Strategic Resilience: Protecting Capacity, Purpose and Mental Agility in Chronic High-Stress Systems
June 2025 GLC Monthly Learning Call Brief
Summary of the Calls
Our Monthly Learning Calls in June brought some perspective-shifting learning for the community, not on the specifics of our anti-trafficking work, but on ourselves and our human physiology. Helen’s presentation was fascinating even in its technicality, as we digested in the 90 minutes what is usually a comprehensive 3 hour workshop on ‘Strategic Resilience: Protecting Capacity, Purpose and Mental Agility in Chronic High-Stress Systems’. The calls provided some foundational scientific knowledge, and some practical examples of how we, as humans, can support ourselves and build community so that we can remain engaged and hopefully more effective in this particular work for a longer period of time. The presentation provided a concise, comprehensive and clear exploration of the complex system of processes between our brain and physiological stress response and the eventual impact of these on our physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing, and beyond this on our work.
The presentations’ illumination of these neurobiological mechanisms that we all share made plain a really elemental way we’re all the same, we all have brains that function in their evolutionary, pre-programmed, automatic ways that are deeply interconnected with our nervous systems, minds and bodies (aside from where any additional illness, disease or disorder might be present). When stress arrives at our doorstep, we can no more stop our adrenal gland producing cortisol when it receives the chemical signal to do so than we are able to stop our heart beating. We can also no more choose what causes us stress than we can choose the colour of our eyes - at least we don’t have any control over what causes us stress without a great deal of self awareness and personal development. However, having an understanding of what is happening in our physical bodies and the interconnected system of our brains and nervous systems is a integral first step to truly being able to support ourselves in our daily lives and our work - for the sake of our own wellbeing while doing the work, but importantly for the actual work itself and the decision making, thinking, creativity and problem solving that it requires.
Another stand out point of learning was that while we are individuals, we are social creatures and a vital element of our brain health is reliant on the safe connection with others and the feeling of belonging that this fosters.
For the Secretariat and those who had also attended our Network & Coalition Leaders Call the previous week with GLC member Age Rowse who shared on Burnout and Sustainable Self-Care Practices for Network Leaders (these call recordings can be found in the Members Area), the links were very clear. Age helped to illuminate how the current state of the oversaturation of information and of overexertion or overstretching of people's time and our cognitive and physical capacity is really putting most people around the world on a trajectory of burnout. What both calls helped to crystallise was that our brains need as much attention in our understanding of ourselves and how we care for ourselves, and other people, as the rest of our bodies, but what this entails is not necessarily intuitive or well known across societies.
What We Learned
We would encourage you to watch the call recordings as the presentation is very useful to walk through, but a few key takeaways to perhaps generate curiosity are as follows:
The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis runs the show when it comes to our stress response. The HPA axis is a complex system of interactions between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands which produces cortisol which feeds back to the hypothalamus.
The difference between acute stress and chronic stress - stress is a normal part of life and can be helpful as stress hormones increase energy availability but chronic stress is when the stress response from acute episodes of stress aren’t processed adequately and the body’s stress response system goes into overdrive and the body is flooded with cortisol which it cannot dissipate.
Chronic stress has a cumulative negative effect on different parts of the brain and its functioning, such as impairing new brain cell formation in the Hippocampus; decreased functionality of the Prefrontal Cortex affecting decision making and emotional regulation; enlarging the Amygdala making it less able to process emotions especially fear and anxiety; and, impairing Synaptic Plasticity meaning brain’s messaging connections are deteriorated.
The brain doesn’t know the difference between stress and trauma, under chronic stress the brain is doing almost the same as it does in a state of trauma - e.g. ptsd like symptoms
The CNS (Central Nervous System) consisting of the brain and spinal cord as the body’s command center can be significantly impacted by excess cortisol potentially leading to various cognitive and neurological issues.
The CNS directs and interacts with the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) throughout the body which controls the body’s functions such as heart rate and breathing, and which also sends signals to the brain. Excess cortisol can interfere with this messaging causing a negative feedback loop between the CNS and the autonomic nervous system.
The Vagus Nerve, a key part of the Autonomic Nervous System is a pathway to recovery
All these stress responses come from threat, perceived by the brain - when we don’t feel safe. By taking steps to stimulate the Vagus Nerve and ANS with messages of safety, excess cortisol can begin to dissipate, but this takes time. This can be through lifestyle changes and activities such as mindfulness but importantly physical activity and connecting with nature.
Belonging is a biological safety signal - when people feel safe, seen and included their brain stops scanning for danger.
Emotional safety allows the prefrontal cortex to re-engage for clear thinking and creativity.
Hostile or exclusionary environments keep people in survival mode and that drains cognitive and emotional capacity.
We also learned that none of us are alone in oftentimes feeling overstretched, contending with some of the symptoms associated with excess cortisol as Helen’s presentation detailed. But additionally, the important factor for us doing the work is that if we don’t help ourselves in the right ways to deal with stress effectively and realistically, we risk impacting our own effectiveness and the help we’re trying to offer to others.
But additionally, that a sense of belonging and human connectivity can so greatly mitigate the impact of stress while recognising that many of us perhaps don’t feel safe in our places of work and sense it as a threat - whether due to job insecurity, difficulties with superiors or colleagues, feeling burdened by a too heavy workload - is reason enough to pause and reflect. Is chronic stress contributing to stalling the movement that we are a part of? After the learning this month it seems we might have to admit that yes it possibly is a contributing factor. And, if a sense of belonging and authentic human connection can contribute to our greater resilience and that of our brains, nervous systems and ultimately our ability to be more effective in our anti-trafficking work, how can we foster this to greater effect across the movement?
Implications for the GLC:
The Secretariat can’t help but respond to these questions with a reminder that this is what the community envisioned the GLC to be. As we have heard time and again from many of you, the GLC is a rare space of genuine connection and learning, and we as the Secretariat are always keeping this at the forefront of our minds as we try to cultivate and guard this space well so that it is intentionally somewhere people feel they belong .
We sincerely hope there can be more connection, and knowing that we’re not alone might be a way to start helping each other feel safe.
We would love to hear from you if you have ideas of how you can find greater connection in this community. The Secretariat is always here at the end of an email, we can talk through challenges and frustrations, share experiences, help you connect with other members or just have a chat with because you’d like to talk with someone who understands the impact of this work and this sector. You have our emails, or to find us at team@globallearning.community. And we would encourage you to reach out to other GLC members in the same way, find members in your region in the People Library or connect on a call.