Welcome dear one.
Today,
We're going to talk about four nervous system responses you may have heard about before.
Fight the flight.
Freeze,
And fawn.
These are protective responses.
Not personality flaws.
Not something that is wrong with you These responses are ways that the nervous system tries to help us survive stress.
Overwhelm.
Fear or disconnection.
Let's begin with the fight response Fight energy often shows up as anger,
Irritability,
Frustration,
Control,
Tension,
Or feeling easily reactive.
The body may feel activated and ready to defend itself Then there's the flight response.
Flight energy often looks like overworking,
Overthinking,
Constant busyness,
Perfectionism,
Restlessness,
Or feeling unable to slow down.
The nervous system is trying to move away from discomfort or danger.
The freeze response is much different.
Freeze can feel like shutting down,
Numbness,
Brain fog,
Disconnection,
Fatigue,
Or feeling stuck.
Sometimes people in freeze say,
I know what I need to do but I can't seem to do it.
Freeze is not laziness.
It's often a nervous system response to overwhelm.
And then there's the fawn response.
Fawn can look like people-pleasing,
Over-accommodating,
Difficult in saying no,
Or constantly focused on other people's needs before your own.
Often the nervous system learns,
Keeping others happy helps me stay safe.
Many people move between these responses throughout the day without realizing it.
It is important to remember that none of these responses make you bad,
Weak,
Dramatic,
Or broken.
Your nervous system learned them for a reason.
And often,
Healing begins not with judging these responses but understanding them with compassion.
When we begin noticing our patterns gently,
We create more opportunity for choice.
Maybe we notice.
Oh,
I'm rushing again.
Where it feels like I'm shutting down right now.
Or I'm noticing I'm trying to take care of everyone else.
Or my body feels braced and tight Awareness helps us pause and that pause can become the beginning of regulation Before we close,
Take a moment to check in with yourself.
Without judgement.
Gently ask.
Which protective response do I notice most often in myself?
No need to fix it.
Just noticing with kindness.
Because your nervous system has been trying to protect you the best way it knows how.
Simply learning about these responses is a gift to yourself and your nervous system Thank you for being here,
Dear one.
You
