​​​​Did you know that your body was created with a natural Fight-or-Flight response? This response is built into your brain to help you stay safe. For example, if a bear starts to chase you, your body can kick into high gear; your heart beats faster, and you sweat more; allowing you to react quicker and run faster. Your brain produces extra chemicals so you can think faster and recall things that you have witnessed, replaying them in your mind so you can stay motivated to protect yourself and move to safety.
But what happens if you really aren't in danger, but your brain seems to be stuck on Fight-or-Flight? When the part of your brain that is responsible for the Fight-or-Flight response (amygdala) will not calm down and shut off, it can feel like a sudden rush of anxiety, a sense that you are unsafe, and an overwhelming need to take control by “fighting" or “fleeing". When this happens, it can be hard to stop, but with practice you can do things to get your brain out of Fight or Flight. One way to get your brain 'unstuck' is to try using your senses to “ground" you and bring you back a neutral state.
What are the 5 senses?
- Sight
- Hearing
- Taste
- Touch
- Smell
How do your senses help?
Your body was built to give higher attention to the things that it identifies through your senses. When your senses are engaged you become in the moment, more mindful, and thoughtful about how to proceed next. By grounding yourself and engaging your senses, you're turning your thoughts to the present.
Try it out:
Sometimes the stressful event is just too much for your brain and instead of turning to a Fight-or-Flight response, it chooses to conserve energy and protect you the best that it can by engaging in a Freeze response. This causes you to disengage with the world around you so you can be protected; your brain chooses to hide you away from the event (either physically or mentally) to minimize the effects of the stress as much as possible.
So how do you re-engage with life and find a way back to a more active mindset? Try using logic; it provides a non-invasive way to re-engage your brain, challenging your brain to go from overwhelmed to focused.
Why might logic work?
Your brain naturally craves logic to kick in so it can think through a situation and resolve the issue. When the brain gets stuck in Freeze it can be difficult to think your way out. If you give your brain a different logic exercise to think about, it will naturally turn off some of the Freeze response, so you can process the stressful situation more effectively.
Logic strategies:
- Making lists
- Math games
- Categorizing
- Sorting
- Word finds
- Crosswords
- ​Sudoku
For more ideas see 10 Ways To Stay Grounded.
