Humans experience “fight or flight” situations quite frequently throughout their lives, and even in their daily lives. This reaction originates in a subsection of the Nervous System called the Sympathetic Nervous System, which lies under a more general subsection called the Autonomic Nervous System. The Autonomic Nervous System is responsible for regulating functions humans cannot necessarily control like heart rate, sweating, and pupil dilation.
This is important to note as one’s body will naturally react when placed in a situation that could be deemed as dangerous or stressful, which is a response of the Sympathetic Nervous System. The body’s reactions are due to the Sympathetic Nervous System’s signals exiting the spinal cord in the mid to lower spine region and transferring to muscles, cardiac muscles, and glands. Reactions can vary throughout the body, especially due to the release of adrenaline. The spike in this hormone causes a higher sense of alert, sweating, faster heartbeat, and short, shallow breaths.
These effects can soon disperse, though, once the Parasympathetic Nervous System takes over. The Parasympathetic Nervous System is a subset of the Autonomic Nervous System and works in conjunction with the Sympathetic Nervous System. It is considered to be a period where one “rests and digests.” This name is appropriate as the system seeks to conserve energy while lowering one’s heart rate and increasing activity in the intestines.
I have had countless moments where my Sympathetic System took precedence, and then eventually the Parasympathetic System took over. One of these moments happened recently. I was at the Career Fair, standing in line to talk to a representative from CVS Health to discuss possible internships. While waiting in line, I felt my heart start to beat both faster and harder. I noticed my hands were beginning to sweat and my breaths became shallower. Thoughts about failure began to run through my head. My body was in this “fight or flight” mode, and I so desperately wanted to “take flight”. However, I made the conscious decision to “fight” and confront my worries and fears. After talking to the representative, I felt my body start going through the Parasympathetic System as my body relaxed. I was finally able to tell myself that it wasn’t that bad, and I continued to talk to other representatives with more confidence.
Lanese, Nicoletta. “Fight or Flight: The Sympathetic Nervous System.” Live Science. 9 May 2019. https://www.livescience.com/65446-sympathetic-nervous-system.html. Accessed 19 Sept. 2019.
“Parasympathetic nervous system.” Science Daily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/parasympathetic_nervous_system.htm. Accessed 19 Sept. 2019.
“Sympathetic Nervous System vs Parasympathetic Nervous System.” Major Differences. https://www.majordifferences.com/2017/03/9-differences-between-sympathetic.html#.XYMBXChKhPY.
This was such an informative piece of writing! I also have noticed so many times when my autonomic system has seemingly taken over and I begin to panic. I think that most people want to “flight” because it takes them out of such a terrible situation, but choosing to “fight” is really important. Because the autonomic nervous system is an involuntary one, making yourself conscious of subtle ques that come with nervousness or fear (such as sweat or pupil dilation, means your voluntary and involuntary nervous system are working together.
When I was younger, I found that my voluntary and involuntary nervous system weren’t communicating as well, really meaning the signs of stress and fear I was getting I ignored. This was a rough time for me because in front of schoolmates during a presentation I would start sweating a lot and not realize. If only I had thought about it more and activated my parasympathetic nervous system I would have been able to slow myself down a bit and relaxed enough to get through my presentation in one piece.
I think it is so interesting how the flight or fight response works and how our peripheral nervous system is in control of all those small responses.