Fight or Flight Syndrome

Fear is the most primitive feeling of mankind. In fact, it enhances survival skills in all animals species including human beings. Evolution favours those species that are able to survive the most dangerous and hostile situations.

The fight or flight syndrome or response is a natural physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived threat or harmful events. A chain of rapidly occurring reactions inside the body help mobilize the body's resources to deal with threatening circumstances. Stress hormones are quickly released into the blood streams to prepare our body for eventual fight or flight. Blood floods are diverted to our brain and heart in huge quality as we quickly react to the circumstances. Immune systems are also suppress and digestion comes to a standstill.

In order to survive and prosper as a species, human beings in the prehistorical ages refined the techniques employed to survive the most dangerous situations. They can choose to fight or flight in most instances. Therefore in doing so, these stress hormones are quickly utilised and bodily functions return to normal when the danger has passed. As such, escape and avoidance are the two most common strategies employed to control anxiety. They have a choice which modern living man does not in current society.

Unfortunately, in modern living conditions, we are unable to utilise this survival skill most of the time. For example, in stressful situations like in a traffic gridlock or a waiting in a long queue, the ability to relieve pent-up tensions are limited. Neither can we choose to quickly exit the traffic jam or decide to jump queue in this case. Therefore, in a law and order society the choices to relieve stress and tensions are limited.

In an office environment there are many instances where stressful situations can quickly escalate. Employees are familiar with conditions that create pent-up frustrations and anxieties. Managers and staffs of all levels are no exception from the unhealthy effects that stress and anxiety created. In this scenario one cannot simply choose to relive tensions by utilising the fight-or-flight response. Encountering a rude and angry customer for a front-line staff can be stressful. Choosing to chase an irate customer away or ignoring him or her is indeed not a good alternative, albeit useful to overcome stress. Those who choose to meekly suffers in silence suffers the most.

Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are harmful to the body if they are not quickly burn-off. In the long run our immune systems will suffer degradation; vital organs such as the heart, liver and stomach will degenerate and exhibit chronic diseases, such as heart attacks, ulcers or unexplained skin rashes. Furthermore, mental and personalities disorders might set in in extreme cases like aggressions, anxieties and even depressions.

Friends and family members are commonly at the receiving ends of a person suffering from the ill-effects of stress. Pent-up angers are sometime unloaded on innocent victims as a way of relieving tensions. Sometime, this person might also suffers from clinical depression as a result of guilty feelings after realising his or her mistakes.

Although stress hormones are essential for dealing with many situations, like real-life dangers, they must be utilized appropriately. Stresses that are not quickly relieve are harmful in the long run. Therefore, learning to handle stress is therefore important for the physical and biological well-beings. Physical exercise is an excellent way to de-stress. Talking therapy with a counselor is also courage. They are many self-help books in dealing with stress and anxiety.

Natures of Anxiety

Anxiety is a commonplace experience that every human beings will suffers from time to time. It can be described as an emotion that causes mild to intense feelings of fears, nervousness, heart palpitation, and others.

Anxiety can be triggered by an unrealistic situations, such as during a phobia or panic attacks. Unlike fear, which is a natural emotional response to dangers that are real, anxiety can occurs when that is no immediate or natural real-life threat happenings.

Unlike fears, anxieties manifest unconsciously by the brain through cognition processes. Therefore the feelings of anxiousness caused by an anxiety episode are sometime unavoidable.

Anxiety arises when fear is misplaced or disconnected by reality. Although fear plays an important role in our daily life as a response to danger, excessively avoiding fear could results in unwanted anxiety later on.

In some cases, anxiety is produced by physical responses to stress or by certain disease processes or medications. This could be the result of hormone imbalance.

The familiar “fight or flight” syndrome, which occurs naturally when immediate danger or stress happens, is characterized by high-level alertness, increased heart beats, eyes dilation, and tense muscles. This is biologically caused by high-level of stress hormones such as cortisol, norepinephrine, and adrenaline.

Hypochondria's sufferers often experience intense anxiety in response to some physical pains within the body, such as stomach aches, headache or even minor skin rashes.

The diagnosis of anxiety is difficult as it has many causes. Some are causes by genetic and biological development of a person and others external factors such as stresses, examples PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders).

Some fears escalates into anxiety when long-term solutions are not found. Therefore it is imperative that a person has to confront his or her fears in order to eliminates or at least reduces the chances of these fears developing into anxiety disorder such as panic attacks and phobia.

FEAR

Courage is not the antidote of Fear. Faith is. Fear itself should not be feared. It is part of life emotion. Anxiety creates fear and vice versa. Not feeling fear itself is not protecting oneself from danger or harm. Respecting this emotion ensures ones survival and well-being. However succumbing to the feeling of fear is avoiding living to the fullest. Tragic is the one who avoid at all cost the anxiety and pain of fear it might brings. Lessons are often learn from the experiences of fear. Indeed, it is often the most unforgettable, although traumatic it might be.

Knowledge

"The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open."

The more I know the more I realize how much I do not know.

•  Who think themselves most wise are greatest fools.

- William Alexander

• A man who knows how little he knows is well, a man who knows how much he knows is sick. 

- Witter Bynner