Understanding the Body’s Stress Response

By Vanessa Williams, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)

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The Fight-or-Flight Response 

When we experience a stressful situation, whether that be stress related to our work performance, an anticipated deadline, or a fight with a loved one, the body undergoes a myriad of physiological changes¹. Stress hormones are released to combat the anticipated threat that our body has detected. Physiologically, our heart rate increases, our glands may produce sweat, and our muscles tighten². This is what is known as the body’s fight-or-flight system. Due to its evolutionary nature, it remains ingrained in us as a survival mechanism which motivates us to act quickly in what the body perceives as a dangerous or life-threatening situation, activating pathways that allow us to flee to safety or fight off the perceived threat. However, the consequence of this mechanism is the potential for our body to overreact to what it perceives as life-threatening dangers, but that are actually not quite on that scale². 

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Harmful Consequences of Chronic Stress 

The body’s stress response system tends to be self-limiting; that is, once the perceived threat has diminished, the neurobiological response goes back to normal, including adrenaline and cortisol levels dropping back to normal and the heart rate and blood pressure going back down¹. However, when the body is unable to differentiate when this stress response is appropriate, the fight-or-flight response stays turned on¹. Such repeated and prolonged exposure to this cascade of changes in the body, over time, can cause harm. Chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, a buildup of fat tissue leading to weight gain, digestive problems, and may cause changes in the brain that contribute to the development of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety^1,2. Anxiety disorders, especially, tend to trigger the fight-or-flight response, even during events that would not be considered typically dangerous³. 

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How you Can Combat Chronic Stress

Stress management is crucial for improving your holistic health³. Starting by identifying the physical, emotional, and behavioural signs of stress is a good place to start to work towards overcoming the impacts of chronic stress and slowing the stress response³. 

Talking to a therapist can help you to work on treatment goals to combat this stress, including learning relaxation techniques, such as abdominal breathing, prayer, and yoga, which have been shown to counter the effects of the stress response by reducing systolic blood pressure. Physical activity helps to deepen breathing and relieve muscle tension that may be a result of chronic stress². Mental grounding, such as focusing on your immediate environment, coming up with safety statements, and visualizing overcoming your fears are all important techniques that can combat the effects of chronic stress³. Eating a healthy diet, receiving adequate sleep, and staying away from unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as alcohol or drugs, can lead to improvements in focus, lessen anxiety, and reduce stressors¹. Due to the demands of managing such stress, it is not a quick fix, but requires tailored support to help you overcome these effects and live your best, healthiest life.