Fight or Flight

In prehistoric days the Fight or Flight response Was a natural response which protected people from physical dangers.

What is the Fight orFlight Response?

For example, if a lone caveman found himself in a nasty predicament with a bear, his survival mode would kick in... Fight or Flight.

Nowadays, we are presented with more psychological dangers, such as stress in the work place.

This type of stress still triggers the Fight or Flight response which releases the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline into the body.

This is what prepares the body for action against danger (fighting bears!).

However, it is not necessary for psychological stress and can cause more harm than good.

How to cope with the Fight or Flight Response in Stressful Situations

Bears are not a daily worry for the average person today, but the Fight or Flight response can be.

Here are several tips to follow in order to deal with this response in stressful situations.

If you are in the middle of a stressful situation and can feel yourself getting worked up, close your eyes and take several deep breaths.

This will stop you from charging straight in and getting even more worked up.

If you have already passed the point of no return, collect your thoughts and ask to be excused for a couple of minutes. Remove yourself from the situation and where possible, try and do some exercise.

Whether that is running up and down the stairs a couple of times or doing ten star jumps...

Increasing your heart rate will help to work off the Fight or Flight chemicals in your body, ultimately calming you down.

If you’re having a stressful day at work, try a relaxation technique.

Take a few deep breaths and relax all of the muscles in your body.

Tighten each muscle group in turn, start with your toes and move your way up to your face, relaxing each muscle group after a few seconds.

Leg RaisesWhilst seated, straighten your legs and raise them up, holding them in place for 10 seconds. Repeat this 15 times or until you feel tired.

Calf RaisesWhen standing for a long period of time, for example waiting by the printer for some work, Raise up on your tip toes, pause and lower back down.

Arm PullClasp your hands together by holding onto your fingers and pull until you can feel this in your biceps, hold for 10 seconds, release and repeat.

Take a nice leisurely walk at lunch time or after work.

For that time just forget about your work and just listen to your feet falling on the floor and listen to the rhythmic sound of your own breathing.

By focusing on this you are switching your brain off from the stressful tasks.

Prolonged periods of mental stress can lead to physical pain such as; all over muscle ache, tiredness, headaches or tension in the back, neck and shoulders.

It might be time to treat yourself to a massage or spa retreat.

This will relax your muscles and get rid of the tension knots that have built up.

Exercise is the easiest way to get rid of stress hormones.

Going for a run, a long walk or visiting the gym regularly in the evening, just enough to build a sweat is the best way to treat and prevent stress.

Now that you know how to deal with the Fight or Flight response, use it to your advantage and try to stay as stress free as possible.

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