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