Understand anxiety · Psychoeducation
Fight · flight · freeze · fawn
These are automatic nervous-system responses to threat. They're ancient, fast, and built to protect you.
Tap a response to see what's behind it. Recognize yours?
Tension, heat, irritation, an urge to argue or defend.
The body is gearing up to confront the threat.
Anxiety, restlessness, an urge to leave, 'I need to get out'.
The body is getting ready to escape.
Numbness, stillness, a blank mind, hard to speak.
The body stalls when fight and flight feel impossible.
An urge to please everyone, hard to say 'no', forced compliance.
An attempt to stay safe through appeasing and caretaking.
None of these responses is weakness or a choice. It's your body keeping you safe. Once you understand that, the response is easier to work with.
This is explanatory material and does not replace therapy or emergency care.
