What is the Fight or Flight Response?

The fight or flight response is a natural physiological reaction to a perceived threat, whether real or imagined. It prepares the body to either fight or flee, to stay alive.

Let’s say you’re walking in the woods and you suddenly hear a loud growling noise. Your body is likely to go into fight or flight mode. Within milliseconds it prepares you to either fight the animal making the noise or run away as fast as you can.

Chemical messengers called stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, trigger a cascade of physical changes in the body, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, faster breathing, and heightened alertness.

Fight or flight can be triggered too often. In essence, our brains overestimate the danger regularly.

You can download your free printable fight or flight worksheets directly in our article (click below)

The worksheets will help you identify your fight or flight triggers and key strategies to help you manage the symptoms.