WTF is a 'Functional Freeze'?

Have you ever felt like, even though you know you have so much to do, you simply can't get yourself to...do it? Like, you can see the dishes piled up in sink, you can read the to-do list, you can list all of the work obligations you have due in the next few days (or even hours) in your head...yet you simply can't make yourself do any of it? 

If so, you may be someone who experiences "functional freezes", which may leave you questioning whether you're just "lazy" or "unproductive" or if there's something larger at work. 

Okay, but let's back it up a bit: What is a functional freeze? The term is taking off on TikTok, where creators talk about feeling stuck or frozen, often describing it as a stress response.

It makes sense, at least to me: Often when I have too much on my plate, I feel like I don't even know how to begin clearing it, which just leaves me feeling almost paralyzed with overwhelm. But is this a legitimate term?

Not clinically, but experts are validating the idea of the "functional freeze". In a TikTok on the subject, psychologist Sarah Hensley, Ph.D., explains what's going on in this state. Essentially, when your nervous system jumps into fight or flight mode...but when you're able to shut off that mode, it's like a "light switch comes off". 

But what happens from there is a vicious cycle: You feel shame for finding yourself in that freeze mode, which only disregulates your nervous system even more. 

So what's the fix? In another clip, the expert recommends listening to music you haven't heard in a while.

For me, breaking up what I need to do into smaller, digestible pieces helps a lot. For example, instead of going right to "I need to clean the house", I'll start with something like "I need to clean the dishes off the table", then move on to the next micro-task (like: "I need to put all the items on the counter away". But, if your functional freeze seems to be affecting your life in larger ways, a chat with a licensed mental health professional might be in order.