How To Tap Out Of 'Fight or Flight' Mode
November 16, 2021
Chronic stress is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. In fact, stress is something we all find challenging to keep at bay. If we’re not feeling pressure from our workplace or loved ones, the pressures of cleaning, cooking, having free time, general adulating and even self-made pressures can plague our minds and thoughts.
The clever thing about stress is that our bodies are designed to feel it – but in small amounts. Our bodies have the capacity to feel stress, respond to the situation and then move on without much long-term damage. The problem with stress nowadays is not the fact that we feel it, but the amount we experience.
Chronic stress is when we experience stress regularly for longer periods of time that our bodies can no longer withstand the pressure to the same degree – this is when things start to take a hit: Our sleep can deteriorate, our mental health can suffer and our gut health can take a beating to say the least!
Pressure, stress, anxiety, overwhelm…all of these send our body into fight or flight mode (into our sympathetic nervous system) and away from our rest & digest mode (parasympathetic nervous system). It’s when we stay in our sympathetic nervous system for too long that potential harm to our bodies (both physically and mentally) can occur.
What’s the good news?
There are clever ways we can ‘trick’ our physical bodies back into our parasympathetic nervous system so we can reap the benefits of that rest & digest state.
Next time you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or as though your heart will jump out of it’s chest, try one (or many) of these:
PRACTICE LOVING MOVEMENT
Loving movement is moving your body in a way that not only feels intuitively good to you, but in a way that you truly enjoy.
It’s gentle, thoughtful, considered and well… loving. Loving movement is anything that lights you up and leaves your body feeling energised. This isn’t about running for hours on the treadmill (unless of course that brings you whole-hearted joy!) or spending hours at the gym (again, unless that feels loving to you – remember this is about you!). Loving movement to me is practicing Yoga or Pilates, taking a dance class or going for a long walk or hike. Loving movement isn’t necessarily ‘easy’ – my Pilates classes can be super challenging! We just want to stay away from that fight or flight mode and if you detest how you’re moving your body then you’ll stay stuck in that zone – which isn’t what we want. If you LOVE how you’re moving your body then guess what? It’s rest & digest station for you!
Take a moment to write down how you love to move your body and then pick something from the list next time you feel in a state of dis-ease.
PRACTICE YOGA
Yoga has a wide variety of benefits, but did you know that certain asanas can provoke particular feelings and sensations within the body. Here are some to try next time you feel stressed, anxious or overwhelmed:
- Inversions such as Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) and Head Stand (Salamba Sirsasana) can help to calm the brain and shift perspective
- Camel Pose (Ustrasana) stimulates the heart chakra and ‘lifts’ you up
- Tree Pose (Vriksasana) helps to ground you and bring you back to the present moment through concentration
- Cat/Cow helps to open and stimulate the spine allowing prana to flow – and connecting movement to breath draws you out of your head and back to the present moment
- Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana) is calming and cooling to help settle your energy
- ‘Fountain of Youth’ or Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani) helps to re-set your nervous system
- Child’s Pose (Balasana) is an introspective, calming pose to help you tune in
- Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana) can help to relieve symptoms of stress and also related ailments such as fatigue and headaches
FUEL YOUR BODY WITH DELICIOUS & NUTRITIOUS FOODS
How would you eat if you ate because you LOVED your body?
That’s how I want you to approach your nutrition. I want you to fuel your body with delicious & nutritious whole foods and focus on adding more of the goodness IN so the ‘not so amazing’ can naturally crowd itself out. This ISN’T a diet. Oh no no no. This is you honouring your body and finding ways of fuelling it with what it needs. Food must taste good…we have taste buds for a reason after all! But we also want to make sure we’re filling ourselves up with dark, leafy greens, a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean (heart-healthy) sources of protein and yummy (heart-healthy) fats.
Certain foods have even been known to boost our mood such as oranges and foods high in monounsaturated fats such as nuts and avocados.
OPTIMISE YOUR DIGESTION
We aren’t necessarily what we eat…we are what we digest!
When we are stressed, our digestion takes a hit and therefore we don’t assimilate foods in the same way. I have previously written a whole article on this so head over here to check it out!
GET OUT IN NATURE
I personally LOVE being out in nature whether that’s going for a hike, taking my dogs out for a walk or introducing my little boy to all the wildlife. Finding clean, invigorating fresh air and immersing yourself in mother nature is an amazing way to tap into that rest & digest state within our bodies, leaving us feeling calmer, more grounded, centred and settled.
GET GOOD QUALITY SLEEP
Sleep is imperative not only for our physical health but our mental wellbeing too.
Create a bed-time routine to allow your body to tap into that rest state before you head hits the pillow, limit the amount of blue light you use and find ways to allow your body and brain to feel at ease so you can not only sleep, but get good quality sleep!
I personally love taking magnesium, journaling and using my weighted blanket.
DRINK PLENTY OF GOOD QUALITY WATER
We are mostly made up of water, so you can imagine that if we aren’t drinking enough of this magic potion, then we aren’t going to be feeling are utmost best? Make sure that you’re drinking enough water throughout the day and focus on the quality of the water too!
JOURNAL
This is something I’ve personally done for almost all of my life – albeit in varying ways. Whether that’s writing a daily diary (something I’ve done for over 10 years), writing morning pages, practicing gratitude or just jotting down what I’m anxious about. Journaling can really help to calm and settle the mind and there’s something so therapeutic about seeing everything on paper – life seems a little more manageable.
PRACTICE BREATH-WORK
Boy oh boy – this is my FAVOURITE quick fix for getting the hell out of that fight or flight zone…and there are a few simple techniques to try:
- DEEP BELLY BREATHING – Focusing on filling you belly right to the bottom with that juicy breath of yours
- EVEN BREATHING – Breathing in and out for counts of 4, then 5, then 6
- 4,7,8,4 BREATH – Breathing in for 4, holding for 7, breathing out for 8 and repeating 4 times
Watch the video here...
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