Fight or Flight

I have a class that has been very interesting! It talks about how our brain handles stress, chaos, and catastrophe. Psychologist John Leach, a specialist in human responses to emergency situations, developed his “10/80/10 rule of survival” after examining a variety of crises and human reactions to them. According to Leach, 10 percent of people facing an emergency control their fears and act rationally. 80 percent find themselves stunned and relatively unprepared to respond. The last 10 percent, Leach concluded, become hysterical, unable to cope with the situation at hand. To ensure I land in that top 10 percent, I should first understand the physiological processes your brain and body undergo during an emergency.

1. The sympathetic nervous system, which stimulates the fight-flight-or-freeze response, takes control of the body. As a result, three key hormones are released into the bloodstream: adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol.

2. Adrenaline and norepinephrine prepare the body for battle. I receive a high-octane energy boost from increased glucose production and release. But this increase in glucose production burns valuable resources in the body.

3. My heart rate increases, and the lungs expand to take in more oxygen (a process known as bronchial dilation). Pupils dilate, narrowing your vision. 4. Blood is channeled away from the digestive system and the skin toward the major skeletal muscles for quick action and strength.

5. Cortisol is released more slowly than adrenaline and norepinephrine, and it helps sustain the fight-or-flight response over an extended period of time. The digestive and immune responses are slowed in anticipation of a fight.

6. Over time, the engaged sympathetic nervous system depletes the body’s energy reserves of glycogen and fat stores. If it goes on too long, I can experience a crash that leaves me feeling cold and tired. The more primitive portion of the brain, the limbic system, takes control from the more developed frontal lobe. Thoughts become less logical and more visceral. This can lead to impulsive and irrational behavior.

7. Over time, when panic subsides, frontal lobe activity increases and rational thought returns. How do I survive such events; in order to survive, I have had to develop the ability to prioritize and maintain focus on hand. I spend a few moments assessing the situation (last night it was my husband's extremely high blood pressure and his refusal to go to the emergency room). I had to resist the temptation to fly into a fit of anger (which happens with our situation at the moment). I resisted the temptation to act hastily. I broke down the situation by assessing that he needed his pain medication, his muscle relaxer, to be back on his oxygen, and he needs to drink more water. We performed each task one by one to help maintain focus. (Utilizing my frontal lobe). I utilized my "tools" of education and critical thinking to calm myself and place myself in my husband's situation. This morning, his blood pressure was almost to normal range. Anger is a common emotion for caregivers. I have learned survival and coping skills to work through it.

There are other situations that have caused disruption and/or "fight or flight" issues in my life. I had a woman stalker some years ago. Her damaging methods through in person or via the internet wreaked havoc with my life. My husband and I went to court and won a judgment against her even though she has never paid a dime but accused me of not paying our own personal responsibilities. What I have to rationalize is her persistence of stating her love of God and His teachings all over the internet, yet in real life, she is completely the opposite. Mean-spirited, foul language cheats the government with her so-called breeding of dogs' program, and within her business dealings. She doesn't report the income to the government, lives off government disability, food stamps, and medical assistance. She asks for monies because she cannot take care of her home domain and other responsibilities. She treated a dying husband (whom she divorced during our court proceedings, with anger, lies, and contempt. She treated him so badly that he (and his family) made her leave. To add to it all, she sued his estate for monies she thought HE OWED her. Gratefully, I was able to assist in his family's defense. Gratefully, I survived her chaos, hate, and despair. Prayerfully, I asked for assistance from my God who has seen me through the worst of the worst. Prayerfully, I have stayed through the chronic/ending illness of my husband; good, bad, and the worst of it. I stayed the road where she could not. And I do not profess to my God my diligence without obedience.

If you would like to know more about internet bullying and survival skills, I would be happy to relate my experience and resolution with you. I am grateful for the TRUE and TRUER people in life that have encouraged my successes and still loved me through my failures. They are my tribe! And I am even more grateful to my college professors who are my mentors and heroes!