What is the fight-or-flight response? Plus, how to cope with it
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Your body can act in surprising ways when it’s stressed. Learn what happens during the fight-or-flight response, and explore 9 tips to gently reset.
Picture this: You’re driving home from work, and out of nowhere, a car seems to be heading right toward you. Your heart starts racing, your shoulders get tense, and in an instant, you’re able to find the reflexes to swerve out of the way. Even though you can hardly breathe, you’re safe. This is your stress response in action.
Essentially, your body has a sort of “automatic pilot” mode to help protect you when you're under threat. The stress response (also called the fight-or-flight response) is a primal, automatic reaction that can kick in any time your brain senses danger. This is a necessary and life-saving process, but in our day-to-day lives filled with constant minor stressors, a brain that can’t tell the difference between being chased by a lion or a looming deadline can get overactivated.
There are four different types of stress responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—and once you know what’s happening in your body, you’ll better understand how to work with your nervous system instead of fighting against it. All it takes is a little awareness.
What is the fight-or-flight response?
The fight-or-flight response is your body’s built-in survival mode, and it’s quick, instinctive, and often unconscious. When your brain senses danger, whether real or imagined, it may set off a chain reaction: Adrenaline and cortisol flood your system, your heart rate spikes, your muscles tense, and blood rushes to your limbs and away from your brain.
This response is intended for serious physical threats, but because of the way humans have evolved, it’s not uncommon for it to kick in in response to everyday stressors.
This is because your brain often can’t tell the difference between being chased by a lion (or a car) and a looming deadline or the mental tetris of your entire family's schedule. So stress, no matter the type, can provoke the same biological reaction. And unfortunately, if the stress response doesn’t have a healthy outlet, it can linger in the body as chronic tension, burnout, or disconnect.
What about freeze and fawn?
Most people have heard of the fight-or-flight response, but your body also has other reactions to stress: freeze and fawn. They’re less researched in traditional science, so most of the information out there comes from trauma-informed therapy and somatic practices.
Freeze happens when action feels impossible. You might go numb, disassociate, or feel stuck in your body. Your system thinks choosing stillness is the safest option, similar to playing dead when a lion is approaching you and moving too fast for you to run away.
Fawn is the urge to appease or people-please to keep the peace. It often shows up in those who’ve learned that being agreeable is the best way to stay safe.
Read more: Stress vs. anxiety: how you can tell the difference
What are the benefits and drawbacks of the fight-or-flight response?
It’s easy to focus on the negatives when it comes to stress responses, but they exist to help keep you safe. The trouble is that sometimes, the reaction is much stronger than it needs to be.
The benefits of the fight-or-flight response
The fight-or-flight response enhances your ability to respond to real danger, often before you’re even conscious of the threat. In an actual emergency—like swerving to avoid a car accident—these effects can save your life.
Here’s what your stress response gets right:
Rapid response time: You don’t need to think your way through a threat. Your body acts first, which is incredibly helpful when each second counts.
Energy boost: Adrenaline and glucose surge through your bloodstream, giving you temporary strength and stamina to overcome any obstacle.
Laser focus: Nonessential systems like digestion or long-term planning shut down, and your brain tunes in only to the threat. It’s not great for multitasking, but it’s perfect for survival.
Pain tolerance: In high-threat moments, your body may temporarily mute pain so that you can keep moving.
The drawbacks
Unfortunately, our brains can get stuck on high alert for things that aren’t immediately life-threatening, but can still feel overwhelming, like an impossible deadline or a passive-aggressive note from your boss.
The fight-or-flight system works best in short bursts with time to recover, but modern life often gives us long stretches of stress with little relief. That’s where the drawbacks come in, since our bodies aren’t meant to live in chronic stress at all times.
Here are some issues with the continued stimulation of the fight-or-flight response:
Burnout: Chronic activation of this system drains your energy reserves, leading to fatigue, irritability, and emotional flatness.
Digestive issues: When you’re always in survival mode, your body deprioritizes digestion, which can lead to bloating, constipation, or nausea.
Sleep disruption: If your brain is constantly on high alert, it won’t let you drift into deep rest. At this point, nighttime anxiety or panic attacks are common.
Overreaction: When your nervous system is constantly primed for threat, small issues can feel massive. Your reactions might feel over the top, even to you.
Disconnection from self: Over time, especially with frequent freeze or fawn responses, you may feel disconnected from your body, boundaries, or sense of agency.
6 signs of a body stress response
Stress doesn’t always look like panic, and honestly, you might be so used to your stress response that you don’t even know it’s happening. But being aware can help you manage it better and also mitigate the chronic effects.
Here are six signs your body might be stuck in a stress loop:
Racing heart: That buzz in your chest is your body bracing for action, even if you’re still.
Shallow breathing: Short, tight breaths or holding your breath signals that your system is on high alert.
Muscle tension: A clenched jaw, tight shoulders, or fidgety hands are all physical signs of stress.
Scattered or tunnel vision: You might feel foggy or hyper-focused on one thing while missing the big picture entirely.
Digestive changes: Stress can show up in your gut through signs like nausea, bloating, or appetite swings.
Disconnection: Your system may shut down to stay safe, leaving you feeling numb, zoned out, or stuck.
Read more: 7 physical effects of stress and how to manage them
How to cope with your stress response: 9 ways to calm your body
Your nervous system flipping into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just trying to help you survive. The issue is what happens when that response gets stuck. In these cases, it helps to give your body a reset.
Thankfully, your nervous system doesn’t need an elaborate spa day, digital detox, or perfectly curated morning routine to calm itself down (although that certainly won’t hurt). Simple tools can meet you exactly where you are.
Here are nine ways to gently calm your body down and work with your stress response… not against it.
1. Elongate your exhale
Breathwork can help give your body the signal that you’re safe. There are a number of breathing techniques you can try, but if you’re new to it, starting simple is best.
Try this: Inhale for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of six, repeating for a few rounds. Your parasympathetic nervous system can get activated when your exhale is longer than your inhale, which may help calm your body down. (If you want to explore more breathing exercises, here are 10 to try.)
💙 If your stress is overwhelming, listen to the SOS Breathwork meditation with Chibs Okereke.
2. Mindfully move your body
Most of the time, your stress response involves some sort of movement — think fight, flight, or fawn. Unfortunately, those options don’t always make sense for the situation at hand. In this case, you still need to burn off that excess energy.
Try one of these forms of movement when you feel a stress response coming on:
Shake out your arms, legs, or hands for 30 seconds
Do five jumping jacks
Walk around the block (or even just the room)
💙 Calm your brain with movement during the Softening Anxiety session of the Daily Move.
3. Use your senses to come back to the present
When the stress has passed (or was never a threat in the first place), your nervous system needs to get grounded in the present moment to see that you’re not stuck.
The 5-4-3-2-1 method is a great grounding technique you can use, since it pulls you out of your head and into your body. Simply name out loud five things you see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. (Here are 18 other grounding methods you can try.)
4. Create warmth and pressure
Especially if you’re stuck in a freeze or fawn response, warmth and gentle pressure can signal safety or calm.
Here are a few options you can try:
Use a weighted blanket
Wrap yourself up in something cozy and sit back against a sofa or bed
Press your hands into your thighs
Hug a pillow to your chest
Run warm water over your hands
Take a hot shower
5. Reconnect with your body through touch
A simple yet effective way to interrupt the stress spiral is through touch. Try one of the following:
Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly, feeling your breath move between them
Rub either your temples or the back of your neck
Massage your jaw
Roll your shoulders up and down
6. Name it without judgment
Putting language to your experience helps your brain shift from reaction to regulation. This doesn’t mean you’re fixing the issue, but simply naming it can help you get out of the spiral by anchoring you to the present moment.
Instead of spiraling into “Why am I like this?” try the following phrases:
“My body thinks I’m in danger.”
“I’m noticing I feel overwhelmed.”
“This is a stress response, and it will pass.”
Read more: How to practice positive self-talk (and why it matters)
7. Choose small, soothing rituals
Stress thrives in chaos, so predictability (even if it’s small) can help. Rituals create rhythm, which can bring your body back to safety.
Here are some simple ritual ideas:
Light a candle when you log off for the day
Make tea with intention
Play a calming playlist while you shower
Pause to stretch before opening your inbox
8. Get outside, even for 60 seconds
Nature may give your nervous system cues to soften, and it can work wonders when you feel claustrophobic or like anxiety is taking over.
Step outside and look up at clouds, trees, or buildings, which remind you that the world is bigger than you. If you can, let your feet touch grass, as this can also help ground you. And above all else, let your eyes wander so that your brain stops focusing on the stressful situation.
💙 If you can’t get outside, these relaxing Piano Nature Melodies can help mimic the sounds of nature and soothe you.
9. Replenish what stress drains
Stress depletes your body’s energy reserves, so simple, foundational activities are key to supporting recovery.
Drink water. (Being dehydrated mimics anxiety.)
Eat something with protein or healthy fats to feel satisfied. (Learn about the five benefits of mindful eating.)
Rest. Even lying down for a few minutes can help.
What is fight-or-flight FAQs
Are there more stress responses beyond fight, flight, freeze, and fawn?
Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are the most widely recognized responses, but the human nervous system is far more nuanced than that.
While there isn’t a lot of research on them yet, responses like appease, dissociate, collapse, or even hyperfunction (becoming overly competent or controlling) are increasingly being explored in somatic psychology.
What happens to the body during the fight-or-flight response?
When your brain senses a threat, it may send an urgent signal to your body to prepare for survival. This activates your sympathetic nervous system, leading to a release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.
Your heart rate increases, your breathing speeds up, your muscles tense, and your digestion slows down. Blood is instead rerouted to your limbs to help you run or fight, while your brain narrows its focus to just the threat.
It basically puts your body into emergency mode, so everything nonessential gets paused, and everything survival-related gets amplified.
Why do our bodies respond to stress differently?
No two nervous systems are exactly alike. Your stress response is shaped by a complex mix of genetics, childhood experiences, cultural background, trauma history, and current physical health.
Some people default to anger (fight), while others default to anxiety (flight). Others will immediately hit emotional shutdown (freeze) or over-accommodation (fawn).
It’s simply about conditioning: Your body learned the main response that helped you stay safe, loved, or out of harm’s way, and it now repeats that pattern automatically. That doesn’t mean it can’t change, but it requires some understanding of your patterns and why you react the way you do.
Why do I shut down under pressure?
If you shut down under pressure, it means your default stress response is freeze. If your nervous system assesses a situation and determines that neither running nor resisting will help, it may hit the brakes entirely. You might feel numb, detached, spaced out, or unable to speak or move.
At this stage, your body is entering a state of immobilization to keep you safe. Freeze is common in people with a history of trauma or overstimulation, especially if they’ve experienced situations where action wasn’t an option.
Can you have more than one stress response?
Yes, since your stress responses are fluid and can vary based on the situation. You might freeze in one instance and fawn in another. You might also feel your body cycle through multiple responses within minutes.
Stress responses are dynamic and often context-specific, so it’s more important to recognize your patterns with compassion, allowing you to support yourself through them rather than judge or suppress them. With time and awareness, your responses can become less automatic and more intentional.
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