A few behaviours that can be connected to fight, flight, fawn, freeze and shutdown states

People often ask me to categorise the autonomic state into behaviours. I’m not a big fan of putting people’s behaviour into boxes. At the same time I appreciate it can be helpful to categorise these, to support the understanding of autonomic states.

With this in mind, please read the below information light heartedly. I hope this is helpful in recognising these states in your own experience.

🔸Fight🔸

Irritability
Anger outbursts
Controlling behaviour
Explosive behaviour

🔸Flight🔸

Overthinking
Anxiety
Panic
Perfectionism
Difficult to sit still
Workaholism

🔸Fawn🔸

People pleasing
Lack of boundaries
Overwhelmed
Co-dependency

🔸Freeze🔸

Feeling stuck
Difficulty making decisions
Feeling of having locked energy inside, wanting to do things, but unable to move forward.

🔸Shutdown🔸

Isolating
Numbing
Dissociation
Low mood
Low energy
Helplessness
Hopelessness

Disclaimer: These are only a few examples. The nervous system is not static and it can fluctuate throughout the day. These behaviours can also overlap in some of the categories.