Functional freeze

Your nervous system can become stuck in a functional freeze state after living with chronic stress or stored trauma for months, years, and even decades. Here are some common signs and symptoms of being stuck in functional freeze.

“Functional freeze” is a defensive survival response often associated with feelings of panic. Symptoms of functional freeze include feeling numb, in a fog, tired, or withdrawn.

Not all stress is bad. Stress can motivate you to meet challenges and grow — but only when your nervous system has time to regulate in between. When stress becomes chronic and your system doesn’t get a chance to recover, it overwhelms your nervous system and pushes you into Functional Freeze. This kind of stress doesn’t always look dramatic. It’s subtle, hidden, and builds up over time, keeping you stuck. It might show up as: ▫️Avoiding decisions because everything feels overwhelming…

Not all stress is bad. Stress can motivate you to meet challenges and grow — but only when your nervous system has time to regulate in between. When stress becomes chronic and your system doesn’t get a chance to recover, it overwhelms your nervous system and pushes you into Functional Freeze. This kind of stress doesn’t always look dramatic. It’s subtle, hidden, and builds up over time, keeping you stuck. It might show up as: ▫️Avoiding decisions because everything feels overwhelming…

Here are three transformative practices to break free from the cycle of negative inertia and reclaim control over your life.

Ever felt frozen over simple tasks, like replying to a text or washing dishes? 😣 You’re not alone—this is called functional freeze, a response to feeling overwhelmed. It’s a survival mechanism our brains use to cope with stress, even in the face of everyday tasks. With small steps, awareness, and self-compassion, you can break free from the cycle. 🌱 Take it one step at a time—you’ve got this! 💪 #FunctionalFreeze #HeadFirstHealth #ChicagoTherapist #ChicagoCounselor

Burnout Recovery Coach | Holistic Dietitian on Instagram: "🩷Try this practice! Functional Freeze is something I used to get stuck in often…. When things become too much or too overwhelming we might move into a collapsed or shut down nervous system state aka Freeze. You might feel a numbness, procrastination, a block or frozen energy take over your body & mind. You know you “should” do be doing something, but you just kind of freeze when the time comes to do it. And you either experience an

Discover the path out of the paralyzing grip of functional freeze, where you might look calm but feel overwhelmed inside. Learn how you can engage fully in life again with somatic exercises, overcome chronic stress, and revitalise your energy.

Discover how to identify, manage, and overcome functional freeze with practical strategies and expert advice in our all-in-one guide.

This is one of the BIGGEST questions I get. How does a person come out of a chronic shutdown and functional freeze stress physiology after they've been shutdown and not able to FEEL or process past emotions, memories and sensations effectively, or for many, not at all. Check out this vlog where I go into more detail around coming out of a freeze response. #freezeresponse #trauma #stress #healing #healingtrauma #selfcare #neuroplasticity #health #mentalhealthawareness #nervoussystem…