Fight or flight response article

What are the signs that out fight or flight response has been stimulated?

Adrenaline, noradenaline and cortisol are released Pupils dilate Blood floods to muscles Sight sharpens Bypasses our minds to think things things are a threat when they actually are not We focus on short-term survival Burnout is an issue

Strategic mind

Always on looking for danger

What can we do to reduce our stress and turn down the activity of our fight of flight response?

Change our environment (our reality) Change our perception of reality

Mind chatter

Endless stream of incomplete thoughts, anxieties and self-tell Causes us to anticipate danger that is not really there

What happens to us when we are under excesssive stress?

Fight or flight Causes by an area of our brain called the hypothalamus that intimates a sequence of nerve cell firing and chemical release that prepares our body for running or fighting

Once it has been triggered what is the natural conclusion of our fight or flight response?

Fight or flight creates immense amount of muscle movement and physical exertion The physical activity metabolizes the stress Once the threat is gone our body and mind return to a state of calm mind

How do we elect the relaxation response

Focus on a word or phrase with a positive meaning Disregard intrusive thoughts

What have we learned about the fight or flight response and the relaxation response, which our body's innate antidote to fight or flight?

In order to choose attitudes and beliefs we must learn to quiet our mind Stop mind chatter

Fight or flight

Our body's primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to "fight" or "flee" from preceived attack, harm or threat to our survival

How does physical activity turn down the activity of an overactive fight or flight response?

Physical exercise "Work up a sweat" Natural endorphins make us feel better

What are the saber tooth Tigers of today and why are they so dangerous?

Rush hour traffic, missing a deadline Cause toxic stress harmonies to flow through out body

What is or flight or flight system designed to protect us from?

Saber tooth tigers that once lurked in the woods Response that imbues us with heroism and courage when we are called upon to protect and defends the lives we cherish

Relaxation response

Sends out neurochemical that almost precisely counteract the hypervigilant response for fight or flight

To protect ourselves today we must consciously pay attention to the signals of fight or flight

Signals: headache, upset stomach, poor concentration

Has the flight or fight response become counterproductive?

We cannot flight or flee in real life we have to "control our themselves" or "deal with it" Fight or flight causes us to become aggressive, which causes us to want to punch someone which does not help us in our survival

We can not learn to swim in a stormy ocean

We have to practice relation response because we can not just do it in the tough situations

Is there a cumulative danger from over-activation of our fight or flight response?

Yes, since the stress hormone may not be properly metabolized to can lead to headaches, IBS, high blood pressure, infection, chronic fatigued, depression

Other ways to quiet the mind

Yoga Deep breathing Repition forms of prayer Signing or chanting Mindful meditation