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Did you know that 1 in 5 people in Canada grow up with a parent's substance use challenges (often called an addiction)? And 94% of our peers said that their childhoods were super stressful because of a parent's mental health and substance use challenges. They told us that this stress impacted their
sleep
relationships
school work
parenting
level of hope
It was pretty stressful, I had a lot of nights where I was up till morning because of the arguing, but, when I finally moved out I couldn't sleep cause of my thoughts. I felt better when I started to know others were in the same boat, it didn't take away the experiences, but it helped me feel less alone.
Learn about what stress we've experienced here.
All the stress at home
made it hard to focus on school , work, and even friendhsips. I
spent most of the day
worrying about them and about what was coming. When I learned how my body was just protecting me, it helped me better understand myself and feel less broken.
Learn about stress and the brain here.
I feel like the most stressful part was actually trying to find help, which triggered so many bad memories and made it hard to focus. I learned my body was preparing me for a potentially dangerous situation.
Learn about the stress response here.
We share all this to remind you that
You are not alone
Some things that we have seen, heard, or felt that have made us feel stressed:
What happens when we experience stress
Every second of every day your brain gets information from your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin. It scans this information without you even knowing it, and it quickly decides
When your body detects danger, it will prepare you to escape it. This might feel and look like:
racing thoughts
heavy legs
quick breathing
tight throat
stomach ache
fast heart beat
sweaty palms
Your behaviour is a normal response to stressful experiences. And, to stop the stress response, we need to feel safe.
Where would you like to explore next?
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