Beyond Fight or Flight: Discovering Your Body's Hidden Safety System

If you've ever felt your voice shake during a board presentation, lost your train of thought in front of senior executives or experienced that tell-tale stomach churning before an important meeting, you're not alone.

And more importantly, there's nothing wrong with you or your leadership capabilities.

The Science Behind Your Response

What you're experiencing isn't a reflection of your competence – it's your nervous system doing exactly what it was designed to do: protect you.

Our nervous systems operates like an internal surveillance system, constantly scanning our environment for safety or danger.

Specifically, our autonomic nervous system is the neurobiological mechanism that either facilitates our ability to be fully present and engaged or prevents it. Within the parasympathetic part of this system is our vagus nerve, which originates in the brain stem and branches out in multiple directions to our head, neck and torso.? It’s the body’s bi-directional superhighway carrying information between the brain and the organs.? Polyvagal theory takes it’s name from this vagus nerve.

You will have heard the expression ‘gut instinct’, that probably comes from our ancient ancestors recognising the wisdom of the body.

"While we may think our brains are in charge, the heart of our daily experience and the way we navigate the world begins in our bodies with the autonomic nervous system." Deb Dana

Think of it this way - what is happening in our autonomic nervous system sets the parameters for the stories we tell ourselves.

So when you step up to present to senior leaders, your nervous system might interpret this as a threat, that somehow you are in danger, triggering what we call a sympathetic response (fight-or-flight) or even a dorsal vagal response (freeze). This is why you might experience:

●?????? Racing thoughts or mental blanks

●?????? A shaky or quiet voice

●?????? Sweaty palms

●?????? Churning stomach

●?????? Rapid heartbeat

Here's what's crucial to understand: these responses aren't a sign of weakness or incompetence. They're ancient survival mechanisms that haven't caught up with modern day challenges.

Your nervous system doesn't distinguish between a hostile, life threatening predator (I often describe it to clients as the lion coming to eat them!) and a boardroom of senior executives – it just knows there are powerful figures paying attention to you.

Reclaiming Your Power: Practical Techniques

The good news? You can work with your nervous system to help you manage your physiological state. In my example it means you can appear, and feel, confident and in control in the meeting of senior executives.

I regularly work with my clients to help them understand their physiological responses to situations and ways to manage them.? I help them become aware of their different states and regulate them as necessary.

Here are just a few of the ways we can move ourselves out of that unhelpful state of perceived danger into a more productive state of calm, controlled energy. They are ways that signal to your nervous system that the situation is safe not dangerous – you are not about to be eaten by a lion.

1. Breathing – take a long deep breath in, breathe right into your stomach and then release the breath as slowly as you can.? Counting as your breathe in and out can help, breath in for 4 counts and out for 6 counts. Do this a few times and you will find your body and your mind calm down.
2. Movement – move around to shift the tension out of your body, shake it out, stretch it out. If you are sitting in a meeting, change your posture – sit up straighter, move your shoulders down and back and place both feet on the ground – really connect yourself to your chair and the floor.
3. Reframing Your Narrative - instead of thinking "I'm nervous because I'm not good enough," try:

○?????? "My body is energised and ready to perform"

○?????? "These sensations mean I care about doing well"

○?????? "This response is normal and temporary"

1. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

Before a stressful event identify:

○?????? 5 things you can see

○?????? 4 things you can touch

○?????? 3 things you can hear

○?????? 2 things you can smell

○?????? 1 thing you can taste

This helps anchor your nervous system in the present moment.

I’ve recently been working with Sarah, who experienced severe anxiety before executive presentations. Her hands would shake, her voice would quiver, and she'd often lose her train of thought.

We’ve been working together to understand her nervous system's role, we are all unique so will have different reactions to different situations.? By developing her knowledge of her own responses and implementing a variety of techniques, she now sees these sensations as her body preparing for peak performance. While she still feels the energy, she no longer interprets it as a sign of inadequacy.

Moving Forward

Remember: Your nervous system's response doesn't define your leadership capabilities. By understanding and working with your body's natural responses, you can transform what feels like anxiety into productive energy that fuels your performance.

Ask yourself: What if these physical sensations aren't a bug in my system, but a feature? How might reframing them as energy, rather than anxiety, change my experience?

Want to Learn More?

Get in touch to find out how I can support you with advanced techniques for nervous system regulation and how to build lasting confidence in high-pressure situations.

Book in a call if you’d like to have a no obligation conversation about working together.

https://www.alto.uk.com/contact/

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