The "Fight-or-Flight Response" is how your body responds to stress.  Long-term it can have drastic effects on your health.  Learn more about what causes and how to control it.

The nervous system can be divided into two parts, the "Sympathetic Nervous System" and the "Parasympathetic Nervous System."  The Sympathetic Nervous System is responsible for all the changes that occur when we are under stress and the Parasympathetic Nervous System returns the body to a normal state of operation and healing when we aren't faced with traumatic situations.

The Sympathetic Nervous System raises the heartrate, raises the body's blood pressure, it inhibits food digestion, reduces blood flow to the extremities, dilates the pupils, and puts the mind on alert for signs of danger.  It also causes the hormones Epinephrine (adrenaline) and Cortisol to be released from the adrenal glands.  These things are not something you want to happen long-term or frequently.  They can drastically affect a person's health over time.

The Sympathetic Nervous System is a reactive part of our nervous system that helps us survive traumatic situations by getting our bodies ready to run or fight.  This portion of the nervous system is also what causes us so many health problems from stress.  The Sympathetic Nervous System is a short-term solution for a traumatic problem.  The body sacrifices certain vital areas of health for temporary gains in strength, stamina, speed, and mental acuity.  However, long term it has been proven over and over that uncontrolled stress is harmful to the body (1,2,3).

The neurologic structures of the Parasympathetic Nervous System maintain and heal the body.  They are the complete opposite of the Sympathetic Nervous System.  This is the state your body must be in most of the time or you will suffer from ill health.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System decreases the heart rate, decrease blood pressure, increases digestion, increases bloodflow to the extremities, increases healing, decreases Adrenaline released, and lowers Cortisol levels in the body.

So what causes the Fight-or-Flight Response?

A threat.  Overstimulation.  Lack of a Physiologic Need (sleep, water, exercise).  Psycho-emotional Stress. Multi-tasking.  Toxic Thoughts and Emotions.

So what causes a Parasympathetic Response or Relaxation Response?

Taking Care of your health (sleep, proper hydration, proper nutrition, exercise, etc.) Reducing exposure to noise/overstimulation.  Avoiding multitasking.  Practicing Meditation, Prayer, Deep-Breathing Exercises, Progressive Relaxation, Self-Hypnosis, Tai Chi, Qi-Gong. Laughter.  Loving on someone.  Performing simple work.  Taking a walk, etc.

These are all ways a person can enhance their health and healing by disabling the Fight-or-Flight Response and promoting The Relaxation Response and the Parasympathetic Nervous System.

Relaxation isn't a lack of activity, it IS an activity.  The more of these activities that you can perform in your daily life, the more enhanced your body's ability to heal will be.  Try a few and see for yourself.

If you are really struggling with stress and its effects on your health, call our office and schedule a Stress Management Consultation.  We can teach you new coping mechanisms that work.  No one should have to live with the effects of stress.

Sources:

1. Friedman, H. S., & Silver, R. C. (Eds.) (2007). Foundations of Health Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

2. Taylor, S.E., Klein, L.C., Lewis, B.P., Gruenewald, T.L., Gurung, R.A.R., & Updegraff, J.A. (2000). Biobehavioral responses to stress in females: Tend-and-befriend, not fight-or-flight. Psychological Review, 107, 411-429.

3. Thase, M.E.; R.H. Howland (1995). "Biological processes in depression: An updated review and integration", in Beckham & Leber: Handbook of Depression. NY: Guilford Press.