Managing The “Fight” Response: Anger, Repression, and Self-Regulation

Dr. Rick and I continue our series on the stress responses with the “fight” response to stress. We explore anger, repression, and the balance of self-expression and self-regulation before talking about how we can claim the adaptive aspects of the fight response without falling prey to its more problematic aspects. A major focus of the episode is resentment and repression, alongside related topics like empowering yourself, managing expectations, and “experiencing out.”

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:15: The useful aspects of anger

5:40: Specific behaviors associated with the fight response

8:35: Giving yourself permission to express anger

13:40: Navigating resentment

21:40: Thwarted expectations as a source of unhealthy anger

32:05: Claiming your anger, and being wary of the seductions of anger

35:45: Developing an authentic sense of empowerment

39:45: Going from complaint to request

43:30: Antidotes to unhealthy anger

52:40: Challenging authority without feeling intimidated or shamed

54:20: Discerning healthy anger we feel with ourselves

59:00: Recap

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Understanding the “Flight” Response: Anxiety, Avoidance, and Feeling Safe

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