Stuck in fight or flight mode?

As many are aware the fight or flight response is a survival response activated when we perceive a threat to our safety. The fight or flight response causes adrenaline to be released and consequently our heart beats faster, our breathing rate increases, and our muscles may tense, getting ready for action. Of course, this response is enormously helpful if we need to quickly jump out of the way of a speeding car or if we need to run away from a wild animal.

However, sometimes when we survive traumatic experiences; that overwhelm our ability to cope, our nervous system can become highly sensitised to potential danger and in that way we can get ‘stuck’ in a constant flight, fight, freeze mode, even when our rational thinking brain can recognise that we are in fact safe.

What can I do? When our bodies do not feel safe it is often difficult to “think” our way into feeling safe again. Instead, we often need to focus on strategies that will calm our nervous system to restore a sense of safety. Below are two examples of exercises that can restore your nervous system to a calm state and therefore increase your feeling of safety.

Diaphragmatic Breathing It is often the case that people are told to “take a deep breath” when they express big emotions, but often we say this without understanding why or how to do this in a helpful way. Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing, is an important skill to practice as it can be utilised to promote our sense of safety.

Often when we have been “stuck” in flight or fight mode we tend to take short shallow breaths into our chests. When we take deep breaths, we want to focus on breathing into our bellies, almost like we are trying to blow up a balloon in our belly when we inhale and deflate it again when we exhale. An easy way to check out whether you are breathing into your chest or your stomach is to place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly and see which is moving more, ideally we want our belly hand to be moving while our chest hand stays relatively still.

By taking long, slow breathes into the belly we are sending the message to our brain that we are safe and this is one of the ways we can promote a sense of safety.

Grounding is the process of anchoring yourself in the present moment and is one of the ways we can practice shifting our attention to more neutral or positive aspects in our environment. This is important because often the traumatised brain will be looking out for signs of threat or remembering previous traumatic situations which can make you feel like you are not safe.

One way to practice grounding is to use the five senses exercises in which you focus on five things that you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste (this last one is best if you are eating or have a mint you can pop in your mouth). Experiment with the exercise, for example, try picking out the details of things you can see or pick up an object and try and identify all the sensory information your nervous system is picking up (is it smooth, bumpy, soft, squishy, hard, heavy, or light?).

By focusing on the sensory input of the here-and-now, when we are in a safe environment, we are shifting away from potentially threatening memories and sensations which perpetuate those feelings of not being safe.

The above exercises are just two ways in which we can help our nervous system calm down when we have experienced traumatic events but are now in safe environment. Calming the nervous system is an important step when it comes to overcoming trauma but it is only one of the steps that need to be taken. If you often feel unsafe even when you rationally understand that there is no immediate threat to your safety, it may be time to seek out professional help to help you feel safe again.

Content by: Courtney Lander

Disclaimer: This document is for information purposes only and is not specifically tailored intervention or treatment. It may not be appropriate for ones personal mental health needs or for use in crisis situations. Should you or someone you know be experiencing a crisis, before making use of such information, please consult with your GP, mental health professional or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.