How To Turn Off Your Fight Or Flight Response (Chronic Fatigue Recovery Strategy)

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Overview

Is your nervous system stuck in fight or flight mode, you’re constantly exhausted, and wondering why nothing you try is working?

Then today's newsletter is for you.

In case we haven’t met yet, hey I’m Jeff and I struggled with chronic fatigue for 3 years.

At my worst, I was bedridden, I couldn’t move so I got skinny fat, couldn’t work so I went into debt, couldn’t see friends so I lost most of those relationships, and I didn’t have energy for anything, so I forgot my hobbies, lost my sense of humor and hated life.

But everything changed when I discovered one powerful truth: healing doesn’t happen when you’re in fight-or-flight.”

One I learned that, I focused on calming my nervous system and within months I had my life back.

I was working full-time, seeing friends, going on dates, working out and surfing again and on my way to total wellness. Now I’ve made it my mission to help others do the same.

So in this newsletter, I'll share with you how I learned to turn off the fight or flight response, so you can use it as part of your chronic fatigue recovery strategy to shift out of stress, to finally start healing and be on your way to total wellness as well.

Note: I suggest you watch the video version of this newsletter above, but if you're a reader, then that's what this written section is for :)

Quick disclaimer: No, I’m not a doctor, this is NOT medical advice, just my experience. But I DO know what it’s like to have your life put on hold by chronic fatigue, and more importantly, I know how to beat it, even when some doctors say it’s incurable.

Why managing stress is essential to your recovery...

Stress is a normal part of life, but when it becomes chronic, it keeps your body locked in survival mode. Your unconscious mind can’t distinguish between a real threat, like a shark chasing you, and the fear of worsening symptoms or chronic illness. It triggers the same fight or flight response either way.

For years, I was trapped in this state without realizing that my own mind was reinforcing my symptoms and blocking my recovery. Chronic stress depletes your energy, weakens your immune system, and slows down healing. But here’s the good news: you can reverse this.

The "fight or flight" stress response explained...

The fight or flight response is your body’s natural survival mechanism. When your brain senses a threat, it activates the sympathetic nervous system, preparing you to either fight or flee. Here’s what happens during this response:

• Memory and focus are down-regulated. Your brain deprioritizes anything non-essential, which is why chronic stress can cause brain fog, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating.
• Immune system suppression. At first, acute stress can boost immunity to prepare for injury, but prolonged stress weakens it, leaving you vulnerable to infections. I experienced this firsthand — I was constantly sick and even developed cancer on my face because my immune system was compromised.
• Digestion slows down. Your body puts digestion on hold since it’s not essential when you’re in danger, which can cause gut issues.
• Sleep becomes difficult. Your brain stays hyper-alert, making deep, restorative sleep nearly impossible.
• Adrenal depletion. Long-term stress exhausts your adrenal glands, leaving you feeling drained and preventing healing.

While the stress response can sometimes help you do incredible things in emergencies (like lifting a car off someone), it’s meant to be temporary. When it stays activated too long, it can lead to chronic symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, gut issues, anxiety, and more.

How chronic stress keeps you stuck in fight or flight...

Imagine you’re surfing and suddenly see a shark. Your body instantly goes into fight or flight mode — heart racing, muscles tense, adrenaline surging. Now, imagine that shark is your chronic illness. You can’t run from it or fight it, so you feel trapped and frozen in fear.

The more you focus on your symptoms and fear them, the more your body views them as threats, keeping your stress response activated. This was my reality for years. I unknowingly reinforced my symptoms through fear and uncertainty, prolonging my suffering.

But once I learned how to flip that switch from stress mode to relaxation mode, my body finally began to heal.

The "rest and digest" relaxation response...

The opposite of fight or flight is the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the rest and digest response. When activated, your body shifts from survival mode to healing mode:

• Memory and focus improve. As you exit survival mode, your brain functions better.
• Immune system reactivates. Your body regains its ability to fight infections and heal.
• Digestion works optimally. Food processing returns to normal.
• Sleep deepens and lengthens. Restorative sleep becomes possible again.
• Adrenals recover. You regain natural energy and vitality.

Simply by shifting your body out of the stress response and into relaxation, you set the stage for healing and wellness.

How to turn off the fight or flight response...

Your body is naturally designed to be well. It takes a lot of stress to push you into illness. But sometimes, your nervous system and brain communication get “glitched,” keeping you stuck in fight or flight mode. The key to healing is to flip that switch and stay in the parasympathetic, relaxation state as much as possible.

Think of your body like a plant. If it’s struggling, it’s not broken — it just needs something it’s missing, like sunlight or water. Similarly, if you remove chronic stress, your energy will flow back, and your natural healing abilities will take over.

The foundational step is to maintain a relaxation level of 7 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 throughout your day, where 1 is anxious and hyper-alert, and 10 is nearly asleep. Staying in that relaxed state allows your body to heal.

My favorite ways to calm the nervous system:

Here are the techniques that helped me the most in turning off fight or flight and activating healing:

1. Brain retraining with relaxation rounds. I did 10 rounds per day, each lasting 3–4 minutes, spread throughout the day. These rounds rewire the root cause of chronic fatigue — the nervous system glitch keeping you stressed. Relaxation rounds are more effective than energy rounds for healing because they focus on calming your system. I also included self-belief rounds to rebuild hope and self-compassion rounds to cultivate self-love, which is crucial when dealing with chronic illness.
2. Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) techniques. Also known as Yoga Nidra, CEOs use these to reset and calm their nervous systems during stressful days. NSDR is a powerful tool to shift into relaxation quickly.
3. Limiting screen time. Reducing phone, computer, and TV use helps you avoid overstimulation and maintain relaxation.
4. Spending time in nature, ideally barefoot. Walking barefoot in nature promotes “redox homeostasis,” a process where the earth’s natural energy helps reduce inflammation and support healing.
5. Getting 8 hours of sleep each night. Quality sleep is essential for recovery and maintaining relaxation.
6. Eating a low-inflammation diet. When I was healing, I started with a simple, gentle diet to avoid upsetting my stomach. As my body improved, I gradually expanded my food choices.
7. Love, laughter, and singing. The HeartMath Institute shows that just 3 minutes of love or gratitude can boost your health. Laughter and singing stimulate the vagus nerve, triggering relaxation and calming your system.

The best approach is to create a daily wellness routine that seamlessly integrates these practices, making healing effortless and natural.

Recap and next steps... 

Now you know how to turn off the fight or flight response, in order to heal from chronic fatigue. All you have to do is aim to maintain a 7+/10 relaxation throughout the day and you’ll be on your way to healing and total wellness.

Your action step: maintain a 7+/10 relaxation, using some of the options that I shared with you in this in this newsletter.

The key takeaway I want you to have from this video is this:

if you turn off the fight or flight response by learning to relax, your body will then be able to heal.

Simple as that. Makes sense right?

And keep in mind, I’m not special. If I can heal, so can you.

Just turn off the stress response, and turn up your relaxation so you can heal.

Now imagine if you started maintaining a 7+/1- relaxation starting today…how fast do you think you could heal? More importantly, what will your life gonna look like a few months from now?

It'd probably include having more energy, a clearer mind, better sleep, being able to get back to work full-time again, workout again, see friends and family and enjoy life again... basically, you'd be on your way to total wellness.

This could be the start of YOUR comeback story.

If you want more help on overcoming chronic fatigue naturally, regain your health and achieve total wellness, then I invite you to join my free weekly newsletter or apply to work with me 1-1 and I’ll help you start rewiring your brain & fix the glitch today.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next newsletter!

-Jeff Bangshow
Your CFS To Wellness™ Mentor

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1.Join The Jeff Bangshow Newsletter: Join and get free weekly insights to overcome chronic fatigue naturally, rebuild your health, and achieve total wellness.

2.Work With Me 1-1: Get 1-1 mentorship from me personally to overcome chronic fatigue naturally, regain your health and achieve total wellness.

3.Book Me To Speak: Want me on your podcast or at your next event? I speak about overcoming chronic fatigue naturally and achieving total wellness. Email me the details: [email protected].