What is fight, flight or freeze?
“Instinct is a marvellous thing. It can neither be explained nor ignored.”
Agatha Christie
I have written a lot about depression on social media these days. Around me in many cases this disease seems triggered by stress so I thought about writing an article on one of the things that gave me an AHA moment: the syndrome fly or fight!
It has been perhaps more than 7 years since the moment when during a seminar the facilitator elaborated on the reptilian brain. He is the one responsible for the reaction that your body has in a situation where personal survival is a priority.
Inheritance received from our grandparents residing in the caves millions of years ago, the reptilian or limbic brain is responsible for instinct. Located in the back of the head, towards the base - it is the area where the animal behaviours resides: hunger, thirst, fear, sexuality. Here emotions such as fear, anger or arousal are triggered. You can say that it is the control cabine when in crisis.
The reaction initially called "fight or flight" was later developed by physiologists into "Fight, flight or freeze" or the 3Fs. What does this mini brain do? I am convinced that you have seen crisis situations in which someone's life was threatened and that person simply froze. Unable to do anything else. Or on the contrary people who in such cases start running faster than Usain Bolt.
In the first situation, the primary instinct given by the limbic brain was "freeze”. In the second example we have “flight”. Knowing how you react in crisis situations is good for you because you can self-educate through exercises. Expanding the comfort zone supports you to become more aware and controlled, while developing the ability to decide when the head misinterprets a situation, sending wrong signals so you can react based on the circumstances. It is a long time, hard practice process but is pays off!
I found a very funny video, which contains graphical facilitation and that explains how you can do it, simple and fast. By identifying such triggers, you will manage to get rid of your daily stress, and who knows you will never be able to diagnose "chronic depression".
