100 BREAKING FREE FROM COSTLY ENERGY SOURCES We seek out different sources of energy when it does not naturally emanate from our vitality, most often with costly energy sources. They are quick and easy to access but often wear us down because there is a physical fallout from using them. When we are tired and worn out we must get creative about where we get the energy to do what we do day in and day out. We often windup adopting energy sources that have a cost associated with them. They have costs associated because the energy source comes from adrenaline. In order to get our adrenaline going we have to somehow call up our internal fight-or-flight response. This incredible physical mechanism comes standard in all human beings. The fight-or-flight response, also called the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1927. His theory states that animals (including humans) react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. In prehistoric times when the fight-or-flight response evolved in humans, fight was manifested in aggressive, combative behavior and flight was manifested by fleeing potentially threatening situations, such as being confronted by a predator. In current times, these responses persist, but fight and flight responses have assumed a wider range of behaviors. For example, the fight response may be manifested in angry, argumentative behavior, and the flight response may be manifested through social withdrawal, substance abuse, and soft addictions like excessive television viewing or computer obsession. Although the emergency measure of the stress response is undoubtedly both vital and valuable, it can also be disruptive and damaging. In most modern situations, humans rarely encounter emergencies that require physical effort, yet our biology still provides for us. We may even find our stress response activated in situations where physical action is inappropriate. This activation takes a toll on both our bodies and our minds.
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