The 3 F Words

Hello to all my wonderful, loyal readers!

Also, welcome to any newcomers! I’ve been prepping this post for quite a while now, it’s definitely an important topic so I wanna make sure I get it right for you guys. So, are ya ready for this? 

Great, now think of a time when you were really scared. A time when your heart was racing, you felt like you couldn’t breathe… you know those lovely feelings. What did you do? How did you react? The three most commons responses to scary situations are fight, flight and freeze. 

Me? I definitely freeze. Whenever I’m in an overly stressful situation, I stand there, mouth gaping. Honestly, I used to be pretty embarrassed about this, I thought I needed to be strong, voice my opinion, respond well, etc. Then, I did some research. Turns out, all three of these responses are ways an animal can save themselves from a predator. This goes back a long way, one of our basic instincts. So, bottom line, all three are very smart reactions.

I shall explain why… 

The 3 F’s and Why They’re Okay

Fight

Some people’s gut tells them to stay and ‘fight’ through the situation. Sounds bad, right? I think anytime we hear the word ‘fight’, we worry. But the truth is, when it comes to a dangerous situation, sometimes it’s the gut reaction a person gets. Just like with animals, they would also fight back if they’re being attacked. This would scare they enemy away. Smart? I think so!

Flight

Another thing people sometimes do is run away. This is also a perfectly okay response. The person may not literally run away, but they might start being fidgety or restless, for example. Yes, I know I’m repeating myself when I say this stuff, but animals would definitely run away from their predator. It’s a reaction that could save your life, so it’s good.

Freeze

A little fun fact: freeze was only recently added to this theory. Fight and flight used to be the only two reactions to danger, but professionals eventually realized that freezing is also another common response, so it’s now an official part of the equation! Anyways, freezing in the moment of a really bad situation is super common. I do it all the time! Animals do this too, and they might even play dead or use camouflage to hide themselves. 

I hope this post was helpful for you guys! I know that reading about all of this has made me feel a bit better in the past, so I thought it might do the same for you. We just need to remember that whatever reaction we have, it’s totally okay.

Which reaction do you usually have? Is it always the same, or does it depend on the situation? Would love to hear your stories about this topic! You can share away in the comments below!