The “fight or flight response” is our body’s primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to “fight” or “flee” from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival. When we experience excessive stress either from our own internal thoughts or from external situations we are kept in this fight or flight mode – a constant state of high alert!
This state of alert causes us to perceive almost everything in our world as a possible threat to our survival. As such, we tend to see everyone and everything as a possible enemy. We overact to comments, fears are exaggerated and our thinking is distorted.
On a physical level we pay a price too with increased heart and respiration rate, our digestive tract contracts, jaw clenches, release of stress hormones and our limbs tighten as we prepare to fight or flee.
But we can’t continue to outrun our perceived threats every day because eventually we will exhaust ourselves on both a physical and mental level.
So how can we handle this state of high alert?
First is to recognise that we are in this state – mindful awareness of our physical reactions and also of our mental and emotional responses!
Second is to act with kindness and self-compassion – berating ourselves is not helpful.
Third is to take action – start with some mindful breathing, walking or meditation.
The practice of mindfulness both formally and informally can help us to remain calm, centred and balanced in spite of the everyday turmoil.
Include some mindfulness in your daily life and notice the difference.