Your brain on stress
This is what happens in your brain if you see a piano falling from the sky and someone standing directly below it
What is flipping your lid / amygdala kicks in / fight/flight/freeze response
This is when sleeping becomes difficult after experiencing a stressful incident
What is insomnia
This is when you name or talk about a stressful incident without pointing fingers or assigning blame
What is acknowledgement / debriefing
This is how long after a critical incident that a debrief should take place
What is once the person(s) affected have had a chance to collect themselves
This is the part of your brain that helps you get work done
What is the prefrontal cortex
This is when you notice a difference in how you feel after a stressful incident
What is a mood change
This is when you remind yourself that it’s understandable to have an intense reaction to a critical incident
What is normalization / validation
These are the people who should be involved in a debrief after a stressful workplace incident
What is anyone who was affected by the incident
This is the part of your brain that takes over when it feels attacked
What is the amygdala
This is when you don’t want to go back to the place where an incident occurred
What is dread / avoidance
This is something you would normally do to feel grounded after a stressful incident
What is a coping mechanism
This is an example of what we DON’T do in a good debriefing session
What is gossip / judge people / spread rumours
This kind of response to a critical incident keeps us from feeling well at work
What is a trauma response
This is a state of increased alertness and being extremely sensitive to your surroundings
What is hypervigilance
This is when you pay attention to any felt sensations in your body
What is mindfulness / grounding
This is who should ideally lead a debrief session
What is someone who was not directly involved