Flight or Fight Response in Young Children

Hi MartyMOMMA,

She needs to learn to manage it. It is after all, stress on the body and she just needs to learn certain techniques to help her relaxation response come into play. Read below. There is no cure for it. You don't want to put her on meds for anxiety. Her entire response was probably brought on by the trauma of the collar bone and has never left her.

The counterpart to the fight-or-flight response, the relaxation response occurs when the body is no longer in perceived danger, and the autonomic nervous system functioning returns to normal. During this response, the body moves from a state of physiological arousal, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, slowed digestive functioning, decreased blood flow to the extremities, increased release of hormones like adrenalin and cortisol, and other responses preparing the body to fight or run, to a state of physiological relaxation, where blood pressure, heart rate, digestive functioning and hormonal levels return to their normal state. During acute stress, this response occurs naturally. However, in times of chronic stress, when the body is in a constant state of physiological arousal over perceived threats that are numerous and not life-threatening, the relaxation response can be induced through techniques such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, deep breathing exercises, self-hypnosis and other tension taming and stress-management techniques.

Yoga works really well for little ones, give that a shot. As she gets older, with the yoga in practice hopefully, meditation will help. Good luck.

This is within the normal range. Both of my grandchildren were prone to run fast not only when frightened but also when excited. We taught them to stop when we yelled stop. I did this by playing a game with them. I told them to stop when I yelled. I let them run ahead of me and then I'd yell stop. When they stopped I praised them. It took just a few times of playing the game that they learned to stop.

At 5 she needs to understand about busy streets and not running into them. Talk with her, when she's not frightened, about the dangers and how she must always stop when she comes to a curb. Make stopping at the curb the habit so that she will automatically do this no matter how she's feeling.

I wonder if you might try some biofeedback at some point and see if it will help. I do think that you should get some professional support for her. The reason is that I could see this as becoming a type of anxiety based problem for her as she gets older.

I do think that she would benefit from some sports groups that include running in a particular way. It's not to burn off energy, but to learn that running is also about discipline.

You might want to nail the window so that it can't open more than a few inches in her bedroom...

Hugs~
Dawn

It's hyper- vigilance and it happens after someone has had a very traumatic sudden event. A lot of people who are innocent victims of things like drive-by shootings are hyper-vigilant - they will run/fight faster and with less provocation because of their past experiences.

I think she should work with a counselor or therapist on this. You are right; it can be very dangerous if left unchecked.