Have you ever said something in the heat of the moment that doesn’t reflect how you would usually respond? This is an example of when our ability to think clearly is clouded due to the activation of our stress response.

When the stress response is activated it shuts down parts of the brain involved in executive functioning. These are the parts of the brain that enable us to think logically, deeply, and creatively. This part of our brain is important for being able to consider multiple perspectives, and appreciate a nuanced understanding of a given situation. However, when stressed, the more reactive parts of the brain are activated. The evolutionary purpose of this is to allow us to make swift decisions in physically threatening situations.

Although this response is useful if we need to fight or flee our way out of a physically dangerous situation, this response also impacts how we respond to psychological attacks in modern day life. The reduced capacity of our thinking brain and prioritisation of our feeling brain, undermines our ability to think things through in a more objective and rational way, and can lead to responding in ways which may be disproportionate to the level of threat posed.

“Essentially, when we’re stressed, the thinking part of our brain is hijacked and the feeling part of our brain shows up.”

The Figure below represents how exposure to harmful content online can activate a more emotional and less logical response due to activating the stress response.

Exposure to harmful content activates the fight and flight response.

When our stress response is activated we respond in one of four ways, either by fighting, fleeing, freezing or fawning. Although these responses originated to protect us from physical threat, we can see how they show up in modern day life, and in harm creation in digital spaces:

• The fight response evolved to confront physical threats head on. It can show up as being quick to jump to conclusions, starting arguments or making personal attacks online.
• The flight response evolved to help us run away from physical threats. It can appear as removing oneself from online communities or blocking others.
• The freeze response was designed to keep us safe in situations where we may be not strong enough to fight or too slow to flee. It can appear as panic, or disengaging from arguments online.  
• The fawn response was designed to appease the threat. It can look like making commentary or showing support in efforts to maintain peace.
  

Essentially, our stress response is a signal that we perceive danger. Therefore, it’s important to actively cultivate a sense of safety and security. This can be achieved by sending the mind positive, helpful and balanced messages, and also by taking steps to relax the body. Although we can’t prevent stress in our lives entirely, the good news is that we can learn strategies to better manage stress. Through cultivating healthy coping mechanisms and regularly practicing stress management strategies we can improve overall health and wellbeing.