The “fight or flight” response: Everything you need to know

Our ancestors had to face real threats such the attack oof a wild animal. In this case the options were two: run or fight. In the second case, the body changes its fuctions to face the threat: the heart beats faster, the pupils dilate, the body temperature rises and the amount of glucose in the blood rises as well. This is the so called “fight or flight response”. The reaction to stress was first described by the American physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon in 1932. In modern times, there are rarely real theats such as being attacked by a wild animal. But the intense reaction of many people continues to exist. In this case the situations are not life threatening, however, some people see threats around them. For example “I’m on the road, going to work but there is a lot of traffic and I know I’ll be late”. When the reaction of the body is intense even if you know that you will not have an issue at work then there are some signs in the body such as increased heart rate, dilation of the pupils etc. which don’t ease off in some way and may result  in irritation, anger, sadness and sometimes headaches, dizziness, tendency to faint, pain in the intestine. Most people will be faced with a “fight or flight” situation at some stressful time in their lives. But when the body is “activated” without stimulus then the reasons should be examined with a doctor. Through psychotherapy, the person suffering from psychosomatic symptoms can develop abilities and skills so that he/she can live a better and stress-free life. However, apart from the negative side, the “flight or fight” reaction also has a positive one. How many times have you heard that stress in the right amount is good for you? For example, do you remember being a little anxious for an exam at school? How did it go? Did you do better than you expected? Stress at the right dose motivates you instead of paralyzing you! Giota Florou Sources: psychotherapyhellas.gr, medinova.gr, verywellmind.gr Recent Articles