Lets look at three different scenarios.

Recession is making life difficult for a sales rep. The last three months sales were disastrous. He is due to meet a big and important new client who could be his saviour. The ouicome will decide whether he is still in employment.

 

A man is desperately and madly in love with this popular and attractive female. To him there is no future without her but there are other men trying to attract her attention. The table is set for two, the ring is in his hand and the red roses lie near by. She is due any minute and he will go down on his knees and and he does not know whether she will say yes or no.

 

Late at night a woman is walking home. The streets are poorly lit. The sound of footsteps ahead of her make her uneasy. She can see a group of people wearing hoodies coming towards her. Behind her she now hear more footsteps. Turning around, she sees some young people walking towards her.

 

In all three situations a person becomes very alert and focussed even though potential danger is only in one of these scenarios. This is the fight and fright reaction.

 

This is a reaction in humans and animals that developed a long time ago to protect us from life threatening dangers. The hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisone are released during the reaction.The remarkable changes that occur are caused by these hormones.

 

The breathing becomes faster and deeper, the heart speeds up, the pupils dilate, the mouth becomes dry, the skin becomes cold and clammy and hairs on the back of the neck stand up.

 

You may have an urge to urinate, open your bowels or vomit. This is the brain trying to make you lighter and move faster during ‘flight’.

 

The fight or fright reaction prepares the body for action. You become alert and aware. All your senses are sharpened. Your hearing, sense of smell and your sight are all sharpened. Your body is primed and ready to go.

 

Your rapidly beating heart pumps more blood to the brain and the muscles. By breathing faster and deeper, more oxygen is transported by the blood to the muscles and brain. In addition blood is shunted away temporarily from other vital organs such as the kidneys, immune system and the gut to enable more blood to the muscles.

 

Although the fight and fright reaction is primeval and developed when early humans had to confront huge and dangerous reptiles and mammals, it is still present today. Unfortunately the brain cannot differentiate between real and percieved dangers or threats. The reaction is the same.

In all three scenarios above, the fight or fright reaction is triggered.

 

Panic attacks are in reality fright or fright reactions and, during an attack, to the individual the danger or threat is very real. Rationality suddenly disappear and there is no where to run to or no one to fight.

 

In stress, even though there is no threat to our lives, the fight or fright reaction is triggered and can be harmful to the body. Persistent stress caqn cause disease.

 

Understanding how the fight or fright reaction is triggered in stress will help you make some sense about the symptoms of stress you experience with stress.

 

 

 

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