Your body’s stress response: why it switches on, and how to switch it back off

Fight-or-flight. We’ve probably all heard of this nervous system response, otherwise known as your body’s stress response. In humanity’s early days, this response allowed us to survive. If your ancestor saw a tiger their stress response was triggered, adrenaline rushed through their body, and they were able to fight or run to ensure their survival. The effectiveness of your ancestor’s sympathetic nervous system is partially responsible for you being here today. When you’re in a life-threatening scenario, this stress response is essential.

Now it’s unlikely that you’re going to encounter a hungry tiger on your drive to work. Unfortunately, your body isn’t always the best at identifying what a true life threatening scenario is or is not. You might get yelled at by your boss at work, and though you intellectually know this won’t kill you, your body may still react as if your boss = killer tiger. Once this response is triggered, a complex process begins in the body— and it’s not always easy to “turn off.”

What happens in the body when the stress response is triggered?

Your stress response is regulated by your sympathetic nervous system. When this system is triggered, our heart rate increases, your lungs open up, your digestive tract slows down, and your muscles tense. All of these responses prepare you to run or otherwise protect your body from danger. Functions that are considered “nonessential” are slowed down or turned off, so that these processes can take place. If your sympathetic nervous system is switched on and you are actually able to run from the danger, or fight it away, your body will then turn on the parasympathetic nervous system— your body’s “rest and digest” mode.

Unfortunately, often when our stress response is turned on, we can’t actually fight or flee. If your boss is yelling at you, you’re probably not going to run away or throw a punch at him. Instead, your body will turn on your stress response, load everything up to respond and then… nothing. You have to just return to your desk and finish your work.

The process that began never has the chance to complete, which means that our bodies don’t get the chance to move into the “rest and digest” mode— the space where we are able to process our emotions and physically heal.

Now imagine that this stress response is being triggered multiple times throughout the day, without any chance to complete the cycle. What do you think would happen to your body?

Unfortunately, for many of us, this is exactly how we live our day-to-day. We are constantly barraged with stress, and we have little time to truly rest. So we end up with chronic problems like autoimmune disorders, constipation, headaches, insomnia, chronic pain, and much more.

So what can we do?

While we can’t always control what might trigger our stress response (it’s automatic, after all!) there are a lot of things that we can do to support our bodies in managing our stress response and completing the cycle. If we can help our bodies move into the “rest and digest” state, all of those processes that began during the stress response have a chance to return to normal. Here, our bodies may repair any physical ailments that might be bothering us, inflammation is decreased, and our emotional and energetic bodies are restored. Here are some things you can do to help move your body out of the stress response:

Get some exercise.

This doesn’t have to be a super intense crossfit class, but you should break a sweat. Go for a light jog, a power walk, a power yoga class, rock climbing, or anything else that gets your blood pumping and your muscles working. Move your body in the way it would if you really were trying to escape from a tiger.

Let yourself rest deeply with restorative yoga.

Take a restorative yoga class. Restorative yoga is specifically designed to make you feel supported. This support allows your body to realize that it is safe. And that is when the parasympathetic nervous system is able to turn on. Even if you don’t have a full hour to commit to a restorative yoga class, taking one restorative posture for 10 or 15 minutes can help trigger this response. Try legs up the wall or a supported forward fold.

Try a private Reiki session.

Reiki energy is incredibly soothing. It always moves to the places in your body that need it most, and can leave you feeling relaxed, restored, and ready to heal. If you’d like to learn a little more about Reiki, check out my information page here. If you’d like to try Reiki for yourself, book a session with me online or at my home Reiki studio in Sacramento, CA.

How will you help your body this week?

Our body does so much for us each and every day to keep us alive and well. But sometimes we need to give it a little extra support so that it can continue to support us. Which practices will you use to help manage your stress response?

Send me an email at ginnykhuff@gmail.com, leave a comment, or DM me on social media. I’d love to hear how you’re supporting your body, just as it supports you.

May all beings everywhere be happy and free ✨

— Ginny Kay Huff