411 of Fight or Flight
You are standing before a large group of strangers, and your heart quickens. Your hands feel clammy, and you are hyper-focused on the various faces in the audience; some are smiling, others look bored, and most have unreadable expressions. The heat in your face rises as you forget why you are there in the first place.
Breathe…
Slowly, in and out. Count your breaths; allow the fuzziness in your brain to lower and rational thoughts to return.
What just happened to you?
The simple answer is stage fright, a more complex one is that your fight or flight response was triggered. The Fight or Flight, also known as the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is one-half of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).
The ANS consists of a mixture of electrical and hormonal messages sent throughout the body with the goal of a quick response to danger. This is why I, as a child, collapsed like a rag doll after hearing something growl in my dark bedroom. Fortunately, instead of being an animal, it was my father playing a prank on me. Either way, my body's response was quick, and it was not until my father tickled me that I could comprehend what was happening. This is just an example of how the SNS works. I’m sure you have a story or two of your own.
So what exactly does the SNS do, and why is it important to know about it? As great as the SNS is at making quick escapes, it is also the primary culprit behind panic attacks and other unpleasantness; knowing the facts can help you understand why practicing coping skills is beneficial.
The human body is built for survival.
Anxiety, Anger, and Fear are all housed in the same place in the brain, the Limbic system.
The Limbic system is located between the Cerebral Cortex (thinking center) and the Brain Stem (controls essentials, like heartbeat)
The Limbic system helps map out our world and emotions and houses our memories.
When one of our five senses perceives something possibly dangerous, the information is sent directly to the Amygdala, in the Limbic System, for interpretation.
The data transmitted may not reach the Cerebral Cortex before the Amygdala responds to it. This is advantageous if the movement is a hungry lion, and the body needs to make a quick getaway, not so much if the movement is a kitten.
Due to the need for a quick response, in situations of danger, the thinking part of our brain can be offline until after the danger is perceived to be over. This can also take the form of disassociation or depersonalization. Two trauma responses to prolonged stress, but this will be a future blog topic.
In preparation to fight or run, the body will limit the blood supply to the inner organs and increase blood to our limbs. Respiratory rate will change, and our senses will heighten.
The negative effect of the SNS is that our immune system will slow down because the energy to run it is needed elsewhere.
The human body can not sustain the fight or flight mode for extended periods.
Limited blood flow in the inner organs for extended periods can lead to GI issues.
Lowered immunity can lead to sickness.
Reacting to situations, rather than responding to them, can lead to difficulties in your day-to-day life.
The ANS has two systems. The SNS and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) also known as the rest and digest system.
Mindful breathing is one of the quickest and easiest ways to switch the SNS to the PNS.
The SNS turns off when it feels safe, and breathing can help with this. It works in two-fold.
1. You are bringing in oxygen, thus engaging the PNS.
2. You are refocusing on breathing, which will engage the Cerebral Cortex.
Reconnecting the Cerebral cortex and the Amygdala will help you see the kitten you perceived to be a lion.
I hope you find this information helpful. Please check out my post on the PNS for coping skills and other information. If you have specific questions, please email me, and I may turn them into a future blog post.
Love and Light,
Jodie Nicole
Additional Resources
Parasympathetic Nervous System