Which responses do I recognise in myself?

• Card 1

  This is a reflection exercise, not a test. There's no 'correct' number of responses to recognise, and it's completely normal to see yourself in more than one — sometimes in all four, depending on the situation. You can stop at any point, and come back to this whenever it feels useful.

• Card 2

  Start broad

  • When I think about the last time I felt threatened, criticised or overwhelmed, what did my body do first?
  • Which of the four responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) feels most familiar overall?
  • Is there a second response that shows up when the first one doesn't work?

• Card 3

  Get specific

  • How does this pattern show up with people I love versus people I don't know well?
  • How does it show up at work compared to at home?
  • Has this pattern changed over time, or does it feel the same as it always has?
  • What is the earliest memory I have of responding this way?
  • What might this response have been protecting me from, back then?

• Card 4

  Look forward gently

  • What is one small situation this week where I might notice this pattern in real time?
  • What would it feel like to simply notice the response, without needing to change it yet?

  If this exercise brings up strong feelings, it's okay to pause and use a grounding technique, or come back to it another day.

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