Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn: Understanding Your Stress Responses

Rhucha Kulkarni
Sep 29
3 min read

Have you ever noticed how differently people react when they’re stressed? One friend lashes out, another disappears, someone else just goes blank, while another bends over backward to keep the peace. These aren’t random reactions — they’re wired into us as survival strategies. Psychologists call them the four trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.

Why Do We React This Way?

Our brains are designed to protect us. The amygdala, our brain’s alarm system, signals danger long before our thinking mind can catch up. In an instant, our nervous system picks a strategy it believes will help us survive. The trouble is, what once helped us in life-or-death situations can become our default even in everyday stress — at work, at home, or in relationships.

The Four Survival Responses

1. Fight

This shows up as anger, defensiveness, or needing to prove a point. At its best, it’s about standing your ground. At its worst, it can damage relationships if every disagreement feels like a battle.

2. Flight

This is the urge to escape. Maybe you leave the room during conflict, bury yourself in work, or distract yourself with endless scrolling. Sometimes it’s wise to walk away, but when flight becomes avoidance, it keeps us from facing what matters.

3. Freeze

Freeze feels like being stuck. You can’t decide, can’t move, can’t speak up. Your mind goes blank, your body feels heavy. It can protect you in overwhelming moments, but in daily life it often shows up as procrastination or disconnection.

4. Fawn

This one is less talked about. It’s when you please others to avoid conflict — saying “yes” when you mean “no,” smoothing things over, putting everyone else’s needs before your own. It may keep the peace in the short term but leaves you drained and resentful in the long run.

What This Means for You

Here’s the important part: none of these responses are “wrong.” They’re signs of a nervous system doing its best to keep you safe. The challenge is when these automatic patterns take over situations where they’re no longer helpful.

The first step is simply noticing your pattern. Do you tend to fight, flee, freeze, or fawn? Or maybe you shift between them depending on the situation. Once you notice, you can gently pause, breathe, and ask yourself:

"What do I really need right now?"

Acknowledging how you React is the first step towards moving from Reacting to Responding.

In a Nutshell...

These patterns were born from wisdom — your body’s wisdom to survive. The work of wellbeing is learning how to honor that wisdom, while also teaching your system new ways to feel safe.

✨ Next time you notice yourself snapping, shutting down, running away, or over-pleasing, try not to judge yourself. Instead, see it as your body whispering: I’m trying to protect you.

Remember...

“Your fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response is not Who You Are — it’s just how your body protects you. With awareness, you get to choose your next move.”

And so...with awareness, you can choose how to respond — not just react.

Take a minute, sitting with yourself, and observe - what is your primary #stress response ?

Connect with us @ 9819890485 / mojomantra.coaching@gmail.com - cultivate #happiness, #peace, #purpose, #passion and #fulfilment in everyday life !