What Is The Fight or Flight Response

Imagination time:

Once upon a time, many many moons ago. Like really, a long long time ago. A time when you’re living in the Jungle.

You’ve got long frazzy hair. You’re wearing leopard skin rags that partially cover your body. That’s the norm for those days.

Your body contains numerous scars, sweat and dirt….it’s that kind of environment. (If you’ve got OCD like me you probably already died right about now lol).

Your typical day consists of waking up, going out into the forests to hunt for food. Chop down trees and bring back logs to create a fire. A real hunter-warrior type person.

One day you’re going about your daily business. Strolling along, when an almighty ROARRRRR startles you.

In front of you is a ginormous beast. Sharp claws. Two massive canines dripping with multi-coloured saliva. It’s almost twice your size. Muscular jaws that you know can rip your limbs off within seconds.

As you momentarily freeze from shock and paralysing fear, you notice your heart pounding incredibly fast. The stress and anxiety you’re feeling has sky rocketed to astronomical levels.

What you’re not aware of is the internal response of your body. Adrenaline being released at rapid rate. All kinds of hormonal activity gone wild. Important survival instruments, why…

You now have two choices with the beast. FIGHT it. Or Flight…run away from it.

That’s where your body’s natural survival instincts come into play. The release of hormones and adrenaline is designed to help give you a boost of energy.

This boost of energy then helps you in fighting the beast, or run away from it.

Do you remember those video games, where you get an injection of boost…maybe to run faster. As you click on the controls to run faster, you see the boost line slowly go down?

Well that’s what happens with the fight or flight response. The energy is boosted in your body, and then you use that to fight the beast, or run away as fast as you can.

When you’re running away from the beast (yeah somehow I get the feeling you ain’t going to choose to fight it lol)…your adrenaline is being used up. The extra energy is being used up, until you get to safety…and then you’re exhausted. So you rest to recover.

Great story huh? But what does that have to do with anything?

Well, fast forward to today. You are still you. Hopefully your hair isn’t frazzy anymore, and you’re not dirty and you dress well. But your body and its mechanisms are still the same.

When you become fearful, stressed or anxious guess what happens? Yup, your body releases adrenaline.

The only difference now is that the cause of stress is different. You’re not confronted by a gigantic beast (regardless of how much of d-head your boss might be aha).

It might be work that’s causing you stress. It might be your relationship. Heck it could be anything.

Whatever the reason, it’s triggering the fight or flight response within you, i.e. your body is releasing a ton of extra energy in your body.

But because of the way society is, because we’re not in the jungle anymore, we’re not fighting beasts and we’re not running away from them for our lives.

What that means is if you’re not undertaking any physical activity, that extra energy isn’t being used up.

If it’s not being used up, then of course it’s staying in your body…when it really has no place there. It’s only purpose is to be used quickly when you are stressed.

I chose to tell a story, because Wikipedia tells you this:

“The reaction begins in the amygdala, which triggers a neural response in the hypothalamus. The initial reaction is followed by activation of the pituitary gland and secretion of the hormone ACTH. 

The adrenal gland is activated almost simultaneously, via the sympathetic nervous system, and releases the hormone epinephrine. The release of chemical messengers results in the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases blood pressure, blood sugar, and suppresses the immune system. 

The initial response and subsequent reactions are triggered in an effort to create a boost of energy. This boost of energy is activated by epinephrine binding to liver cells and the subsequent production of glucose. Additionally, the circulation of cortisol functions to turn fatty acids into available energy, which prepares muscles throughout the body for response. Catecholamine hormones, such as adrenaline (epinephrine) or noradrenaline (norepinephrine), facilitate immediate physical reactions associated with a preparation for violent muscular action and:

• Acceleration of heart and lung action
• Paling or flushing, or alternating between both
• Inhibition of stomach and upper-intestinal action to the point where digestion slows down or stops
• General effect on the sphincters of the body
• Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body
• Liberation of metabolic energy sources (particularly fat and glycogen) for muscular action
• Dilation of blood vessels for muscles
• Inhibition of the lacrimal gland (responsible for tear production) and salivation
• Dilation of pupil (mydriasis)
• Relaxation of bladder
• Inhibition of erection
• Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing)
• Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision)
• Disinhibition of spinal reflexes
• Shaking.”

If you understood all of that then you are a damn genius. All I know is that when the fight or flight response is activated a LOT of shit is kicking off in your body. It’s not one or two things…it’s so many things.

The effect of hormones in the body is something severely over-looked in the modern age. But if this is the type of stuff that is released within our bodies and then we do nothing to get rid, is it any wonder that the majority of us are messed up?

My typical day as a lawyer consisted of me waking up at a time I didn’t want (instant stress). Sitting in traffic I didn’t want to be in (prolonged stress). Doing work I didn’t like for the rest of the day in the office (prolonged stress).

And then sitting in traffic to get home, whereby i’m too tired to do anything else, except….eat junk food and watch television. NO F’ing WONDER I FELT LIKE SHEEEEET!

So what’s the big take away from all of this?

My last article discussed some of the baby steps I took, which you can read here: <The Actions I’m Taking>