On the surface, the phrase ‘fight or flight’ might make sense to you but perhaps you’re not sure what it means on a deeper level. This post will explain what’s really happening during fight and flight.
Fight or flight is the body’s emotional and physical response to stress and it’s helpful for keeping us safe. It’s the same response that helped our cavemen ancestors react to tiger attacks. Modern life is full of stress – working, parenting, rushing, even eating unhealthy foods causes a stress response – the body will react in the same way to these stressors as to a tiger.
The brain stem (lower part of the brain) keeps an eye on whether we’re safe in our environments, sometimes misinterpreting safe situations (such as new social situations, a work presentation, or being late for an appointment) as being dangerous. If danger is detected, the amygdala (emotional brain) reacts quicker than our rational brain. We know this has kicked in when we experience an increased heart rate, increased muscle tension, increased breathing, increased pupil size, and increased sweat. The blood rushes to big muscle groups away from the digestive system which can cause the need to urinate, and we can experience butterflies or churning in the stomach. In these moments, the brain starts replaying negative memories as it tries to problem solve. These bodily reactions are alarming, and they are meant to be – the body is preparing to react to keep us safe through retaliation (fight) or running away (flight). However, these reactions can be scary if we’re not aware of the trigger that our body has detected.
Over time, stress, anxiety, or depression all hinder the brain’s ability to stop or slow false fight or flight activations which causes them to happen more often.
We don’t have control over the fight or flight response, it’s automatic. But we do have control over the regulation of our system to stop ourselves being so easily triggered.
The first step is being aware, what are situations you find stressful and what are the bodily symptoms you experience? The next step is regulating your breathing, try breathing in for the count of 3 and out for the count of 4. Breathing in this way signals to the brain that there’s no danger and your body can begin to relax. Finally, speaking to a trusted friend or a therapist can help you put stressful situations in perspective to prevent this reaction being activated.
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