Why You Can’t Heal in Fight or Flight

Why You Can’t Heal in Fight or Flight
By Eric Levinson, Holistic Health Coach

We live in a world that rewards hustle, glorifies burnout, and treats stress like a badge of honor. But when your body is stuck in fight-or-flight mode—running on adrenaline, skipping meals, sleeping poorly, and pushing through—it shuts down the very systems that allow for healing, digestion, reproduction, and hormone balance.

Let’s break down exactly why healing can’t happen in fight-or-flight—and what to do instead.

What is Fight or Flight?
Fight-or-flight is your body’s acute stress response, designed to help you escape danger. Your brain perceives a threat and signals your adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol. Heart rate increases. Blood is diverted away from digestion and reproduction and toward your muscles. You become alert, tense, and ready to act.

This response is helpful for short-term danger—but most of us are stuck here long-term due to modern stressors:

• Undereating or skipping meals

• Overtraining and poor sleep

• Emotional stress and trauma

• Financial and environmental strain

Your body can’t tell the difference between a tiger chasing you and a skipped breakfast. The result? Chronic stress hormones.

How Fight-or-Flight Blocks Healing

1. Digestion is suppressed. Cortisol inhibits stomach acid and enzymes. You can’t break down food, leading to bloating, gas, and nutrient malabsorption.

2. Reproductive hormones decline. Progesterone is “sacrificed” to make more cortisol. Ovulation slows. PMS, irregular periods, and infertility become common.

3. Thyroid function slows. Cortisol blunts the conversion of T4 to active T3, lowering metabolism and causing fatigue, hair loss, cold hands and feet.

4. Blood sugar is unstable. Stress raises glucose, then crashes it, leading to anxiety, sugar cravings, and irritability.

5. Detox halts. Your liver and bile pathways require a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state to function properly. Estrogen, toxins, and iron can build up.

Symptoms You Might Be Stuck in Fight or Flight:

• Feeling wired but tired

• Waking up at 3 a.m.

• Can’t fall asleep or wake rested

• Digestive issues like bloating or constipation

• Low libido or irregular periods

• Frequent colds or skin flares

• Anxiety, overwhelm, or emotional numbness

What Healing Feels Like Instead
True healing happens when your body feels safe. That means:

• Warm hands and feet

• Regular bowel movements

• Calm, even energy

• Restful sleep

• Stable mood and hunger cues

• Resilience to stress

The nervous system must shift from “fight or flight” (sympathetic) to “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) to access these healing pathways.

How to Shift into Healing Mode

1. Eat every 2–3 hours. Include protein, fat, and carbs at every meal to tell your body it’s safe.

2. Ditch the extremes. No fasting, excessive cardio, or low-carb dieting during recovery.

3. Breathe and slow down. Practice nasal breathing, gentle walks, and sunlight exposure.

4. Sleep deeply. Create a dark, cool bedroom and log 8–9 hours per night.

5. Support minerals. Magnesium, potassium, and sodium calm the nervous system.

6. Address trauma gently. Your body remembers. Somatic work, nervous system support, and compassionate coaching matter.

The Bottom Line
You’re not broken. You’re not lazy. You’re not overreacting. Your body is doing exactly what it’s been told to do: survive.

But healing doesn’t happen through force. It happens through safety.

My work as a health coach is about helping you create the internal conditions for repair—starting with food, rhythm, and stress reduction. If you’re stuck in survival mode, you don’t need more restriction—you need nourishment, compassion, and a roadmap home.

👉 Learn more about personalized support: https://www.naturallyconnectedlife.com/pages/health-coaching