We’ve all heard of the fight or flight response, a state where your body prepares for threat by releasing hormones to physiologically and psychologically deal with an imminent threat, or run away from it. But there is a third, often overlooked response called freeze, where you realize your best option is to become immobilized, either hiding from a threat or pretending you are dead.
If you think about the twin states of anxiety and depression, they perfectly mimic this fight or flight/ freeze response, right down to the physiological and psychological responses to real or perceived danger. In the case of anxiety, our bodies release adrenaline and cortisol to prepare to fight or flee. And when we’ve given up hope that those two options can resolve the situation, we shut down those active responses and become immobilized. We can also cycle between these two states, either rapidly or slowly, moving into what is referred to as Manic Depression.
Humanity is currently going through a global stress response, where the threat is pervasive, vague, and ubiquitous. The threat moves from being viral in nature, to work and income loss, to a severed sense of connection and meaning. The world we once took for granted is changing like sand beneath our feet, with no solid ground in sight. These are the underpinnings of long-term unresolved stress, or what is commonly referred to as PTSD.
Many people feel overwhelmed, frightened, and hopeless. But sanity is at hand. Join me for part four in this series where I propose the solution drawing on my personal experience of working my way through all of these states.
