This last week, I finally saw Inside Out 2! I absolutely loved the new characters and had so many flashbacks to my own middle school experiences. As I’m sure it did for many, this movie got me thinking about what the inside of my own head would look like and how my brain really functions. The introduction of characters like Anxiety (shoutout to an amazing Maya Hawke) made me think back to undergrad when I first learned, in- depth, about the nervous system and how it functions. 

While you’ve likely heard of the fight or flight response, there are also two lesser- known stress responses which are collectively known as the 4 F’s: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. These are natural reactions to stressful, frightening, dangerous events. Each of these responses is designed to end or escape danger and ultimately return our bodies to a calm, resting state. 

Fight: this response is triggered when we feel threatened and believe we can overpower the threat. The brain releases signals to the body that prepare it for a fight. You might grind your teeth, tighten your jaw, experience feelings of anger or have a knotted sensation in your stomach. 

Flight: triggered when our body doesn’t think we can overcome the threat but can escape it. A surge of hormones including adrenaline provide stamina to run, longer and faster than we normally could. This response might make us feel fidgety, tense, or restless. 

Freeze: When the body doesn’t feel like you can fight or flee, we freeze. Staying stuck in place is usually accompanied by feelings of dread, feeling cold, stiff, or heavy, and a decreased heart rate. 

Fawn: This response usually comes after an unsuccessful fight/flight/freeze response. It often presents as trying to be overly agreeable or helpful, or being very concerned with making someone else happy. This response is the most common in people who have experienced abuse or have frequently dealt with narcissists from youth to adulthood.

During a stress response, processes in the body begin instantaneously and often without us noticing. The reaction starts in the amygdala, a primitive region of our brains associated with emotions. This occurs so fast that our prefrontal cortexes don’t have time to think or analyze the situation, saving valuable time. The amygdala sends signals to the hypothalamus, which stimulates the autonomic nervous system, triggering hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones quicken heart and respiration rates to increase our blood and oxygen supply, redirect circulation to our muscles in case we need to make a quick getaway, and tell all non-essential processes, like digestion, to take a break. Increased oxygen in the brain increases alertness, and senses like sight and hearing sharpen. Epinephrine triggers the release of blood sugar and fats to provide the body with instant energy. Once our response to the threat is over, it can take 20- 60 minutes for our breathing, heart rate, and digestion to return to normal. 

How did these responses develop in the first place? Essentially, they evolved as a survival mechanism in our early ancestors, allowing them to quickly react and escape life- threatening situations. Those who survived were more likely to live long enough to pass on their genes. Today, stress responses can help us in situations like traffic accidents or self- defense situations. At the same time, everyday situations like work, finances, family, or health (common non- life threatening stressors) often trigger our stress responses in the same way.

Anxiety disorders and phobias can trigger our fight or flight responses even in situations where we’re not in physical danger. Over time, frequently triggered stress responses have consequences that really negatively impact our health. Epinephrine surges can damage blood vessels and arteries, elevating blood pressure and increasing our risk of heart attack and stroke. Cortisol helps replace the energy lost during stress responses by increasing appetite, but continuously elevated cortisol levels contribute to weight gain and the buildup of fatty tissue. 

I remember being in undergrad and having stress responses to things like doing my homework, my classes, and my grades in general. I’d be so stressed that I’d get fidgety, start shaking, and get so cold that I’d actually start shivering. I’d ignore meals and then overeat later. 

Stress management is an integral part of improving overall health. Being able to identify physical, emotional, and behavioral signs of stress can help us work to overcome them and determine whether what we’re facing is a true threat. Grounding techniques fall into two categories:

Mental: these techniques include focusing on our environment, reciting affirmations, verbally or mentally reminding ourselves that we’re safe, and visualizing overcoming our fear. 

Physical: we can practice deep breathing and focus on breath duration and steadiness, put weight into our heels and physically ground ourselves, or tense our bodies up and focus on releasing tension from our forehead to our toes. 

A study at the Benson- Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital took a group of people with hypertension and other forms of heart disease and taught half of them a variety of approaches to trigger their relaxation response. After 8 weeks, more than 50% of the participants who used these techniques had significantly reduced their systolic blood pressure. 

Engaging in physical activity after being stressed, like walks, yoga, or tai chi, deepen breathing, relieve muscle tension, and improve mental focus, inducing a sense of  calmness and grounding. Equally important is social support. Confidants, friends, relatives, co- workers, spouses, and companions all form a life- enhancing social support network. Being able to rely on others for help and emotional support can not only increase resilience and longevity, but also significantly reduces stress during times of crisis. By prioritizing physical movement and a strong social network, we cultivate a balanced and supportive lifestyle that promotes long term well-being in the face of inevitable stressors.