Pause. Breathe. Connect: Meeting Your Wise Owl, Watchdog, and Possum
At Creative Fox Counseling, we believe our clients are the experts in their own experience. One of the most powerful ways we begin is with a compassionate check-in — a moment to pause, notice, and connect with what’s happening inside.
Instead of judging or pushing away our stress responses, we use three simple metaphors to make sense of them:
🦉 Your Wise Owl
The owl represents the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that helps us plan, focus, and respond thoughtfully. When we feel calm and safe, our wise owl is perched right where it belongs, guiding us with clarity and perspective.
But under stress, the owl can fly away. This is what Dan Siegel calls “flipping your lid” — when rational thinking goes offline.
🐕 Your Watchdog (and Attack Dog)
The watchdog represents the amygdala, always on alert for danger. At its best, this watchfulness helps us stay safe.
But as stress builds, the watchdog can turn into an attack dog: barking, growling, and reacting fast. For us, that might look like anger, panic, or defensiveness.
🐾 Your Possum
The possum symbolizes the dorsal vagal complex, the part of the nervous system that helps us freeze, shut down, or fawn in the face of overwhelm. It’s not weakness — it’s survival. Possum mode might show up as numbing out, going quiet, or people-pleasing to stay safe.
Why This Matters
All three responses are normal and protective. None of them are “bad.” The key is noticing: Are we with our owl, our watchdog, or our possum right now?
That’s where the Pause. Breathe. Connect check-in comes in. With just a few breaths and a quick body scan, we can begin to notice which part of our nervous system is in charge. That awareness opens the door to choice — and to bringing the wise owl back online.
✨ Try this practice:
- Pause for one breath.
- Ask: Am I calm, stressed, or shut down?
- Notice: owl, watchdog, or possum.
- That’s it. No fixing, no judgment — just noticing.
