Stress is a universal part of the human experience. More often than not, the stress we experience on a day-to-day basis is tolerable—meaning, we have the coping skills and support to endure it. There is, however, another kind of stress that is not so common has been referred to as toxic stress.
Toxic stress, or trauma, is an experience that overwhelms us, sometimes making us feel like we are in serious danger. It can leave us feeling powerless and hopeless. And we may not have the coping skills or support we would need to fully deal with it.
Although the impact of toxic stress can be chronic and impactful on adults, it is particularly detrimental for children. Toxic stress in childhood is not only a serious social problem, it costs our country billions of dollars over the lifespan of traumatized children. Not to mention:
- One study found that 96.4% of psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents have a history of lifetime physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse.
- 8 in 10 incarcerated women have a history with physical and/or sexual abuse.
- A child that had experienced at least four toxically stressful events was 15 times more likely to attempt suicide, 3 times more likely to suffer from depression, and 4 times more likely to become an alcoholic or intravenous drug user.
The Impact of Stress on the Brain
Toxic stress can actually change the structures of the brain. When a child experiences toxic stress, the brain responds by flooding the body with stress-related chemicals. It does this because it perceives some kind of threat or danger and floods the body with the chemicals necessary for survival. Think flight, fight, or freeze.
When that “flooding” happens again and again and again, the brain and body changes. The brain gets accustomed to the danger-survival cycle and often floods the body with stress-related chemicals at the first hint of any kind of threat—even if the threat is long gone. Stress-related chemicals can have a lasting impact on the body—leading to a greater susceptibility to chronic disease and addiction.
We Need a Peer
The good news is that when a person is no longer exposed to constant experiences of threat and toxic stress, the brain can rest and begin to rebuild itself in healthier ways. The brain is capable of healing itself. The brain has the potential to make new cells and create new connections—most effectively through safe, compassionate relationships with others.
Anyone (child or adult) can develop a secure attachment with a caring individual that has his or her best interest in mind. This can happen at any time. For this reason, health care professionals, mental health providers, educators, faith-based workers, and peer relationships are critically important to building resiliency to toxic stress.
In adolescence, youth begin to place more importance on peer relationships. Youth look to their friends for support and acceptance. In professional services, peers are people who have lived through similar life experiences and are available to provide compassionate support. Peer-supported services have been shown to reduce bullying, reduce the rates of suicide and addiction, and improve overall mental health outcomes.
What You Can Do
One of the best things we can do for ourselves is find a safe and compassionate place where we feel accepted. The other? Be a safe place. Take care of yourself so you can care for others. Strive to listen more than talk. Consider what someone else is feeling beneath their anxious behavior. Be a positive peer.
We all experience stress. But we’re not destined to be bound by the symptoms of toxic stress forever. Together, we build self and community resiliency. Together, we recover.
Brittney Schaeffer, MS, LMFT is an employee of Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute. She works with a peer-supported group for youth ages 12-18 that struggle with mental health challenges called Youth Leaders in Kansas (YLinK), with Consumer-Run Organizations (CROs) around Kansas, and on the Trauma-Informed Systems of Care team.
FAQs
Keep OG title short (without a brand name) with 60 characters for desktop and 40 for mobile. Keep the description within 2-4 sentences and use meta description if it makes sense. Create custom OG images for shareable pages and use logo or brand image for the other pages.
Is OG title required? ›
The four basic open graph tags that are required for each page are og:title , og:type , og:image , and og:url . These tags should be unique for each page you serve, meaning your homepage's tags should all be different from your blog post article's page.
What are OG titles? ›
og:title - The title of your object as it should appear within the graph, e.g., "The Rock". og:type - The type of your object, e.g., "video.movie". Depending on the type you specify, other properties may also be required.
What is an OG image example? ›
Tags with og: before a property name are Open Graph tags. The following is an example of an og:image tag of a blog post: <meta property="og:image" content="https://popupsmart.com/blog/user/pages/354.how-do-shopify-gift-cards-work/Shopify-gift-cards-cover.jpg">
What is an example of OG? ›
This term can also be used to describe the original or originator of a thing. For example, someone could say that they prefer the “OG” animated Lion King film to the live-action 2019 adaptation.
What can OG stand for? ›
OG, short for “original gangster” or “original gangsta,” is a slang term for someone who's incredibly exceptional, authentic, or “old-school.” OG was originally used in gang culture, but it is now used as a general term to praise someone who is an expert at something.
What is the difference between title and OG title? ›
OG ie. open graph tags simply means when you share or post an url of a website, it displays the image, description, title that are mentioned in the code. Both mera title and og title have the same purpose. The difference is og tags are used to display on social media while meta tags are used to display on SERP.
How big should an OG image be? ›
Og:images should have an aspect ratio of 1.91:1. This means that the width should be 1.9 X the height to avoid cropping issues. Your image shouldn't be larger than 8MB. Image size should be 1200 X 630 pixels (px).
Do OG tags help SEO? ›
Open Graph tags have no direct impact on the page's SEO, but they improve the display and the usability of your links on social media, which is no less essential. Let's take a look at the key Open Graph tags and how to use them.
What are the best practices for OG title? ›
Best practices for Open Graph
Keep your og:title under 55-60 characters. Keep your og:description under 60-65 characters. For og:image , use high-quality images with dimensions of at least 1,200 x 630 pixels, while keeping the file size under 8 MB .
og:type. The object type meta tag defines the type of content. For example, object types you can use include website, article, music, video, and more. The object type you use will change how the content displays. See the complete list of object types on the Open Graph Protocol website.
What is the OG title on social media? ›
The og: title is how you define your content's title. It serves a similar purpose as the traditional meta title tag in your code. In fact, if Facebook doesn't find the og:title tag on your page, it uses the open graph tag title instead. As Facebook explains, most content is shared as a URL.
What is OG status? ›
2022/04/29. OG is an abbreviation that stands for 'original gangster'. It is a slang term for someone who's incredibly exceptional or “old-school.” This phrase comes from hip hop or rap culture music.
What does OG pic mean? ›
OG stands for Original Gangster and OP stands for Original Poster. They are terms used mainly on Twitter and other social media platforms to refer to the first person who posted about a particular topic or conversation. OG is used to refer to the original author, while OP is used to refer to the original poster.
What is an example sentence for OG? ›
-Macy is the OG of braids at our school. -This goth kid in my English class is trying to write in the OG style of Edgar Allan Poe. -My family gave me a new fantasy series on my birthday, but nothing compares with the OG Game of Thrones. -Justin Bieber's manager had the nerve to compare Justin to the OG Bob Dylan.
How do you use the word OG? ›
Merriam-Webster offers a slightly different OG meaning, which is that it refers to something that is the “original” or someone who originated something. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the surface of the moon, so we could refer to him as the original moonwalker or OG moonwalker.
