Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fitness:
How we can use exercise to regulate our nervous system.
by Colie Smigliani, LPC-C
Let’s play a game: I am going to describe how someone feels, and I want you to guess what is going on. Let’s name our pretend person Larry for now. Ready?
Larry feels their heart racing and their muscles tensing and shaking. As this happens, their breathing starts to increase too, coming in loud heavy breaths. They wipe the sweat from their palms on the bottom of their shirt. Larry starts to think to themselves “oh my god I feel awful. This is uncomfortable and I suck. I am so weak, I hate myself.” Internally Larry feels discomfort and can sense the stress levels in their body rising with each passing second.
What do you think was happening there? If you guessed Larry is having a panic attack- you’re correct. If you guessed Larry is having a particularly hard day on the Stairmaster at their local gym… you are also correct! The experience described above could be depicting either of these things because of how similar the physiological experiences are between anxiety and exercise. Both generate stress within the body and nervous system and can make our bodies and minds feel rather similar!
Now this is not to equate panic attacks or anxiety to exercise. These two things are not one and the same; however the experience of exercising can often mimic the fight/flight/freeze state we enter when panicked, stressed, or triggered in our minds and bodies! Because of this, exercise can be a holistic way to begin working on your anxiety and managing your nervous system’s natural response to being in it’s fight/flight/freeze state.
How to use this: First, begin to move your body in a way that works best for you. Exercise can be defined as any form of movement that you choose: yoga, dancing, weightlifting, rock climbing, walking, etc. As you begin to move, take a moment to notice how the feelings in your body change. Notice how your muscles start to become hot and how your breath does as well. Notice the light sweat that might start to form, your breathing changes, and your muscles tensing or possibly shaking. As you continue to generate this heat and stress within the body, start to also notice what your brain is telling you. Are you cheering yourself on? Are you being cruel to yourself? This is practicing mindfulness! (Your therapist will be so proud)
By exercising, you are putting stress on your body’s muscles and beginning to activate what psychologists call the sympathetic nervous system. Your sympathetic nervous system is the part of you that becomes activated by anxiety or your fight/flight/freeze response. Once you feel these markers of stress within your body, allow yourself to stop the movement you have been doing. Lay down in a position that is comfortable and place one hand on your belly and one on your heart. Begin to slow your breathing down manually, inhaling deeply through your nose and then slowly out of your mouth. This might feel uncomfortable at first, especially if you are breathing heavily. That is ok! Continue to slow your breathing as you monitor how your body feels, without judgment. Notice where there is the most fatigue. Notice if there is any pain. Notice if there is anything that feels good. As you scan your body, bring attention to your hand on your heart. Remind yourself that you are ok. You are safe. This can be really impactful to repeat these two phrases to yourself aloud or in your mind. As you soothe yourself, you will begin to shift from your sympathetic nervous system to your parasympathetic nervous system. This is what becomes active when we calm ourselves down and feel safe. Allow every exhale to slow you down and bring you back to your baseline. Continue this until you feel your muscles relax and your body melt into the floor.
What just happened? Congratulations! You have just successfully brought yourself from a state of fight/flight/freeze into a state of calm! That’s incredible! While this may have not felt the same or as intense as your anxiety or a panic attack, you have just now practiced soothing your nervous system for when those feelings do arise. Practicing this allows you to become more aware of your body and create a stronger mind-body connection, practice mindfulness, and begin to regulate your nervous system. By creating stress within the body and then calming ourselves down, we are teaching ourselves that we are safe within our own existence. That we have the tools to take care of ourselves when these feelings arise. That we are capable. This ability to trust in our own body can be incredibly healing and empowering. Anxiety and panic attacks can often make us feel like our body is betraying us and we are unable to rely on ourselves to feel ok again. Practicing this exercise can aid in taking some of that power back. The more often you practice this exercise, the faster you will get at switching between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. In other words, you will be able to calm yourself down more quickly each time you do this. Exercise can be a great way to practice being in an uncomfortable state, tolerating that discomfort, and then soothing yourself. This is the same cycle we try to mimic when we feel anxious: recognize the discomfort, tolerate it, and then self-soothe. Give it a try and see what you think!
Last but not least: It is important to note that while this is an awesome technique you can use at home to start working on your mind-body connection, exercise is NOT a replacement for therapy, medication, or other coping skills you may have in place right now. Be sure to use this in addition to what you are already doing as a way to practice the mastery you would like to eventually have over your own nervous system. Bring your findings in to your therapist and discuss what you discover each time! And finally, be patient and kind with yourself. Rebuilding the pathways in our mind and body takes time. Be slow and loving through this process, and happy sweating!