Assess Threats: Choose to Fight or Flight

The fight or flight response occurs when the brain quickly evaluates a potential threat, triggering either an instinct to flee or to confront the danger. When assessing a situation as a survival threat, emotions such as worry, anxiety, fear, and terror may surface, leading to an active avoidance response. In contrast, if the threat is deemed manageable, the response may shift towards confrontation. This split-second assessment dictates whether an individual will escape or engage with the threat.