Building Hope Counseling Services

The human body only has so many responses to stressful situations. The most common response to stress is known as fight or flight.

Fight or flight is just what it sounds like – Fight your way out, or take flight as quickly as possible.

Diving a little deeper, fighting might look like verbal or physical aggression, anger, or a need to dominate a situation. Physically it can look like pushing, punching, or shoving something away from you. What are seen as inappropriate outbursts by others can be incredibly effective at keeping danger physically or emotionally far away from you.

A flight response could look like shaking or actually running away. Sometimes you might become so overwhelmed that you need to get out – Maybe you have a pattern of leaving relationships, locations, jobs, kids, or responsibilities when you get stressed. This is your flight response kicking into high gear to keep you safe.

Fight or flight was incredibly effective when human’s daily threat was a bear or perhaps a tiger. Unfortunately for us, the fight or flight system does not know the difference between a bear attack or someone sending us a mean email. All sorts of things can trigger this reaction, from being in physical danger to experiencing an emotionally unsafe situation.  

If you are starting to notice that your fight or flight responses are taking over your life, it’s time to start healing. Yoga, meditation, or reaching out to a trauma trained therapist, like those at Building Hope, are great places to start.

Happy Healing. I’m so glad that you’re here.

Check out my affirmation guide, “Speaking Kindly, Healing Deeply”. Available for download on Amazon or with Kindle Unlimited.