Fight, flight or freeze

The changes that happen in our bodies when we’re anxious help us to cope with danger and prepare us for 'fight, flight or freeze' - that is, we become ready to take on the threat, to run away from it or to hide. These changes happen automatically because a hormone called adrenaline is released into our bloodstreams. Adrenaline produces many of the unpleasant sensations associated with anxiety, such as feeling our heart racing, sweating, breathing too fast and tension in our muscles.