How I Accidentally Satisfied the “Fight or Flight” Response

(This article is an excerpt from Stephen’s ebook, Stop the Anxiety!)

I discovered– quite accidentally – that running is a great way to regulate the body’s natural urge to fight or flee. The day I started running I was actually trying to “desensitize” myself to the fear of being outside. My plan was just to see how far I could walk away from my house without feeling too much anxiety.

I tried to make it just a little bit further each day before turning around to go home. I started by walking to my mailbox. A few days later, I made it to the end of the cul-de-sac, about three houses down. Soon after that, I turned the corner and went a little way down the street.

Once I made it off the cul-de-sac, I suited up in running attire. I thought if anyone saw me from inside one of the houses, they might wonder why some teenage kid was walking down the same stretch of sidewalk every day. I didn’t want anyone to suspect I had agoraphobia, so I disguised myself as a jogger to have a socially acceptable reason to be out on the sidewalk so often.

My ultimate goal was to make it around the entire block. It took a month to make it almost halfway, so I expected to meet my goal in about two months. My calculation was wrong. I met my goal in half that time – because I became an accidental runner.

On the day I made it exactly halfway around the block, I realized – to my utter horror – that I had the same distance to go whether I continued around the block or turned back. I hadn’t thought of it before, but this discovery threw me into a major state of panic.

I had a choice to make. I could finish the block, or turn back. In a split second, I decided to finish the block – and proceeded to run as if my life depended on it. I didn’t care if people thought I was crazy. I just wanted to make it home before I passed out from panic and hyperventilation.

I made a major discovery that day. While running my hardest, I stopped hyperventilating – not because my breathing slowed, but because my need for oxygen increased.

You see, a panic attack is simply the activation of the “fight or flight” response, which is the body’s primitive inclination to fight or flee in the face of danger. In most cases, there is nothing to fight and nowhere to run without looking odd. Running is not possible while sitting in a car, a classroom, in church, or while walking through a mall trying to look normal and calm.

In a panic attack, the respiratory system is activated, providing extra oxygen, and sending extra energy to the muscles. If the body remains motionless, the extra oxygen can lead to lightheadedness and tingling sensations in the hands and feet. If the body is running, the extra oxygen and adrenalin will fuel the body’s extra activity. Instead of producing hyperventilation and panic, the body gets the oxygen and energy it needs to support its “flight.” Running gave my body a use for the extra air I sucked in while hyperventilating, and use for the extra energy that caused my muscles to tremble and shake.

My body didn’t know if it was running from a tiger or just running for the sake of running. Either way, it would not hyperventilate when it needed additional oxygen.

I made more key discoveries that day. Since my breathing had fallen into the rhythm of running, it naturally slowed down when my body slowed down, and I enjoyed a tired, euphoric feeling brought on by the release of endorphins into my bloodstream.

Endorphins are neurotransmitters produced by the brain following sustained aerobic exercise. They cause a pleasurable euphoria that some people call “the runner’s high.” Endorphins interact with opiate receptors in the brain. Their physical effect is similar to drugs like morphine and codeine.

I quickly learned that endorphins rival Valium, Xanax, or any other tranquilizer on the market in terms relaxation properties. The difference is that endorphins are a natural substance produced by the body and are not addictive.

I started a running program. The more regularly I ran, the more I proved to myself that my lungs were healthy. That helped me gain confidence in my physical ability to go outside my home. Though it was not always convenient, I learned that I could stop a panic attack or hyperventilation spell by running. This gave me the control over my body and breathing that I needed during a “fight or flight” response.

One of the greatest benefits of outdoor exercise was in expanding the territory in which I felt safe. I overcame my fear of open spaces as I broke new ground as a runner.

That fateful day I put on my running suit, I changed much more than my clothes. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I also changed my identity. Over time, I felt more like an athlete and less like an agoraphobic. This psychological change was instrumental.