4 Somatic Practices to Help Regulate Your Nervous System in Flight Response

When you’re in the flight response of your nervous system, there are four somatic practices that we use to regulate ourselves in our somatic therapy in Austin, TX. 

The flight response is when you try to avoid or flee a distressing or perceived (by the brain) dangerous situation or feeling. While you may not literally “flee” the situation, there are many ways this dysregulation in our nervous system is experienced.

If your body is in a constant flight response - even if it doesn’t make conscious sense why you would be - I encourage you to start using our somatic practices and working on understanding why your body is getting triggered.

But, how do you know when you’re in flight response? And what do you do next?

How to Recognize When You’re in Flight Response

While you may not always understand why you’re in flight response, you can learn to recognize when you’re in flight response - which is your first step in regulating your nervous system.

Unlike freeze response, where you’re body is unable to act or move against a “threat,” in flight response your body takes action to move you away from the threat.

When you’re in flight response, it may look like:

Dissociating

Dissociation is a break in how your mind handles information. You may feel disconnected from the world or events around you. It can also present as not being sure of the past hour or two, or knowing where your day went. Many say that it feels heavy or lots of brain fog.

Decreased Immune System Response

Your central nervous system can influence the activity of your immune system, leading to a decreased immune system response when your nervous system is dysregulated. May look like digestive problems, frequent infections, inflammation, and other similar sicknesses.

Brain Fog and Chronic Fatigue

Brain fog or feeling like you cannot think clearly due to feeling “stuck in a fog,” along with chronic fatigue are both signs of being in flight response. You may also experience exercise intolerance and sleep problems or insomnia.

Digestive Issues

When your brain is stressed and your nervous system is in flight mode, it can send signals to your gut. This can cause digestive problems such as bloating, abdominal pain, IBS, and constipation.

High Anxiety and Panic

When your flight response is activated frequently or inappropriately, it can cause high anxiety and panic. You may feel this intense anxiety, fear, or terror without any apparent cause.

Social Avoidance

Avoidance behaviors are typical when in flight response. This may look like delaying response or action, not answering phone calls and messages, and canceling plans.

There are many more examples of flight response and nervous system dysregulation, but these are the most common I see in our practice. Once you’ve recognized that you’re in flight response, it’s time to regulate your nervous system.

4 Somatic Practices to Help Regulate Your Nervous System in Flight Response

Once your body is in flight response, it can feel impossible to regulate yourself and your nervous system. Thankfully, regulating your nervous system, even when you don’t understand why you’re dysregulated, can be done on your own using somatic therapy.

Find a technique that works best for you and put it into practice when the situation arises. Here are the four of the practices we use for our somatic therapy in Austin, TX:

#1. Grounding into the Earth

When you’re in a state of “flight,” you’re often not present with the moment. To ground yourself and bring yourself back to the present moment, you can use a practice we call “grounding into the earth.”

You’re going to put your feet on the earth (preferably outside) and take DEEP belly breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth. You’re going to imagine the earth’s energy filling your body.

To get a better guide for grounding into the Earth, search your meditation app for “grounding meditation.”

#2. Slow Yoga and Movement

Since your mind and body want to be somewhere else because the present is uncomfortable, use your body to engage with the present and escape flight response. 

Slow yoga and movement are two great ways to bring yourself back. You can stretch, dance, or try using restorative yoga poses to help you soothe the response and remind your body you’re safe.

#3. Use Your Senses to Help Your Nervous System Feel Safe

Using your five senses to interact and observe your current surroundings is another effective way to re-center yourself in the present moment. Here are some examples of what you can do:

• Look around and find five things you can see that are a specific color of your choice

• Touch something that feels good or looks interesting

• Smell a scent that calms you, like lavender essential oil

If your body has a tendency to land in flight response, try keeping something in your pocket or purse that you can use in these situations.

#4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique

Progressive muscle relaxation is a deep relaxation technique based on tensing one muscle group at a time, followed by a relaxation phase. It can be used to control stress and anxiety and can help regulate your nervous system.

Begin by lying down and taking deep breaths. Then, starting with your head, tighten your muscles on the inhale and release on the exhale. Follow this same pattern as you make your way down your body.

This technique is effective but may not always be possible, depending on the situation.

Why Your Body Needs You To Get Out of Flight Response

When your body is constantly in flight response or is experiencing dysregulation in your nervous system, your entire body is affected. Outside of mental symptoms, your body can begin to have physical effects.

Continuous or chronic stress can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases, raise blood pressure, and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Rather than allowing your body to remain in a state of stress, you have to put in the effort to calm your nervous system and regulate your body. After you’ve calmed your nervous system, you can take a step back and address why your body reacted and how you can prevent it or adapt in the future.

How to Start Regulating Your Nervous System

We’ve talked a lot about needing to regulate your nervous system and even touched on somatic practices to get your body out of flight response, but that is only a step in the right direction.

The best way to start regulating your nervous system is by learning what your nervous system is, what it means to regulate your nervous system, and how to actually regulate your nervous system through a holistic mind and body framework. Download my free workbook and guide teaching you how to do just that here -> download your free guide!