How to Address the Fight-or-Flight Moment

As human beings, we are hardwired to experience stress. Whether the feeling is mental or physical, our bodies are trained to respond to stress in a unique way: fight-or-flight. This is a creative name for the automatic physiological reaction that’s triggered during a moment of stress. Your brain instinctively perceives the initial moment of stress as a threat and prepares your body to either defend itself or flee the situation, hence the name “fight-or-flight.”

The “fight-or-flight” response occurs in both physical and mental forms. For example, imagine you’re not an avid runner, but decided to spontaneously run a 5K. Halfway through, you notice your legs are quickly tensing up. This is a reaction from the muscles in your legs noticing the exercise is stressing the muscles out. Your brain sends a message to your legs to “fight” by tensing up and becoming stiff as a way of protecting themselves from any injury or pain. 

And although the sound of cramping muscles after a workout sounds familiar, most of us automatically associate the word “stress” with mental fear or worry. Think about a time when you just arrived to work and found a mountain of paperwork on your desk. Your mind automatically runs through what your schedule looks like for the day, what meetings you have to attend, what priorities are on your plate, and how you can possibly fit in the time to attack the pile of paper. In this contemplation moment, your brain recognizes the spiraling of thoughts and notices that your heart rate has increased. Your “fight-or-flight” kicks in and you start to debate if you should choose “flight” instead of “fight” and quit your job.

Now, it’s important to note that even though our bodies are naturally designed to respond to stress, our bodies can only take so many hits. We all experience stressful episodes from time to time, but we need to pay close attention to the intensity, duration, and treatment of the stress we encounter. Luckily, there are stress management solutions that we, as human beings, can practice ourselves to limit the amount of negative impact brought upon us, no matter how stressful the situation may inherently be. If our stress management is not maintained properly, our bodies can be put at an increased risk of several health concerns. 

The Mayo Clinic describes the reaction to stress as the hypothalamus, a tiny region at the brain’s base, setting off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, the alarm prompts the adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones including adrenaline and cortisol to increase the heart rate and elevate blood pressure. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with the brain regions that control mood, motivation, and fear while the body suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system, and growth processes. However, the body’s stress response system is usually self-limiting and once the perceived threat passes the hormone levels return to normal. That is, if you have your stress management under control. In short (and without all the fancy medical verbiage), unaddressed stress or poor stress management can disrupt almost all of the body’s processes, putting you at increased risk of many health problems.

We will inevitably experience stress, but how we react to stressors is the key component of stress management. Sometimes genetics can take some part in how people naturally react to stress. Overreacting or underacting to a stressful event may be a response that stems from differences in the genes. For others, past traumatic experiences can take control of a situation and majorly trigger the “fight-or-flight” response. People who were neglected or abused tend to have heightened vulnerability to stress as it’s traced back to past traumatic events. And although every member of society experiences stress at some level, those who work in corrections arguably experience the highest level of stress possible. Being screamed at and threatened by inmates on a daily basis understandably takes a toll on an officer’s stress management. 

Over time correctional officers learn to become comfortable in extremely uncomfortable situations, which allows long-term stress to become a part of their daily lives.

Mark Cowley

Director of Jail Operations

We’re all familiar with the generic suggestions to relieve stress such as exercising, eating greens, getting enough sleep, scheduling check-ups with your doctor, avoiding alcohol, keeping a mindfulness journal, and the list goes on. These are all excellent ways to stay healthy and relieve stress, but when you experience a stressful event on shift you can’t suddenly leave to go for a jog or take a nap. You need tools in real-time to help you relieve stress immediately, which, can be difficult to do since most of your shift is jam-packed with work. Luckily, there are a couple of tips correctional staff can address and treat stress while on their shift to help their body calm back down. For example, when it’s one of those days where your facility is nothing but complete chaos, it’s important to find a couple of minutes to step aside and compose yourself. Instead of thinking “I still have six hours left in this mess” try thinking “just six more hours until I can be with my partner and kids again. Maybe, I will bring them to the park.” 

Another quick and easy exercise is called Box Breathing. This is a tool that many individuals, from Olympics athletes to Navy SEALs, are familiar with, not to mention law enforcement officers. After finding a safe location to step away for a few minutes, Box Breathing can be easily and quickly completed after some short breathing exercises. Breathe out slowly, releasing all the air from your lungs for four seconds. Hold for four seconds, then breathe back in slowly for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Repeat three or four times. While performing this pattern you are distracting your mind and simultaneously calming your nervous system. It’s a win-win. Although Box Breathing and thinking positively are small exercises, they can make a world of difference in your mindset.

Even though our brains are hardwired to experience stress, we can alter our way of thinking to find the positive in every situation. We can teach ourselves how to control our “fight-or-flight” response and take appropriate action. Stressful events are bound to happen, especially in corrections. How we react to these scenarios is what differentiates those who know how to adequately utilize stress management tools and those who don’t (yet).