ABSTRACT
Most importantly, when one acknowledge their strengths, skills, resources, and social support network, their parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) becomes activated which helps calm your body, thoughts, and emotions. The "Executive Center" of the brain can then kick in, which enables one to thoughtfully analyze the situation and choose wise and skillful responses rather than allowing the "Fear and Alarm Center" to automatically dictate their reactions. Most of us have strengths, skills, resources, and people we can call on in difficult times. When we are in the midst of extreme hardship, however, we often fail to remember this. To minimize this likelihood, it is helpful to explicitly identify what and who they are. A powerful way to remember your strengths, skills, resources, and social support network is to map their Circles of Support. Low levels of social support and high levels of isolation, for example, have been linked to higher levels of stress, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and social phobia.
