The fight or flight reflex when stressed

Blog | Podcast (5 mins)

When we are stressed, our primitive stress response activates our emergency response to support the fight or flight response (physiological reaction). Our body is responding to a stressor on the job or relationship issues in the same way as if we were a caveman in mortal danger. Our reptilian brain doesn’t distinguish the nature of the stress – be it a physical threat, job pressure or relationship arguments.

In the fight or flight response, up to 80 percent of the blood leaves our brain to our stomach as the body responds as a matter of survival. At this stage, we are overwhelmed beyond conscious control and our ability to rationalise and respond constructively melts away. It may leave you feeling anxious, fearful, angry, despair or sad. I am sure this loop is all too familiar for all of us when faced with triggers in our daily lives.

As David Walther, kinesiologist so aptly sums up “the way you think affects the way you feel, the way you feel affects the way you think”.  Eckhart Tolle wisely says “If you really want to know your mind, the body will always give you a truthful reflection, so look at the emotion, or rather feel it in your body.”

By working with the neurovascular points which are reflex points between meridians and the nervous system, it reprograms your emotional and mental response to specific stressors. It enables the body to release the stress response and retrain patterns of thought that may have become habitual unconsciously. This works just as effectively on present stressors as well as those stored in memory from the past, be it consciously or unconsciously. By shifting the neural pattern to balance the mind-body state, instead of defensively reacting due to the stress-response cycle, this changes your ability to respond to life’s stressors.

Drawing inspiration from David Walther, Donna Eden and Eckhart Tolle.

“If you really want to know your mind, the body will always give you a truthful reflection, so look at the emotion, or rather feel it in your body.”
Eckhart Tolle