Parenting is often described as one of the most rewarding yet challenging journeys we can take. One of the most common challenges parents face is understanding and managing their child’s extreme behaviours.
For those who’ve adopted the fawn response, it can feel like being “NICE” and making sure people are happy is the only way to stay safe, avoid conflict, and remain connected to others. In this blog post, we’ll explore why the fawn response happens, how it impacts us in daily life, and most importantly what you can do to begin stepping out of people-pleasing patterns.
The freeze response is not something to “fix”; it’s part of our natural human experience, a response that has helped us survive moments of great challenge. Healing simply requires us to find ways to feel safe, supported, and connected enough to re-engage with life.
The flight response doesn’t always mean physically running away; instead, it often shows up in the need to mentally check out, avoid challenging conversations, or keep ourselves “too busy” to pause and reflect and be present with the REALLY uncomfortable stuff.