response to stress is programmed to work for quick and temporary threats

• When we are stressed because of worry we over utilize our “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal” axis which is dangerous to our health

Trauma and toxic stress are harmful to our healthThe Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study

• Hypertension • Diabetes • Chronic pulmonary lung disease increases• Depression increases• Suicide increases

The ACE Study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente, found a direct link between childhood trauma and adult onset chronic diseases.

When controlling for behavior, people who are exposed to adverse childhood experiences have increased likelihood of:

Stress affects our ability to be resilient Some common questions asked by researchers and providers to

measure resiliency are: • I am usually optimistic. I see difficulties as temporary and expect to overcome them

• I am playful. I find the humor in rough situations, and can laugh at myself.

• I am a good listener. I have good empathy skills.

• I am very durable. I hold up well during tough times.

Because of the impact toxic stress has on our health,

as individuals, and as a community, we are working to become…

What we can do to live a well and balanced lifeThere are several areas of our lives where we can make simple changes to improve our health:

• Connect with others

• Stay positive

• Get physically active

• Help others

• Get enough sleep

• Create joy and satisfaction

• Eat well

• Take care of your spirit

• Deal better with hard times

What makes us happy?

• Science shows that receiving love and support makes people happier and healthier.

• Children who believe their mother, father, or another adult loved, cared and worried about them when they were little are significantly more resilient and healthier people

• As a region, this means that we need to provide services that make people feel cared about.

Building a Community that is Alive and Well

•Being a “Trauma-Informed Community” is one of the national best practices for how we provide social services.

• In a Trauma-Informed Community, service providers including doctors, teachers, judges and social workers are trained to address the underlying trauma that affects health, behavior, decision making and well-being.

Becoming a Trauma- Informed Community

What does it look like to live in a Community that is Alive and Well?

In our Community Today

• A woman who has been the victim of domestic violence goes to the doctor with a black eye.

• The doctor asks “What’s wrong with you?” and treats black eye

In a Trauma – Informed Community

• A woman who has been the victim of domestic violence goes to the doctor with a black eye.

• The doctor asks “What happened to you?”

• The doctor treats the injury, and because the doctor knows what happened, asks the patient if they would like to meet with a social worker or law enforcement to address the cause of the injury.

Stay Involved

• Become and Alive and Well STL Ambassador • Visit www.aliveandwellstl.com for upcoming

trainings and events

• Start making your workplace a Trauma-Informed environment• Visit www.stlmhb.com to learn about becoming

Trauma-Informed

• Talk to your friends and neighbors • Visit www.mhaem.org for more information about

how to talk about wellness with family and friends

• Check out the Alive and Well media partners for more information

Start Today

Thinking about your life and habits, what are three things you will commit to doing today to be Alive and Well?

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