Consider these three different scenarios.

Recession is making life difficult for a sales rep. 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 is still in employment.

 

A man is madly and desperately in love with this popular and attractive female. He cannot see a future without her but she is popular an other men are attracted to her. 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 ask her to marry him 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. Suddenly she hears footsteps ahead of her. She can see a group of people wearing hoodies walking 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.

 

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.These hormones cause a remarkable change in the body.

 

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 are in a state of heightened awareness. All your senses are sharpened. Your sense of smell, sight and hearing are all sharpened. Your body is primed and ready to go.

 

Your rapidly beating heart 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 shunted away temporarily from other vital organs such as the kidneys, immune system and the gut to enable more blood to the muscles.

 

. The only problem, however, is that 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 in reality fright or fright reactions 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.

 

Knowing the effects of the fight or fright reaction on stress will help you make some sense about the symptoms of stress you experience with stress.