Pain, whether physical or emotional, can trigger the fight-or-flight response – our brain’s ancient survival mechanism. When the brain detects pain, it doesn’t analyze – it reacts.

Instead of recognizing pain as the source of distress, the brain misreads the situation and activates fight mode. The body tenses, the heart rate rises, and anger fires like a reflex.

If someone we love is nearby, they might become the target—not because they did anything wrong, but because our brain is looking for an enemy to fight the pain.

It’s not a conscious choice. It’s an automatic survival reaction. But once we see it for what it is, we can learn to pause, breathe, and break the cycle.