Living in Fight-or-Flight Mode. Access Therapy for Anxiety London now.

Online Therapy for Anxiety London

Many people think of the fight-or-flight response as something that only happens in emergencies. A car is swerving suddenly. A serious threat. A moment of danger. But for many people living with anxiety, this response is activated far more often, e.g., during meetings, social interactions, public transport, emails, phone calls, or even when trying to rest.

If you often feel tense, on edge, or find it hard to relax, it doesn’t mean you’re weak or “too sensitive.” It just means your nervous system has learned to stay on guard.

As an anxiety therapist, I want you to know that understanding your fight-or-flight response is a helpful first step toward easing anxiety and feeling safer in your daily life.

Understanding what the fight-or-flight response really is can help make sense of how anxiety works.

The fight-or-flight response is your body’s natural alarm system. Its job is to keep you safe when it senses danger. When this system turns on, your body releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These changes help you get ready to face a threat or get away from it.

You might notice a racing heart, faster breathing, muscle tension, sweating, or a surge of nervous energy. Your focus narrows, and your body prioritises survival over comfort or logic.

This response isn’t a flaw. In fact, it’s helped people survive for thousands of years. The challenge comes when it gets triggered too often, or in situations that aren’t truly dangerous.

How the Fight-or-Flight Response Shows Up in Daily Life

These days, threats are rarely physical. Instead, your nervous system might react to emotional or social worries, like being judged, making a mistake, facing conflict or rejection, or dealing with uncertainty.

For example, your body might react to giving a work presentation just like it would to a real danger. You could feel shaky, sick to your stomach, or want to run away. Even if you know in your mind that you’re safe, your body reacts before your thoughts can catch up.

This is why anxiety can feel so confusing. You might tell yourself to calm down, but your nervous system is already in high gear. Over time, this cycle can lead to ongoing anxiety, exhaustion, and always feeling on edge.

Key takeaway: Anxiety often persists because your body reacts instinctively, even if your mind knows you're safe.

Why the Nervous System Gets Stuck in Fight-or-Flight

The fight-or-flight response is supposed to switch off once the danger is gone. But for many people, it stays turned on. There are a few reasons why this can happen.

Past experiences, ongoing stress, trauma, or long-term pressure can train the nervous system to expect danger. If your body has learned that the world feels unpredictable or unsafe, it may stay on high alert even when things appear calm.

Avoiding what makes you anxious can keep this response going. While it feels better temporarily, your nervous system doesn’t learn that you can handle it, so your body stays on alert.

Common Anxiety Symptoms Linked to Fight-or-Flight

Many people come to therapy because they have symptoms that don’t seem to have a clear cause.

Some of the most common signs of anxiety include:

• A constant sense of tension or restlessness

• Racing thoughts or difficulty concentrating

• A feeling of being “wired but tired”

• Panic attacks or sudden waves of fear

• Digestive issues, headaches, or muscle pain

• Difficulty relaxing, even when nothing is wrong

  
  

These symptoms show your nervous system is working overtime.

Why Logic Alone Doesn’t Calm Anxiety

A lot of people with anxiety get frustrated because they know something isn’t a big deal, but still feel overwhelmed. This happens because your fight-or-flight response comes from your body, not your thoughts.

You can’t think your way out of this response once it starts. That’s why reassurance, positive thinking, or telling yourself to calm down often doesn’t help and might even make you feel more frustrated or critical of yourself.

What helps most is teaching your nervous system to feel safe again, instead of trying to force it with logic alone. This is a big part of what we work on together in therapy.

Key takeaway: Lasting change comes from calming your body, not just changing your thoughts.

How CBT Helps Regulate the Fight-or-Flight Response.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, is one of the most helpful ways to manage anxiety.

It looks at both the mental and physical sides of your fight-or-flight response.

In CBT, you learn how your thoughts, attention, actions, and body sensations all work together to keep anxiety going. You start to notice patterns like focusing on threats, avoiding situations, or always checking how you feel, which can accidentally tell your nervous system to stay on alert.

CBT helps you gently change these patterns. This might mean learning new ways to handle anxious thoughts, slowly facing things you fear, and cutting back on habits that keep your body on edge. With practice, your nervous system starts to relax.

It’s important to know that CBT isn’t about forcing yourself to be calm or getting rid of anxiety completely. Instead, it’s about helping you feel more confident in handling anxiety, so it doesn’t run your life.

Key takeaway: Focus on building confidence in managing anxiety, not on eliminating it entirely.

Online Therapy for Anxiety in London

For many people, online therapy for anxiety is a flexible and effective way to get help for anxiety. You can work with a therapist from the comfort of your own home; no travel, no tricky schedules.

If you’re ready to take the next step, Contact me here to book your free call

Alexandra Kalogeropoulou (BSc, MSc, PG Cert, PG Dip).

BABCP-Registered Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with over 10 years of experience supporting clients in London and all over the UK. Specialises in treating anxiety and depression using evidence-based approaches. Alexandra is committed to providing compassionate, expert care for her clients across the UK.