Difficulty Concentrating or Making Decisions 

When we experience challenging situations that are highly stressful, the survival parts of our brain come online. When these parts are in charge, the part of our brain that allows us to concentrate and make decisions doesn’t work as well. It becomes “sluggish” and the longer the survival parts are online, the more sluggish it can get. This can also happen when we are worried, tired or angry.

Things that can help 

Where possible, give yourself the chance to unwind and relax, do something fun or something that takes your mind off your worries or stress. Try to get a good night’s sleep and keep a balanced diet. If you feel comfortable enough, speak to your colleagues or managers at work for support.

Understanding responses to stress

This article is part of a series aimed at helping you understand responses to stress. Emergency situations, whether national, local, or within your team, are stressful and we want to equip you to manage them. There are a number of reactions that you or your colleagues might find yourself experiencing when faced with this stress, each article in this series is intended to help you overcome these.

You can read the other articles in the series by following the links below.

Feeling numb and detached

Unpleasant, intrusive memories or bad dreams

A change in my behaviour – avoiding reminders and people

Feelings of guilt or shame

Feeling tense, on edge, or restless