Why your ‘fight or flight’ response to stress can lead to burnout
The ’fight or flight’ response is something we’ve all heard of. Put simply, it is a stress response to perceived danger triggered by hormone release.
In the short term it can be very useful - raising performance and heightening our senses. This is good news if you’re in immediate danger, but if stress is experienced over a prolonged period, it can become problematic and lead to burnout.
Key to understanding the fight or flight response are your brain’s amygdala and hypothalamus, and the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Before you start having flashbacks of your Biology class about a 1,000 years ago, here’s what they all do:
Amygdala: This is an almond shaped structure within your brain that allows you to feel emotion and empathy. When our eyes and ears encounter danger, they send signals to the amygdala which interprets the sounds and images into feelings of fear. The amygdala then communicates this stress to the hypothalamus.
Hypothalamus: This is a control centre of the brain. It gives direction to the branch of the nervous system which manages the bodily functions we don’t consciously control, such as breathing and blood pressure. When stimulated by the amygdala, the hypothalamus triggers the production of adrenaline which activates our fight or flight response to stress.
Adrenaline: This is perhaps the most famous hormone - the Beyoncé of your bloodstream, if you will. Adrenaline is the primary stress hormone and key to the fight or flight response. It works by raising our blood pressure and blood sugar, making us more aware and responsive in the face of a perceived threat.
Cortisol: The Solange to adrenaline’s Beyoncé, cortisol works with adrenaline to ensure nothing compromises our ability to carry out the fight or flight response. It slows our digestion, growth and immunity, and alters our perception of mood, motivation and fear - all of which helps us respond to danger more effectively.
The body’s stress response is usually self limiting. Once the danger has passed, adrenaline and cortisol levels drop and our bodies return to normal. However, if stress triggers in our lives remain persistent, your mind will perceive itself to be constantly under attack, and your fight or flight response will stay switched on.
Overexposure to stress hormones over a prolonged period can have a range of long term negative effects on our health, which contrast sharply with the short term benefits of the fight or flight response:
Recognising your own signs of stress, particularly in the early stages is vital to avoiding the symptoms of protracted overexposure.
Many of us spot the initial physical symptoms of stress before we feel the longer term emotional strain. By acknowledging this early physical feedback we can work to quickly implement coping mechanisms, and learn to manage stress before we begin to suffer from chronic burnout.
Here are some useful resources to help you manage stress:
The earlier you recognise your stress the quicker your recovery will be - try our burnout assessment to take the first step on your journey to chill 🤗
Emma Casey is a newly qualified physiotherapist and postgraduate student of Public Health and Health Development, based in London, UK. When not cooking or eating, she can be found with her trail shoes on, training for cross-country and long distance running races. After all that running and eating, she likes to relax watching Netflix’s newest true crime documentary!