When stressed - are you an escapist?

Adora May P. Urot : 1/17/ 23

I. When you face storms in life – do you escape, withdraw or do you stay?

 The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is

perceived as stressful or frightening.
 The perception of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an
acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee.
 These responses are evolutionary adaptations to increase chances of survival in
threatening situations.
 Overly frequent, intense, or inappropriate activation of the fight or flight response is
implicated in a range of clinical conditions including most anxiety disorders.
 A helpful part of treatment for anxiety is an improved understanding of the purpose
and function of the fight or flight response.
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/fight-or-flight- response/#:~:text=The%20fight%20or%20flight%20response,body%20to
%20fight%20or%20flee.

2. Psychological responses

In addition to physiological reactions there is also a psychological component to fight or flight

response. Automatic reactions include a quickening of thought and an attentional focus on
salient targets such as the source of the threat and potential avenues for escape. Secondary
psychological responses can include appraisals about the meaning of the body reactions.
For example, patients with panic disorder often misinterpret fight or flight responses as signs
of impending catastrophe (“I’m having a heart attack”, “If this carries on I’ll go mad”).

3.History of the fight or flight response

The fight or flight response was originally described by American physiologist Walter
Bradford Cannon in the book Bodily changes in pain, hunger, fear and rage (1915). He
noted that when animals were threatened, by exposure to a predator for example, their
bodies released the hormone adrenaline / epinephrine which would lead to a series of bodily
changes including increased heart rate and respiration. The consequences of these changes
are increases in the flow of oxygen and energy to the muscles. Canon’s interpretation of this
data was that there were emergency functions of these changes. He noted that they
happened automatically and they served the function of helping the animal to survive
threatening situations by readying the body for fighting or running.

4. Why the fight or flight response is important

The physiological responses associated with fight or flight can play a critical role in surviving
truly threatening situations. However, many patients suffering from anxiety disorders or other
conditions may have threat systems which have become over-active, or which are
insufficiently counterbalanced by activity in the parasympathetic nervous system.

Practically, many patients who suffer from anxiety will benefit from a deeper understanding
of the fight or flight response. For example, patients with panic attacks or panic disorder
often misinterpret the bodily signs associated with fight or flight as signs of impending
catastrophe and understanding the fight or flight response is therefore a helpful
‘decatastrophizing’ technique. Similarly, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
 When stressed - are you an escapist?
Adora May P. Urot : 1/17/ 23

may mistake the increased physiological arousal as an indicator that there is a genuine
threat present: understanding more about the fight or flight response can help them to feel
safer, and to implement relaxation and grounding strategies.

5. Fight or flight is supposed to work for us, not against us, right?
“Our fight or flight response was designed to help us through catastrophic circumstances,”
says Dr. Fisher. “If you think about it from an evolution standpoint, it makes sense because
we used to have a lot more life-threatening emergencies - stalked by a robber.”

Some people who get in a car accident are too afraid to drive again or can’t drive past the
spot where the accident was because of fear and anxiety. This can also happen with work or
strained relationships. The next thing you know, your fight or flight response is falsely
activated, putting you in a state of chronic stress.

6. Stressors you cannot run away from

Work Quit Relationships Falling Off

Bills/ Finances Run-away Death of a Loved-One Depression, Suicide
Kids Abandon/Neglect Health Suicide
Marriage/ Family Separate / Abandon Trials Withdraw, Fight

7. WHAT IS THE PROPER FLIGHT RESPONSE

Jesus' sorrowful time of prayer and subsequent betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane is
described in all four Gospels (Matthew 26:36–56; Mark 14:32–50; Luke 22:39–53, and
John 18:1–12), though the place is named only in the Gospel According to Matthew and the
Gospel According to Mark.

 During the most distressful time of his life – literally bled, the response of Jesus was:
 make time to go to his secret place
 make time to get strength from God when He was at the weakest moment of his Life
 asked for others to pray for him and with Him
 make to pour our his emotions to God – when he knew His situation is not bound to change
no matter how much he prayed
 make time to let God’s peace overcome his distress – because God was going to accomplish
great things thru him

When you are overwhelmed with the stressors of life and your option is flight – RUN TO GOD!
Make time and make room for the Holy Spirit to give you His strength!