Consider these three different scenarios.
A sales rep is having a difficult time during the recession. The last three months sales were disastrous. He is about to meet an important, big new client who could be his saviour. The ouicome will decide whether he still has a job or not.
A man is desperately and madly in love with this attractive and popular woman. He cannot see a future without her but there are other men trying to attract her attention. He has a ring, the red roses lie by the door and table carefully set for two. She is due any minute and he will go down on his knees and and he does not know what her answer will be.
Late at night a woman is walking home. The streets are poorly lit. Suddenly she hears footsteps ahead of her. A group of people wearing hoodies is walking towards her. Behind her she now hear more footsteps. She turns around to see a group of youths walking towards her.
Although there is potential danger in only one scenario, a person becomes very focussed and alert. The body goes into the fight and fright reaction.
The fight or fright reaction protect us from life threatening dangers. In this reaction, the brain triggers the release of the hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisone.The remarkable changes that occur are caused by these hormones.
The heart rate speeds up, the breathing become faster and deeper, the mouth becomes dry, the pupils dilate, 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 sense of smell, sight and hearing are all sharpened. Your body is primed and ready to go.
Your heart, beating faster pumps extra 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 temporarily diverted from other vital organs such as the gut, the kidneys and the immune system to make more blood available to supply the muscles.
. Unfortunately the brain cannot differentiate between real and percieved dangers or threats. The reaction is the same.
The fight or fright reaction is triggered in all three scenarios.
Panic attacks are severe episodes of the fight or fright reaction and, to the individual during an attack the threat or danger is very real. Rational thoughts go out the window and there is nothing to fight and no where to run to.
In stress, the fight or flight reaction is triggered even thought there is no threat to our lives and can harm 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.
