Deep breathing, relaxation strategies, physical activity, and social support can all help if you are feeling the effects of a fight-or-flight response.
But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. The long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follows can disrupt almost all your body's processes.
The alarm reaction stage refers to the initial symptoms of the body under acute stress and the "fight or flight" response. After the initial shock of the stressful event, the body begins to repair itself by lowering cortisol levels and normalizing the physiologic responses (i.e. blood pressure and heart rate).
The body's natural antidote to stress is called the relaxation response. It's your body's opposite of stress, and it creates a sense of well-being and calm. The chemical benefits of the relaxation response can be activated simply by relaxing.
A deep sigh is your body-brain's natural way to release tension and reset your nervous system. Simply breathe in fully, then breathe out fully, longer on the exhale. Studieshave shown that a deep sigh returns the autonomic nervous system from an over-activated sympathetic state to a more balanced parasympathetic state.
Work on repairing your nervous system naturally by using deep breathing techniques. Box breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, and alternate nostril breathing are all awesome ways to invite calm during a state of panic. You can also try meditation or yoga paired with deep breathing, even if you only have 5 or 10 minutes.
However, when the fear is imagined, and the fight-or-flight instinct kicks in, this may be a sign of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety—a physiologic and emotional response to a threat that the brain perceives— is one of the most common reasons why people seek psychological or psychiatric treatment.
Causes of chronic fight-or-flight mode
The most common example of this is post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. It can also come from long periods of overwork and sleep deprivation that have essentially trained your brain to be agitated all the time, even though your health is being sacrificed.
Drugs such as Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam), and Ativan (lorazepam) work quickly, typically bringing relief within 30 minutes to an hour. That makes them very effective when taken during a panic attack or another overwhelming anxiety episode.
The best stress-relieving drinks include ginger, chamomile tea, valerian, black tea, coconut water, milk, green tea, coffee, lemon balm tea, water, and vegetable and fruit juice. Aromatherapy is another self-soothing practice shown to have benefits for mental health.
Neurotropic B vitamins play crucial roles as coenzymes and beyond in the nervous system. Particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12 (cobalamin) contribute essentially to the maintenance of a healthy nervous system.
Nourish your body – get sleep, exercise, fresh air, sunlight and great food. High-quality nutrition is key. Avoiding maintenance is an unhealthy choice, like avoiding the washing-up. This quick exercise can reset the system to parasympathetic chill, rest and digest, away from sympathetic fight or flight.
Symptoms of an over active or dominant sympathetic nervous system are: anxiety, panic attacks, nervousness, insomnia, breathlessness, palpitations, inability to relax, cannot sit still, jumpy or jittery, poor digestion, fear, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, to name but a few.
Look for foods with vitamins B, C and D.
Good sources of these vitamins include citrus fruits, berries, dark chocolate and herbal teas such as lavender or chamomile (avoid teas with caffeine). For the B vitamins in particular, choose whole grains and nuts.
Bananas, oranges, pomegranates and prunes, which are good sources of potassium, while milk, leafy greens and eggs are rich sources of calcium. Vitamin B — Vitamins B1, B2 and B6 help the nerves to send impulses from the brain to the body.
Magnesium, B vitamins, ashwagandha, omega-3 fatty acids, and GABA are some of the most effective supplements for reducing stress and promoting nervous system health. As always, it's important to talk to your doctor before taking any new supplements.
While the participants in the vitamin B12 group reported a slight improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms compared to the placebo group, the researchers did not consider it significant.
Water has been shown to have natural calming properties, likely as a result of addressing dehydration's effects on the body and brain. Drinking enough water is an important step in managing your anxiety. Even if you're not experiencing anxiety, drinking sufficient water can create feelings of relaxation.
The B-vitamins in bananas, like folate and vitamin B6, are key to the production of serotonin, which can help improve your mood and reduce anxiety. For an extra stress-busting boost, top bananas with almond, peanut, or cashew butter.
The autonomic nervous system has two components, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight-or-flight response, providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers.
The main purpose of the fight/flight response is to protect the individual. It is therefore important to remember that the experience of anxiety is not in itself, harmful. When a person's fight/flight response is activated, three major systems are affected. These are the physical, cognitive and behavioural systems.
After we feel the threat has passed, our bodies release other hormones to help our muscles relax. This can sometimes cause us to shake. This is commonly called the 'fight, flight or freeze' response – it's something that happens automatically in our bodies, and we have no control over it.