Fight or Flight Mode | 4 Tips to Grounding In the Present Moment

Is it commitment issues or fear?

The truth is, it is both. I have been in a few situations where I doubted my strength and feared I wouldn't or couldn't make it through. You could call it fear of failure and also fear of success. Often, it is the latter, but that is another post another day. This is the onset of abandonment whether you knew it or not. We abandon ourselves way before anyone else does. We continue to cultivate the abandonment wound every time we do not show up for ourselves authentically. And of course, the cycle extends outwardly and we begin flaking on our commitments and connections. When we go through tough times we instantly want to escape, and abandon ship. We want out of the situation, and quite possibly out of our bodies. We do not want to feel what we are experiencing in depth because our conscious mind says this is painful. It is only natural to feel we are much better than what we are going through so we say stuff like, I don’t have to take this! I can just leave!

Ultimately, we jump ship. Our commitment was tested and we failed. Sometimes it’s not about settling, it’s about surrendering to the process. Somewhere in life, quite possibly after watching everyone on TV live a fairytale, we decided life would be easy. There would be no conflict, and the nicer we were, the smoother life would be. Boy were we fooled. Straight bamboozled! Life is not a fairytale. There will be plenty of mountain highs and valley lows. In fact, that is how we know we are alive. If there were no peaks and valleys, it would be a flatline. And you know what that means. Our healing comes from understanding that we were built for it. That is why we came to the earth realm. The soul desired evolution, and growth is a part of that. We all know there can be no growth if there is no conflict. We must shift our perspective. In today's post we focus on combating fight or flight mode. Here are a few steps I have learned to overcome.

Combating Fight or Flight Mode

1. Breathe!

Why? Because mindful breathing brings awareness and gratitude. Both are expansive and help us to see things from a different perspective because remember, we are constantly creating our reality based on how we feel and what we perceive. Gratitude is the greatest magnet for more reasons to be grateful. What you give out, you get back. Breath helps to calm your nervous system. When we are frantic/anxious, our vision is clouded. We can’t/won’t make the right decisions since we are insecure. Each breath helps to bring clarity to your situation resurrecting your confident nature. You’ll quickly learn you have more control in self-control than without it. Surrender.

2. Read the word of God.

Find a scripture that soothes your nervous system. Every time you ingest the word of God, you are feeding yourself truth. Why is this important? Because you’ll quickly learn what you’re feeling is fleeting and relative meaning it could also be a lie. You have to know one from the other. When you succumb to the lie, you worship fear. When you ingest and perform the truth, you worship God. When our emotions take over, we can forget what God’s plans are and fall victim to our own suffering. Read and rehearse scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11; for I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (KJV)

Married couples could reflect on Colossians 3:10-19 ; Ephesians 5:22-33, 6:10-18 ; Galatians 5:16-26, 6:6-10; 1Corinthians 7:2-5

3. Pray.

Why? Because prayer is our petition to God. When we pray, we enter the spiritual realm and make ourselves known. Words are spirits. God being a spirit also, you can best believe God hears you. But there are two parts to this since we not only want God to hear us but see us also so He can begin downloading His wisdom in us. All through out scripture you’ll read how Jesus came that we may appear before God, blameless and spot free. In other words, we take on his likeness aka the Imago Dei or better known as the Holy Spirit. How do we acquire His likeness, you ask? We fast. Fasting puts you in a position to listen. This is a surrendered heart posture. We call this humbling ourselves before God. It is when you crucify the flesh and silence the ego mind. Prayer and fasting go hand in hand. They go together, like real bad! Here is how we have deeper and more effective conversations with Yahweh. Remember, conversation is a two way street.

Not sure what to pray? Start with the Lords Supper Prayer. Matthew 6:9-15. In fact, if you read the next verses following Jeremiah 29:11, He gives instructions on how to be heard of him and receive the very blessing of 29:11. This is the part where we are praying and seeking him with all our hearts.

I suggest couples do this ritual together. It’ll keep you from seeking comfort in others and outside the home. Vent to God, let Him be the solution.

4. If you’re following along with the scripture from above you know what comes next. FAST!

Why? Because it causes you to slow down, and have more patience. The longer the fast, the more you embody the Holy Spirit. Jesus said tear down this temple and see that I resurrect it in three days. (I am summarizing here.) That temple he was speaking about was his body. So a three day fast is optimal. You will notice you do more self reflection on an empty tummy. Here is when we learn to take accountability for where we are and ask/receive God’s wisdom and instruction about how to handle life circumstances.

Final Thoughts | The Battle is the LORD'S

Although we like to think this is a man’s world, it’s really Gods. You cannot do this life without Him. That is the whole thing about fight or flight mode. Your emotions lead you to believe you are in the fight alone, and that is a lie straight from the pits of hell. Scripture tells us we fight not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and powers in dark places. You cannot fight a spiritual battle with your human emotion. Here is why we use the word of God (the truth), because only faith can cast out fear. Only life can defeat death and only the truth can shed light on a lie. The battle really is the LORD’s boo boo. Humble yourself, surrender, and Let God fight for you.

If you find this valuable, like and share with a friend/married couple. For more insight about emotional intelligence/maturity and where you rate on that scale, join my Pretty Beast Fit VIP Community and receive a FREE Wellness Consultation with me. Start your healing journey and do the unthinkable. Generational wealth isn't just about financial stability, but emotional stability as well.

La'Tara Jackson is Author/Owner of Ground Up Self-Love Workbook and .com, and Holistic Coach both certified in personal training and yoga. She has over eight years experience in nutrition and wellness and it all began with being a single mom desiring a better life for herself and children by starting a woman's community bootcamp that would go on to change the lives of many. And that was just the beginning.

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