It is natural to experience stress, anxiety, and tension in the fast-paced and demanding environments of school, college, and work. And the stressful experiences you find yourself in (taking an important test, awaiting college decisions, arguing with a friend or parent, getting a grade you aren’t satisfied with, etc.) often trigger a fight-or-flight response in the body, which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system (you can think of this kind of like the pushing the gas/acceleration while driving a car). To maintain good health, there must be a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

The fight or flight response is a survival mechanism that evolved during the days of hunter-gatherers when threats were literally life-or-death.