How To Get Out Of Fight Or Flight When You Are Stuck

May 15, 2026 by Brandon Coussens, LMFT

Most days, somewhere in the middle of everything, I hit a moment of panic. Not the debilitating kind. It’s more of a “what am I going to do” panic, and when it shows up, part of me wants to check out and go find something fun instead. There’s a real pull to drive home and get back in bed, or just go for a drive and get away from all of it.

Have you ever felt that? Or maybe it runs the other direction for you. Maybe you feel an intense urge to fix the thing right now, so strong it makes you dive in hard and get aggressive about it.

Your Experiences Shape You, But They Don’t Define You: How the stories we tell ourselves either set us free or hold us back

May 4, 2026 by Brandon Coussens, LMFT

Life has a way of handing us moments we never asked for. Breakups in our teenage years, a loss on the football field we poured everything into, conflicts with people we love, or setbacks in work we’ve built with our own hands. I’ve lived all of those. And if you’re honest with yourself, you probably have too.

We all want to be known as capable, good at what we do, and worthy of respect and love. Sometimes we try to define ourselves by our strengths. Men, in particular, often anchor their identity to their careers. But perhaps even more common, and more damaging, is how many of us define ourselves by our failures and the painful things that have happened to us.