‘Fight, flight, freeze or fawn’ is a physiological response to a threat, where the person will fight, flee from the threat, freeze in some capacity or appease someone to avoid whatever stress has occurred. The ‘fight, flight, freeze or fawn’ mechanism is a way of letting off steam; a pressure valve that gives a break from whatever is causing the stress. They are reacting to the challenge at hand.

Cortisol is a ‘stress hormone’ in the body. Increased cortisol has been linked to depression and mental illness. Cortisol is released in response to fear or stress by the adrenal glands as part of the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mechanism.

It can also interfere with learning & memory, lower immune function and increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, and has been known to increase risk for heart disease, among other things.1

Cortisol is like a pressure cooker. The more the stress, the more the Cortisol levels can increase. Too much stress can cause the cortisol levels to remain unusually high. One small stress point can then cause a person to boil over or erupt. This essentially is what happens when a child is in ‘fight-or-flight’.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the body that has been called the ‘happy chemical’. It is believed to help regulate mood and behavior. An increase in serotonin can produce good feelings of wellbeing and happiness.2 Many of the depression medications have Serotonin as their main ingredient.

Serotonin can naturally be increased through physical activity. It is not unlike a ‘runner’s high’ or what you experience when you are stumped by something and then get up and move around and you are able to solve what you are working on.

Being proactive in observing when a student’s cortisol levels may be increasing and building into the day breaks that build Serotonin is the difference between a student SPINning out of control or in the right direction.