Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and while it often carries a negative connotation, it is actually a fundamental survival mechanism. When faced with a perceived threat, whether physical or emotional, the body instinctively reacts to protect itself. This automatic response is commonly known as the "fight, flight, or freeze" response. While it serves an essential function in dangerous situations, chronic activation of this response due to daily stressors can have significant consequences for mental and physical health.

The body’s response to stress is rooted in human evolution. When our ancestors encountered a predator, their nervous systems immediately prepared them to either confront the threat (fight), escape to safety (flight), or become still and unnoticed (freeze). While modern-day stressors may not include wild animals, our nervous system reacts similarly to job pressures, financial worries, or social conflicts.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, stress is the body's response to change, activating a physiological reaction that helps us adapt and protect ourselves. While short-term stress can be beneficial, prolonged exposure can lead to an overactive stress response, negatively impacting overall well-being.

The Three Stress Responses: Fight, Flight, and Freeze

1. Fight

The fight response prepares the body for direct action. When triggered, the nervous system releases adrenaline, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. While this reaction once helped early humans fend off predators, today it manifests as irritability, frustration, or aggression.

For instance, the employee who has experienced too much workload may work extremely long hours just to succeed. In short term, the action may produce good results but mostly ends in burnout, anxiety, and physical illness, for example, tension headache or digestion problems.

2. Fight

The flight response triggers an intense need to remove oneself from a stressful situation. Just as our ancestors would flee from danger, modern individuals may avoid conflict, quit jobs impulsively, or detach from relationships when overwhelmed.

Flight mode is linked with restlessness and anxiety. Individuals may have a sense of needing to get up and go-pacing, changing environments constantly, or avoiding tasks that seem too overwhelming. Someone with a flight response might have the desire to change jobs constantly, relocate constantly, or become reclusive in order to avoid perceived dangers.

3. Freeze

The freeze response occurs when the nervous system perceives a threat as too overwhelming to fight or flee. Rather than taking action, individuals shut down, feeling numb, disconnected, or paralyzed by fear.

Unlike fight or flight, which involve heightened activation, freeze mode slows down physiological functions. A person experiencing freeze mode may feel physically unable to move, struggle to make decisions, or find themselves dissociating from their emotions. This can manifest in situations such as public speaking anxiety, where someone might "blank out" or feel stuck in the moment.

What Happens in the Body During A Stressful Event?

When faced with a stressor, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activates, triggering physiological changes, including:

• Increased heart rate and breathing: The body pumps more oxygen to muscles and the brain in case action is needed.
• Muscle tension: The body prepares for movement, sometimes causing trembling or stiffness.
• Dilated pupils: Vision sharpens to detect potential threats.
• Dry mouth: Saliva production decreases as the body redirects energy to essential functions.
• Changes in skin tone: Blood flow is directed to vital organs, sometimes making the skin appear pale or flushed.

For those experiencing the freeze response, the body undergoes a different reaction, often reducing heart rate and causing physical immobility rather than heightened activation.

Strategies for Coping and Managing the Stress Response

While the stress response is necessary for survival, frequent activation due to daily stressors can take a toll on health. Recognizing your default response—whether fight, flight, or freeze—can help in developing effective coping mechanisms.

1. Moving to a Safe Space

If possible, changing your environment can help signal to your brain that the threat has passed. Stepping outside for fresh air, finding a quiet place, or distancing yourself from overwhelming stimuli can help regulate emotions.

2. Practicing Controlled Breathing

Deep, slow breathing can be used to counteract the stress response by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation. Techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing or the 4-7-8 method (inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight) can be particularly effective in calming the body.

3. Engaging in Physical Activity

This helps release pent-up energy and aids in the endorphin cascade, natural boosters for our mood.

4. Seeking Social Support

Relieving oneself from stress can come in many ways, but sharing it with trusted friends, a family member, or a good therapist will sure give that psychological boost of hope. Social support is an especially effective way of cushioning people against the stressors that they are subjected to in chronic forms.

When to Seek Professional Help

While occasional stress is normal, chronic activation of the fight, flight, or freeze response can indicate underlying mental health concerns, such as anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If stress is affecting daily life—leading to sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, or persistent feelings of fear—it may be time to consult a mental health professional.

Major sporting events such as the IPL, FIFA World Cup, Olympics and Asian Games have become powerful platforms for brands to promote unhealthy products through sponsorships, endorsements and social media.

In an exclusive interview with HealthandMe, Dr. Robin Ireland, public health activist and honorary research fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK, discussed how the commercialization of sport has helped normalize junk food, sugary drinks and alcohol, and its impact on children “who may not always recognize the difference between advertising and fact”.

“It's an awful lot healthier to play sport than to watch it, because sport is now associated with junk food, sugary drinks and alcohol,” he said.

Excerpts from the interview

Q: How does unhealthy-product marketing in sport affect children? And do “zero sugar” or “alcohol-free” labels change that?

Dr. Robin: I think it has a huge impact. Worldwide, we're seeing major problems with overweight and obesity from a very early age, as well as type 2 diabetes. Many causes of cancer and heart disease are preventable through healthier lifestyles, yet we're constantly being promoted things that aren't good for us.

Alcohol companies often promote alcohol-free products. In India, I'm aware of surrogate marketing, where alcohol companies produce packaged drinking water using the same brand, colourway and distribution networks. So it's hardly surprising these brands are normalised to young people. Even where alcohol advertising is banned, alcohol can still be heavily promoted.

A lot of this comes down to what we eat, but very specifically what we drink — alcohol, sugary drinks and now energy drinks. For most of us, we're much better off drinking water.

Q: Does elite sport give sugary drinks, fast food and alcohol a “health halo”?

Dr. Robin: Sport presents glamour and excitement, and children look up to big performers and superstars who often promote products they probably don't consume themselves because they're not good for sporting performance. Yet their names and images are used to create that excitement and, as you described, a health halo.

Brands want to be associated with that healthy image. Athletes think that if they want to perform like a Sachin Tendulkar or another superstar, they need a sports drink or energy drink. And of course, they don't. But that's what the brands are trying to do.

Also read: Exclusive: GLP-1 Drugs Are The ‘New Statins’, Says University Hospital Birmingham Professor

Q: Cristiano Ronaldo famously pushed away a soft drink and asked for water. Where should athletes and sports bodies draw the line on unhealthy-product sponsorships?

Dr. Robin: It was one of those iconic moments, wasn't it, where he pushed the sponsored bottle away and said, “Agua.” The line is difficult for sportspeople. I don't necessarily want to blame them. It's the rules set by the governing bodies. I've just looked up the IPL sponsors, and you immediately find cola brands across the teams and on shirt branding. It's everywhere.

So it's hard to criticise individual athletes. Some earn huge sums of money, so perhaps it would be nice if one or two took the Ronaldo position. There are also athletes who, because of their religion, will not drink alcohol or associate themselves with alcohol products.

But I think it's the governing bodies. How have we allowed this to happen? This deluge of sugary drinks at a time when we have high levels of type 2 diabetes and children living with overweight and obesity. It's really wrong.

Q: What can sport learn from the ban on tobacco advertising when regulating alcohol, sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods?

Dr. Robin: The short answer is I believe yes, but I think we're quite a long way from that. I grew up with tobacco advertising all over the place, particularly in cricket and F1. I remember F1 saying, “We're not going to be able to survive without tobacco advertising.” They were basically mobile tobacco packet ads with Marlboro ads on the cars going past; it was completely absurd. And we've got rid of it.

That was partly through the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. We simply have to take these things much more seriously.

I get very cross with people who say we couldn't survive without this. I love sport, but I think we probably could. Across pretty much all sport, there is a lot of money coming in from other places. We don't have to be dependent on junk food and alcohol. It's completely inappropriate.

Read More: High Sugar, Salt Or Fat? India May Mandate Red Hexagon Labels On Food Packs

Q: Are food labels enough, or should sports advertising also be restricted?

Dr. Robin: Labelling helps, but it's only part of the solution. Not everybody has the time or resources to read labels, and people will still buy what they can afford and what is accessible.

In the UK, we've had some advertising controls, but as we saw with tobacco, sport does its own thing. Sport seems to be allowed a free ride.

In India and the UK, sport is huge, and politicians are in love with it. Advertising, particularly for junk food, is everywhere. Sport will find a way around restrictions unless it's specifically mentioned. In India, you're not allowed to have alcohol advertising, but sport seems to have found a way around it.

We need to take regulation more seriously and recognise that people will find ways around it. It has to be robust to work.

Q: What would effective regulation of unhealthy-product marketing in sport look like?

Dr. Robin: We could be talking about that a long time, so let's come up with one or two manageable measures. I don't think sugary drinks companies or alcohol should be named in event titles. I also don't think brands should appear on the front of shirts or uniforms.

You can also have rules around advertising when events are broadcast. In the UK, we've taken steps around gambling. In the English Premier League, gambling brands have been removed from the front of shirts, and gambling ads can't be shown during the advertising break in the middle of games. It's a limited move, but it's a start.

The IPL has a cola sponsor and a packaged drinking water sponsor that happens to be an alcohol brand. We need to get away from that. It's inappropriate. The Asian Games, interestingly, has 62 sponsors. As far as I can tell, only one is particularly unhealthy, and I'd rather they weren't there either, because it's an official hydration partner that is yet again a sugary drink. But it shows there are people willing to support sport outside these industries, and we perhaps need to look at them more.

For many Indians, especially those with busy work schedules, a morning cup of tea or coffee has become a daily necessity. From a quick cup before heading to work to coffee breaks during long office hours, caffeine is now a regular part of urban routines. But this habit may have implications for digestive health.

For most healthy people, moderate coffee consumption can be part of a normal diet. In some individuals, however, it may lead to symptoms like heartburn, acidity, abdominal discomfort, bloating, or an increased urge to pass stools.

Coffee can affect the digestive system in multiple ways. It is known to stimulate the secretion of gastric acid and increase movement in the colon. This is why some people feel the need to use the toilet shortly after having coffee. The intensity of these effects varies from person to person.

The link between coffee and gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is often discussed. Coffee may worsen reflux symptoms in certain people, although research findings have not been entirely consistent. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis involving over 122,000 people found a small statistical increase in GERD among coffee drinkers, but the clinical significance of this association is still considered uncertain.

This suggests that not everyone with acidity needs to stop drinking coffee altogether. It is more important to observe whether coffee consistently triggers symptoms. Factors such as the quantity consumed, the timing of consumption, individual sensitivity, and what is added to the drink can all play a role.

In India, people often drink coffee with generous amounts of sugar, milk, or cream. For some people, these additions may contribute to digestive discomfort. Drinking several cups a day can also increase overall caffeine intake, which may aggravate symptoms in sensitive individuals.

Rather than blaming coffee entirely for digestive issues, it helps to identify individual triggers. If coffee repeatedly causes heartburn or other discomfort, it may be sensible to reduce intake and consult a gastroenterologist for guidance.

The stimulating effect of coffee on intestinal movement, which leads to a bowel movement soon after the morning cup for some, is not necessarily a sign of an unhealthy gut.

However, persistent symptoms such as frequent heartburn, difficulty in swallowing, repeated vomiting, unexplained weight loss, ongoing abdominal pain, or a significant change in bowel habits should not be attributed to coffee alone and require proper medical evaluation.

Dr. Pradipta Kumar Sethy, Director, Gastroenterology, Manipal Hospitals, EM Bypass and Mukundapur

Awareness about mental health has grown, but access to care remains a challenge. For women, stigma is only one barrier. Social and family responsibilities, financial dependence, caregiving, geographical gaps, and the tendency to dismiss symptoms as “hormonal” can also delay care, said experts on World Suicide Prevention Day 2026.

HealthandMe spoke to mental health experts about why awareness has not translated into equitable access to care.

WHO estimates that 6.9% of adult women globally have depression, compared with 4.6% of adult men — making depression about 1.5 times more common among women.

“Awareness has grown faster than access, but this isn't a gap women are failing to close on their own; it's a reflection of where women are placed in our social and family structures to begin with,” Dr Kavita, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Founding Cohort Member, India Mental Health Alliance and Co-founder, Children First, told HealthandMe.

She said the gaps extend across diagnosis, research, interventions and care pathways. “Currently, care pathways, definitions, interventions and policies do not center women,” she said.

Why Women Delay Mental Healthcare

Dr Mimansa Singh Tanwar, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Head of the Fortis School Mental Health Program, said stigma is compounded by social and cultural barriers.

“Gender roles, unequal distribution of power, financial dependence, even the caregiving responsibilities, safety concerns, all of these are some of the social and cultural factors that affect women's access to mental health care,” she said.

Women may also put family responsibilities ahead of their own health.

“Women still tend to forego care because of the added responsibility that they continue to have when it comes to taking care of family and other responsibilities,” Tanwar told HealthandMe.

Dr Priyanka Mittal, Clinical Psychologist and Lead, IMHA, said financial dependence can limit women's ability to seek care.

“When a woman doesn't control her own finances, seeking help for her mental health isn't a decision she gets to make independently,” she said.

The expert highlighted how women's distress are often minimized.

“She's called ‘sensitive,’ ‘hormonal,’ or ‘going through her problems’ — rather than recognized as someone with a mental health concern worth addressing,” Mittal told HealthandMe.

When Symptoms Are Dismissed As ‘Hormonal’

Pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause and menopause can involve biological changes that affect mood. But experts caution against treating persistent distress as simply hormonal.

WHO estimates that about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have recently given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression.

“While there are biological changes that can affect our mood and can lead to anxiety, depression, irritability, and emotional exhaustion, these biological changes should not be only connoted as being hormonal and phase-like,” Tanwar said.

Dr Jothi Neeraja, Founder, Chairwoman and MD, Maarga MindCare Hospitals, said women's distress is often attributed to life circumstances rather than recognised as a mental health concern.

“During pregnancy, after childbirth and around menopause, symptoms may also be attributed only to hormonal changes,” she said.

Dr Kavita said even well-meaning explanations can delay care.

“A lot of it comes from genuinely well-meaning explanations,” she said. “Mood changes after childbirth are common, so families, and sometimes clinicians, default to ‘it's just hormones’ or ‘every new mother feels this way.’”

“Duration, severity and functional impact matter more than the explanation someone reaches for,” she said.

Rural Women Face Another Care Gap

The experts noted that access to mental health can be even more limited outside urban centers.

“If a woman reaches a medical system at all, it's usually a PHC, and usually for an emergency or childbirth — not for mental health,” Mittal said.

Tele-services such as Tele-MANAS and other free or affordable services have started helping bridge some of the gap, particularly in tier-two and rural areas, she said.

Dr Kavita also pointed to gaps in community-level mental health infrastructure, saying services closer to women may be too limited to provide meaningful care.

Access Is Not Enough

Starting treatment does not guarantee continuity of care. “Even if, let's say, care is started, the continuity with which one is able to maintain that may not be there again because of the multiple responsibilities that they have to bear,” Tanwar said.

Neeraja said mental healthcare must extend beyond helplines. “For women, however, access cannot end with a helpline,” she said.

She called for continuity of care, affordable specialists, screening through reproductive and primary healthcare services, privacy and stronger referral systems.

“Mental healthcare becomes meaningful when seeking help is easy, safe and followed by appropriate care,” she said.

Mittal described treatment as a chain in which every step matters.

“It's a series of events... you need to know it exists, then know where to go, then know the steps that follow. Miss any link, and the cycle of treatment or intervention breaks,” she said.

Building Women-Centered Mental Healthcare

The experts said mental healthcare should be integrated into services women already use.

“It would meet women where they already are, rather than expecting them to seek out psychiatry or therapy separately,” Dr Kavita said.

This could include mental health screening during antenatal and postnatal visits, training obstetricians and gynecologists to identify concerns, and helping primary-care providers recognise warning signs.

Families and partners can also play a role in recognizing changes and encouraging women to seek help.

Awareness, the experts said, must ultimately translate into accessible, affordable and continuous care. “Women-centered care isn't a separate track; it's the standard track for care, done well,” Dr Kavita said.