Since the beginning of humanity, our bodies have been responding to acute stressful events with a stress response, which we all know as “fight or flight,” to maintain internal balance. Although this response has protected us with all its internal mechanisms and allowed us to exist to this day, it can also endanger us and lead to illness.

What happens to us during the “fight or flight” response?

The “fight or flight” stress response, which protects our internal balance, or homeostasis, was first described by physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon in his book The Wisdom of the Body. A simple example of how homeostasis works is the regulation of body temperature. When we are in a hot environment, we also sweat profusely, which cools our body, thus maintaining an optimal body temperature. By maintaining internal body balance, the balance, or health, of every cell in the body is maintained.

When we are exposed to acute stress (such as a car accident) that can threaten our lives, a special nervous and hormonal response is triggered to protect our internal balance, the “fight or flight” response. It is activated by the sympathetic nervous system, which, together with the parasympathetic (the opposite pole of the sympathetic) system, makes up the autonomic (unconsciously functioning) nervous system, which regulates some body systems without us being aware of it.

Thus, the parasympathetic nervous system encourages the body to relax, feed, digest, rest, and reproduce, while the sympathetic nervous system turns it off and encourages the body to fight or flee. This means that every day we unconsciously ask ourselves: “Is this situation threatening me?”, “Should I fight?”, “Should I run away?” … and so we constantly switch between one part of the autonomic nervous system and another.

Researchers believe that this mechanism was once very useful to us, allowing us to fight or flee from predators. Of course, the stress response still helps us today, but the problem can arise if it gets out of control. This means that it never “turns off” at all or is activated at every slightest stressful event that does not threaten our life.

This means that it is activated every day and at every slightest stress: in the event of a traffic jam, an argument with a partner, worries about paying off a loan, listening to reports of a terrorist attack... This also happens to people who suffer from anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. When this happens, the body and psyche no longer have time to relax and calm down or regenerate. But this constant response can exhaust us so much that we even get sick.

To better understand why we can get sick, let's look at what happens to us during a stress response. Stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the secretion of stress hormones (cortisol, noradrenaline, adrenaline, etc.) increases blood pressure, speeds up the heart rate, and stimulates sweating. At the same time, it increases blood flow to tissues that enable the body to respond to a threat (muscles, heart, lungs, brain, etc.), while reducing blood flow to tissues that are not important for fight or flight (skin, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, reproductive organs, etc.).

In addition, there is an increase in blood sugar levels, inhibition of the immune system and slowed bone formation. Impaired conception, digestive problems, high blood pressure, heart problems, high blood sugar and insulin levels, poor immune system function, bone problems, nervous irritability, outbursts of anger, worry and fear, panic attacks, depression ... all of these can be the consequences of a "derailed" "fight or flight" response. Such a state can, of course, lead to excessive eating, abuse of alcohol, coffee, cigarettes and hard drugs, as well as antidepressants.

How can we help ourselves so that stress doesn't destroy us?

First of all, it is important to understand that we live in an increasingly stressful times. If the records are correct, 50,000 years ago, humans worked only 15 hours a week to survive. The rest of the time was available for rest and regeneration. Nowadays, most of us work 40 to 60 hours a week! In addition, we often spend our free time in front of screens, we are less and less in contact with nature, we talk less and less and last but not least – we listen to our own conscience less and less.

Since we are responsible for our own health, it is good to become aware as soon as possible that such a lifestyle should be abandoned as soon as possible and to ensure that psychological stress does not destroy us.

Quality food, adequate hydration, and exercise are not enough; we also need to find time to "digest" everyday psychophysical tensions - time for ourselves. When we are relaxed, full of energy, and in a good mood, we will also react differently, less violently, to common stressful situations, or at least recover from them more quickly.

Whenever possible, turn off your screens in your free time and treat yourself to a massage, intoxicating aromatherapy, listening to relaxing music... You can also return to nature, which always relaxes the body and mind. If you also take off your shoes and walk barefoot (or at least with bare feet), by stimulating the acupressure points on your feet, you will further contribute to balancing the energy flows throughout the body and thus help a tense body and mind to relax. It is also good to "digest" any emotional tension as soon as possible so that sadness, anger, worry and other negative emotions do not unnecessarily involve the sympathetic nervous system. An honest conversation with yourself (with your conscience) or with a good friend can help you with this.

CBD relaxes without intoxication

Among the many measures that balance the functioning of the autonomic nervous system is the use of cannabidiol (cannabinoid CBD). It is contained, for example, in CBD drops and CBD inhalation liquids for relaxation, which are prepared from the extract of industrial hemp flowers. Unlike THC, it does not have psychoactive effects, but research has shown that it has great potential for maintaining and restoring health - namely, it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroregenerative, anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects.

CBD supports the function of the endocannabinoid system and thus helps to calm the sympathetic nervous system. Several studies reveal that an optimally functioning endocannabinoid system (ES) also enables a balanced functioning of the autonomic nervous system. ES is said to have a primary effect on the activation of the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system. This means that it helps to turn off the function of the sympathetic nervous system and thus return the body from stress to a state of calm, digestion, rest ... in short, to a state of psychophysical renewal. Taking CBD has been proven to calm anxiety, depression, fear of public speaking, etc. You can read more about this in the book How to Preserve Your Brain.

Fragrant relaxation

Inhaling essential oils is also effective, as their vibrations directly affect our well-being within a few seconds and can either wake us up or relax us.

The most relaxing essential oils include lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), damask rose (Rosa damascena), vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides), bergamot (Citrus aurantium bergamia), sandalwood (Santalum album), vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), and benzoin (Styrax benzoin).

Lavender has been proven to relax and help restore the nervous system, helping to achieve inner peace, better sleep, and relieve nervousness. Numerous studies show that the pleasant scent of lavender should be used more often.

Rose is a specialist when it comes to its effects on the heart, so it is used to relieve emotional pain and even severe depression. For this purpose, natural and pure rose essential oil should be used. It can also be diluted, otherwise the rose aroma may be too strong, but it should not be mixed with oils of other plants or adulterated.

If you're worried, inhaling vanilla essential oil will definitely soothe a tense spleen and relieve tension without having to eat a big creamy slice!

Because the effects of essential oils are carefully studied, there are also dedicated blends that combine oils that work even more effectively in synergy. For example, the Buddha blend contains sandalwood, tonka bean, and benzoin, while the Good Sleep blend contains lavender, orange, lime, and patchouli.

Text: Adriana Dolinar, Dr. Vet. Med., President Associations for the Awakening of the Whole Man and external collaborator of the project Together for the Health of Man and Nature and the information center – Zadravje.net.