Consider these three different scenarios.

A sales rep is having a difficult time during the recession. His recent records show poor sales. He is about to meet an important, big new client who could be his saviour. Success will decide whether he still has a job or not.

 

A man is desperately and madly in love with this attractive and popular woman. To him there is no future without her but she is popular an other men are attracted to her. 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 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. She can see a group of people wearing hoodies coming towards her. She now hears footsteps behind her. 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. 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 even want to vomit, open your bowels or urinate. This is the brain trying to make you lighter and move faster during ‘flight’.

 

These changes are preparing 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 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 gut, the kidneys and the immune system to make more blood available to supply the muscles.

 

The fight and fright reaction is primeval, developed in early humans to survive amongst dangerous reptiles and mammals. 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 severe episodes of the fight or fright reaction and, during an attack, to the individual 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.