Almost everyone has experienced the trigger of a panic and anxiety attack, they probably just didn’t know it. Think back to a time where you were in a situation of stress, fear anxiety. Can you remember how it felt?
Does this sound familiar to you?
A woman walks down a darkly lit street after a late night at a party. She feels uneasy walking home alone, so she begins to walk faster. The street is eerily quiet and all she can hear is her footsteps. Her breath quickens and her heart starts to pound. All of a sudden a wave of fear jolts through her.
This jolt, this fear, is what some people call the fight or flight response, or simply put, the stress response. The stress response is basically a mechanism that gets you ready in a position of danger. We all have this mechanism built inside us.
It is a set of physiological and psychological changes the body makes in response to a threat. The problem is that even emotional stress, such as fear, anxiety and even worry can trigger this biological response.
Back in prehistoric times this would have been of use to the caveman, who had to be on guard against other threatening animals, hence why it is referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response. When triggered the body releases hormones such as adrenaline thus causing symptoms similar to panic symptoms such as:
• Pupil dilation
• Increased awareness
• Fast breathing
• Slowed metabolism
• Increased heart rate
• Increased sweating – to cool the body down
• A sudden boost of strength
These effects can help the hunter stand and fight or run away to safety when being attacked. You might be thinking, what is the point of this mechanism now? Well, in a modern day society it does have a lack of uses. Many scientists believe that it has become a redundant response that is not needed, but we can’t simply erase this part of human biology. Human evolution takes thousands, if not millions of years to respond.
Another negative factor is that it is widely recognized as a major cause in anxiety disorders as well as mental illnesses. Stress, or too much stress rather, is very bad for physical and mental health.
During a stressful time, or in a case of a panic and anxiety attack, the sufferer is in a sense of limbo. If they can’t escape from the situation, they are forced to endure the symptoms. Because there is nothing physically to fight off, they are not in a position to expel the overproduction of hormones built up inside.
The natural response would be to respond in a physical way, thus releasing the stress hormones. Constant triggering of the stress response without a proper outlet is very damaging to a person’s mental and physical state of being.
There is however a natural and safe method to counter panic and anxiety, and diffuse the stress response which doesn’t require physical exertion.
