Let’s Talk About Fight-or-Flight

What is Fight-or-Flight?

The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that occurs when we perceive danger or a life-threatening situation. This response causes your body to automatically prepare to either fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

The Four F’s

Fight: Confronting the danger in an attempt to fight back.

Flight: Trying to escape, flee, or avoid the threat altogether.

Freeze: Becoming paralyzed or “freezing” in response to the danger.

Fawn: Attempting to reconcile the threat in order to avoid harm.

How to Tell if Your Body is in Fight-or-Flight:

• Heart rate and blood pressure increase,

• Pale or flushed skin, feeling cold,

• Dilated pupils,

• Feeling on edge, more aware and/or observant,

• Feeling tense, trembling, twitchy,

• Memories that can be very clear/vivid or completely blacked out, and/or

• A compromised pain response.

Since your body is putting all of its energy towards the most crucial priorities, anything it doesn’t need for immediate survival is placed on the back burner. Typically, it takes between 20-30 minutes for your body to calm down and return to equilibrium.

Sometimes, your body activates fight-or-flight during non-threatening situations. When this happens, here are some strategies to utilize in order to bring your body back to equilibrium:

• Breathing Exercises (i.e. box breathing)

• Grounding Exercises (i.e. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 skill)

• Meditation

• Mindfulness Exercises

• Yoga, working out, and/or stretching

• Connecting with a close friend, family member, or even nature

• Journaling, reading, or writing out your emotions/thoughts