Stress comes in many shapes; it can range from being late for an appointment to dealing with death or illness; it doesn’t matter how stressful it is but how it affects the brain’s functioning. When a person becomes stressed the brain releases signals to alert the body that it is not safe.
 

This results in hyper -vigilance, sensitivity to every feeling, thought or action and the sense of being overwhelmed. The three parts of the brain disconnect, and all energy is in the limbic and reptilian sections; the neocortex or executive functioning goes offline. People lose the ability to think rationally, they lose cognitive functioning; they make irrational decisions which result in overreacting, misunderstandings, hurt feelings. 

 

By practicing mindfulness, the system calms, lowering the levels in the brain bringing it out of the stressful state. The frontal lobe is reconnected and executive functioning returns. This means that you can see the situation using all parts of the brain, you have a clearer view of what is happening and the ability to act rationally.