The amygdala sends a message to the hypothalamus to release stress hormones such as adrenalines that makes our heart beat faster, breath quicken and stomach churn.  This fight/ flight/ freeze response is directly related to our primitive past and it was essential when our ancestors were in constant, life-threatening danger.  It was the fight or flight survival mechanism that enabled them to either quickly escape from life-threatening situations such as wild animals, or help build strength and courage to stay and fight.  

Whilst useful in primitive times, unfortunately the mind and body can sometimes overreact  to modern day stressful situations that are not life threatening, such as work pressure and family problems.

Generally, if our primitive mind thinks we are in crisis, it will take over and we lose intellectual control.  Our primitive mind is negative so it will always think the worst is happening.  It is also vigilant so it is always on red alert.  Unfortunately it can’t tell the difference between imagination and reality, which is why we can experience stress symptoms even when we are just thinking about something.

The stress response can be managed by using strategies to bring the body back to its natural state.  When we are stressed and operating from the emotional primitive mind we are programmed to think negatively.  We therefore need to return to our intellectual sensible mind.  Techniques to help us do this include exercise, conscious breathing, meditation and mindfulness.  These techniques work by calming the mind, increasing serotonin levels and bringing ourselves back into the parasympathetic nervous system where our body and mind can feel calm and relaxed.