The Four Fs
What's your response to anxiety? Do you freeze, fawn, fight, or flight?
I know what mine is AND I know I can't be creative, strategic, or problem-solving when my body and mind are telling me to run far away from whatever represents the bear at any given moment. And, neither can you.
But we all encounter plenty of scary situations as leaders, whether it's our biggest client walking away, a downturn in the market, or meeting with a dream prospect. So, what do we do as leaders?
As our world has evolved, our brains and nervous systems have not, so we still respond to the "bear" in ways that don't benefit us. We shut down (flight), we become aggressive (fight), we get stuck (freeze), or we appease others in harmful and damaging ways (fawn).
None of those behaviors lend themselves to effective leadership. Fight, flight, fawn, or freeze is not a choice - it is a physiological reaction controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, and we must know what coping mechanisms work for us to move our bodies out of that response.
Some options are
Physical exertion, movement, and exercise
Deep, measured breathing or box breathing
Gratitude exercises, such as reading a reassuring author or text and/or journaling.
What works for you, and how are you making time for it in your day or week?