Fight or Flight?
How do humans react in situations of high stress or pressure?
I really enjoyed the latest article and image from Jonathan Hey (follow his work!) on the concept of Fight or Flight (or more accurately: freeze, flight, fight, or fright) and how human beings response in situations of significant stress or pressure.
The fight-or-flight response is our body's automatic and ancient response to perceived threats or danger.
we may enter fight-or-flight mode during stressful, anxiety-inducing moments, such as public speaking, a challenging work interaction, or a difficult conversation.
It reminds me of the event Jean-Paul Bayley and I suffered a few years ago when one of our events was zoomboomed (remember that term?) - Our brains went into a state of fright-mode. If you are curious, this is JP's recollection of the horrifying event.
I also related this to what Matthew Syed described as a something like entering into a "tunnel vision" state during stressful situations. I think it was in his Black Box Thinking book, but it may have been on another one (I basically recommend all his books).
I hope you find these few ideas and stories useful!