What are chronic stress patterns?

Chronic stress patterns are like when your brain gets stuck in "fight or flight" mode all the time, just like a toy car that keeps going around the same track over and over.

Imagine you have a favorite toy car. Every day, it zooms around the same little loop on the floor, never stopping, never resting. That’s kind of what happens to your body when chronic stress is happening: it's always preparing for something bad, even if nothing really bad is happening right now.

Think about being stuck in traffic every single day on the way to school. You're always late, and you’re always worried about missing something important. That’s like chronic stress, it's not just one tough day, but many of them adding up over time.

Your brain gets used to being busy all the time, so it doesn’t know when to slow down or relax. It keeps telling your body to be ready for more trouble, even if there isn't any right now.