The human body’s response to stress is a complex system designed to help us navigate threats and challenges. But when this system is constantly activated, it can take a toll, leaving you anxious, sleepless, or exhausted. If you’ve ever felt like your nervous system is stuck in fight or flight, you’re not alone.
This post explores the mechanisms of the fight or flight response, its effects on our well-being, and practical strategies for restoring balance to a dysregulated nervous system.
At re-origin, we’ve helped hundreds of people calm their nervous system and return to balance. Our neuroscience-backed brain retraining program can help you reduce symptoms, restore balance to your nervous system, and support lasting healing.
Learn more about the re-origin program here.
Ten Ways to Get Out Of Fight or Flight Mode
- Brain Retraining: Practices that teach your brain to detect safety and shift out of threat patterns.
- Relaxation Techniques: Techniques like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery can help in reducing muscle tension and stress.
- Social Connection: Support from friends and family can provide significant stress relief.4
- Time in Nature: Exposure to fresh air and natural environments can be incredibly restorative.
- Creativity: Activities like cooking, baking, drawing, writing, or painting increase prefrontal cortex activity, thus calming the nervous system and turning off fight or flight mode.4
- Mindfulness: Staying present can help center thoughts and reduce perceived stress.3
- Deep Breathing: Engage in diaphragmatic breathing to help control stress and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.3
- Regular Exercise: Find an exercise routine or gentle somatic exercises that you enjoy and make it a regular part of your life.4
- Adequate Sleep: Prioritize sleep to help regulate stress hormones and recover from daily stressors.
- Routine: Daily structure provides stability and reduces anxiety.
- Professional Support: Various professional resources can provide support for managing stress. A program like re-origin helps retrain the brain to respond differently to stress.
What Is the Fight or Flight Response?
The fight or flight response is the body’s built-in way of handling threats. Controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, it releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These chemicals raise heart rate, sharpen focus, and mobilize energy so you can respond quickly to danger.
When everyday stressors, such as work deadlines, health concerns, or financial strain, keep this system switched on, the nervous system can become stuck in fight or flight mode. Regaining balance requires activating the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the body’s “rest and digest” mode, which restores calm and recovery.
The Four Stress Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn
There are four main stress responses your nervous system may use when faced with a perceived threat. This is a quick overview of how each one works:
- Fight: Confronting a threat with heightened energy and alertness.
- Flight: Escaping danger by mobilizing energy to move quickly.
- Freeze: Becoming immobilized when neither fight nor flight feels possible.
- Fawn: People-pleasing behaviors to avoid conflict or danger.
These survival responses are useful in emergencies, but in modern life, they can be unnecessarily triggered, leading to fight or flight symptoms even when no real danger exists.
To learn more about each of these stress responses, read Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn: Managing Your Stress Responses.
Symptoms of a Nervous System Stuck in Fight or Flight
A nervous system stuck in fight or flight can manifest through various physical and physiological symptoms. You may notice:
- High blood pressure and rapid heartbeat
- Elevated cortisol
- Muscle tension and headaches
- Digestive issues
- Brain fog and chronic fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Heightened alertness to surroundings
- Persistent feelings of being overwhelmed or on edge
These fight or flight symptoms signal that your nervous system is running on overdrive.2
NEW TO NEUROPLASTICITY?
Sign Up For
7 Days of Brain Retraining
Claim Your FREE Mini-Program 💌
Long-Term Effects of Constant Fight or Flight Mode
When the nervous system is stuck in fight or flight mode beyond what it experiences during an acute (short-term) stressful event, it gradually wears down both body and mind. Prolonged activation of the stress response has been linked to:
- High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
- Weight gain and blood sugar imbalances
- Impaired immune function
- Anxiety, depression, and mood disorders
- Sleep disturbances2
How to Rebalance Your Nervous System From Fight or Flight
While the ten ways above are practical daily actions you can take, this section highlights and dives deeper into a few of the strategies, explain how they work, and offer simple ways to begin.
Brain Retraining
Brain retraining involves practices that teach your brain to detect safety and shift out of threat patterns. With repeated, intentional repetitions, you create new pathways that dampen overactive stress responses and strengthen regulation. To begin, the re-origin program recommends setting aside a total of 30 minutes each day to practice the structured sequence provided in the program, and focus on tracking wins rather than perfection.
Brain retraining techniques help strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system—the branch of the autonomic nervous system that restores balance and counteracts the fight or flight response. With consistent practice, your nervous system gradually learns to shift more easily into a state of calm and remain there for longer periods, reducing your nervous system’s time stuck in fight or flight mode.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises often involve deep breathing: taking slow, nasal inhales with longer exhales, using the diaphragm. This practice stimulates the vagus nerve and boosts parasympathetic tone. A simple way to start is with 4-6 breathing: inhale for four counts, exhale for six, and repeat.
By consciously controlling your breathing and focusing on slow, deep breaths, you activate the vagus nerve. This activation signals the body to shift from stress-induced responses into a state of calm. Somatic breathwork not only reduces the immediate physical effects of acute stress but also helps retrain the brain and body over time to respond to stress with greater balance and resilience.3
Physical Activity
Physical activity, even gentle or moderate movement, helps lower adrenaline and cortisol, improve sleep, and build overall capacity. Start with something that feels doable, such as a 10-minute walk, light stretching, or gentle somatic exercises, and gradually increase time or intensity only when your body feels ready.
Regular movement also elevates mood by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Making exercise a consistent part of your routine helps release stored tension and regulate stress hormones in a healthy way.4
Tip: When your nervous system is stuck in fight or flight, exercise can feel overwhelming. That’s why we created this list of somatic exercises, to help you find movements that match your energy levels and feel safe to start with.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about bringing nonjudgmental attention to the present moment. It reduces rumination, widens your window of tolerance, and strengthens emotional regulation.3 A simple way to begin is by closing your eyes and focusing on the sensation of your breath as it moves in and out. When distractions arise, notice them without judgment and gently return your attention to the breath.
Try the video below to practice mindfulness!
You Can Exit Fight or Flight Mode and Enhance Your Well-being
Having a nervous system stuck in fight or flight can be debilitating; however, understanding the underlying mechanisms and knowing how to engage the parasympathetic nervous system can offer significant relief. By incorporating these strategies into your daily life, you can help your body navigate stress more effectively, leading to improved overall health and well-being.
Remember, if you are struggling to manage stress, it is important to seek help from a mental health professional. Your well-being is paramount; you can regain control over your health and life with the right tools and support.
At re-origin, our focus is on helping you retrain your brain, calm your nervous system, and return to health. Learn more about the re-origin program here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long can a nervous system be stuck in a fight or flight?
A body can remain stuck in fight or flight mode for extended periods if stress is unrelenting. Some people experience this state for weeks, months, or even years. The longer the nervous system stays in this mode, the more it impacts physical and mental health. Supporting recovery with regular practices and guidance is essential.
Brain retraining is recommended to help the body relearn how to downshift from a chronic sympathetic state into parasympathetic calm. Through consistent practice, the brain begins to recognize safety signals, interrupt automatic stress patterns, and restore a healthier baseline of balance and resilience.
Why do I wake up in fight or flight mode?
Cortisol levels naturally rise in the morning to help wake you up, but when the stress response is dysregulated, this rise can be too steep. This leads to waking with symptoms like a racing heart, shallow breathing, or a sense of dread. Poor sleep quality, unresolved stress, or underlying anxiety can also contribute. Learn more about How To Break The Cycle Of Morning Anxiety.
How do I get my nervous system out of fight-or-flight?
Shifting out of fight or flight requires engaging the parasympathetic nervous system. Daily tools like brain retraining, mindfulness, slow breathing, gentle physical activity, and grounding practices can help. Consistency is key, and working with structured programs or professionals provides extra support.
What happens when your body is in constant fight or flight mode?
When constantly activated, the stress response strains nearly every system. This can result in high blood pressure, digestive problems, weakened immunity, chronic fatigue, and heightened anxiety. Over time, it increases the risk of long-term health issues, including cardiovascular disease and depression.
How to exit fight or flight mode?
You can exit fight or flight by calming your body and signaling safety to the nervous system. Techniques include diaphragmatic breathing, mindful movement, time in nature, social connection, and structured daily routines. Professional support can accelerate results. Brain retraining is especially powerful because it rewires automatic stress responses.
What are the symptoms of fight-or-flight anxiety?
Common symptoms include a pounding heart, rapid breathing, sweating, shaking, digestive upset, brain fog, irritability, and an overwhelming urge to escape or control situations. These symptoms can fluctuate throughout the day and may intensify during perceived stress or conflict.
Which hormone is responsible for fight-or-flight response?
Adrenaline (epinephrine) drives the immediate response, preparing the body for quick action. Cortisol follows, sustaining the response and keeping the body alert until the threat is resolved. Long-term elevation of cortisol is what often contributes to chronic health problems.
Can you fully recover from a nervous system stuck in fight or flight?
Yes. With the right tools, guidance, and consistent practice, it is possible to restore nervous system balance. Many people find significant relief through brain retraining, somatic practices, therapy, and lifestyle adjustments that reduce daily stress triggers.
Does diet affect fight or flight mode?
Yes. Caffeine, sugar, and highly processed foods can overstimulate the nervous system and worsen stress responses. A balanced diet with whole foods, steady blood sugar, and hydration supports a calmer baseline and helps reduce reactivity.
Can trauma cause a nervous system to stay stuck in fight or flight?
Absolutely. Traumatic experiences can prime the nervous system to remain hyper-alert, making it harder to return to calm even in safe environments. Trauma-informed approaches, including brain retraining, therapy, and somatic work, are particularly helpful for recovery.
