Fight or Flight: Our Sympathetic Nervous System
Season 2 - Episode 6
In this episode, Lauren discusses the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and how it keeps us safe. The SNS is the “Fight or Flight” part of your brain. It’s the pathway we use to respond to danger, which means it keeps us safe. This is a good thing!
The problem today is we are often pushed into SNS mode even when not physically in danger.
What causes this?
Daily stressors. Lack of control. Excessive demands. They can all cause fear and anxiety which activates the SNS part of our brain.
We don’t want to live in this heightened state of emotion. If we do, the long-term effects can be things like diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
When your body is in overdrive all the time, the way to fix it is to do the opposite. Lauren explains ways to deactivate the SNS and create a calmer state of mind.
Lauren answers this week’s listener question during the episode:
What do we do when a child has avoidant behaviors? (IE overuses the calm-down area)
Try-at-home tip: Eat something to wake up your system instead of coffee.
Other related resources from The Behavior Hub:
Blog Post:
Fight or Flight: Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)
5 Reasons Behaviors Occur
Podcast:
Why Behaviors Occur - The 5 Needs Areas
Our Online Courses:
From Wild Emotions to Tamed Feelings – How to Self-Regulate (5 Needs Areas)
Do you have a question? I can answer it in a future episode!
Email questions to podcast@thebehaviorhub.com or send via text to 717-693-7744.Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about the Emotional Brain.
Check out our Facebook Group – Raising and Teaching Respectful Children
Find all the answers here: The Behavior Hub blog
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