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Subject:
A Personal Lesson on Fight or Flight (And a Little Travel Chaos and Why it's so important to understand Fight or Flight)
Hello, my friends and patients,
I hope your day is going great! I wanted to share a little story with you—one that gave me a firsthand lesson in the Fight or Flight stress response and how it can take over when we least expect it.
As many of you know, I’m finishing up my book, Are You Stuck in Fight or Flight?, and, as often happens when I’m deep into studying a healing technique or nutritional approach, the universe decides to give me a "hands-on learning experience."
I guess you could say it’s my version of on-the-job training—though I probably wouldn’t have made a great surgeon, considering I’d feel the need to try out all the procedures on myself first (not ideal, right? 😂).
The Travel Stress Test
Recently, MyLisa and I took a trip to Puerto Rico. Now, travel is fun, but let’s be real—it’s also a stress gauntlet. Between TSA screenings, crammed airplane seats, climate changes, and trying to figure out where you packed your sanity, it can put your nervous system through the wringer.
After a long day of travel, we landed in San Juan at 2:00 AM and hopped in a taxi to our Airbnb. The neighborhood we arrived in looked, well… let’s just say it wasn’t where I’d want to take an evening stroll.
Wrecked cars on the sidewalks, bars on every window—it had all the charm of an action movie scene before something bad happens. Then, to make things worse, our taxi driver couldn’t find our Airbnb. So what did he do? He dropped us on a street corner at 2:30 AM and wished us luck.
At this point, my heart was pounding as I imagined every worst-case scenario. My fight-or-flight response was officially on high alert.
After what felt like an eternity, we finally found our Airbnb… but we couldn’t get in.
Turns out, I had accidentally booked it for the wrong night. So there we were—exhausted, standing in the middle of San Juan, no place to stay. Brilliant, right?
Luckily, our taxi driver had given me his card, so I called him back (probably the best decision I made all day), and he took us back to the airport where we waited until morning. By 5:00 AM, we picked up our rental car and—after getting completely lost—finally made our way to our next stop: El Yunque Rainforest.
When Fight or Flight Catches Up With You
Now, here’s where things got interesting. After two days of barely any sleep, dehydration, and stress overload, we arrived at our next Airbnb—a beautiful glamping spot in the middle of the rainforest. It should have been paradise, but when I woke up the next morning, I noticed something weird:
I felt like I couldn’t swallow properly. There was a strange tightness in my throat, I was having trouble talking, and—being the health-conscious person I am—my brain immediately went into “this is a medical emergency” mode.
I woke up MyLisa and said, “We need to go to the ER—I have something stuck in my throat!!.”
Without missing a beat (because she’s always calm under pressure), MyLisa got us in the car, and we found a medical clinic about 20 minutes away. The doctors didn’t speak much English, but after a quick check-up, they let me know there was nothing actually blocking my throat.
In fact, they seemed a little suspicious—probably wondering if I was having some sort of hallucinatory episode. 😅
Then it hit me.
What I was feeling in my throat… was my own uvula. That little thing that dangles in the back of your throat? Yep. It was swollen.
The Science Behind My Mini Panic Attack
Here’s what happened:
One of the first places that the vagus nerve (the part of our nervous system that controls relaxation and digestion) innervates is the uvula and throat muscles.
My stress levels had maxed out, pushing my sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) into overdrive. Because of this, my parasympathetic system (the brakes on stress) couldn’t keep up, and I was left with physical symptoms of stress overload.
In other words, my body was screaming, “Enough already!”
After some much-needed rest, hydration, and relaxation, my nervous system calmed down, and within a day or so, everything went back to normal.
But this experience was a powerful reminder of just how incredible (and sensitive) our nervous system really is. Too much stress for too long, and your body WILL find a way to tell you to slow down—whether you like it or not.
Takeaway: Your Body Always Keeps Score
This experience was an unplanned real-world lesson in exactly what I’ve been writing about in my book. If we don’t actively manage stress, our bodies will do it for us—sometimes in the strangest ways.
So if you’re someone who’s been running on empty, constantly stressed, or feeling off without knowing why, your nervous system may be trying to get your attention.
Take care of yourself. Slow down. Your body is always listening—and sometimes, it might just decide to put you in “time out” until you do.
If this story resonated with you, please share it with your friends and family.
Sometimes, just understanding what’s happening inside our bodies can make all the difference in our health and well-being.
Stay balanced, stay well, and don’t book your Airbnb for the wrong night. 😉
Dr. Mike
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