Breaking Up the Functional Freeze
What to Do When Nothing Feels Better Than Something
Did you know that humans can smell rain 200,000 times better than a shark can smell blood? It’s true - our brains are wired to detect the earthy scent of a chemical called geosmin in the air long before a storm rolls in. But when it comes to recognizing the storms of overwhelm brewing, we’re much less adept - we hit the wall at full speed like we never saw it coming and freeze, stunned and unsure of where or how to begin to move forward, leading to doing nothing.
It’s a survival response to too many demands or tasks, resulting in paralysis instead of productivity. Functional freeze states have nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with collapsing under the weight of too much to do.
This can happen at work, at home, in your relationships with others, or in your relationship with yourself. My personal frozen tundra is cleaning the house - cleaning a little every day frustrates me because it’s not as thorough as I’d like it to be, but as thorough as I’d like it to be is way too time-consuming, so I end up doing neither. Sound familiar?
Image: Johanna Goodman, Giclee Print
Brr, It’s Cold in Here, There Must Be a Functional Freeze in the Atmosphere
The four biggest triggers I see in my coaching practice that cause these freezes are:
too many tasks or responsibilities
a lack of clarity or direction on where to start
unrealistic expectations and perfectionism
fear of failure or making the wrong choice
The perfect recipe for increased anxiety, lower motivation, clouded decision-making, physical and mental fatigue, stress, and burnout.
In this state, overwhelm leads to inaction. And with it follows a cycle of judgment, digging an even deeper hole. Most people who get stuck here HATE IT - they don’t want to not be productive! And unfortunately, instead of helping each other find the way out, we tend to make things worse by judging each other for what “too much” or “too many” looks like.
“Is that all you have on your plate, and you’re this stressed out? Listen to what I have to do!” The only thing worse than feeling like shit about not making progress is having someone tell you you’re not good enough to feel that way. It doesn’t matter if your “too much” or “too many” is what would be “too much” or “too many” for anyone else. What matters is that you need to break out.
Judgment and self-judgment only add to the weight and immobility. Instead, let’s explore why we do it, ways to prevent it, and how to break free from it to regain momentum if it does happen.
Why We Keep Getting Back in the Freezer
Three reasons why we keep freezing even though we know we shouldn’t:
Psychological Safety: It can feel like the safer option when there are too many things in front of us. Avoidance is so addictive because it reduces immediate discomfort and provides short-term relief, not so different than food, alcohol, or drugs.
Fear of Failure or Uncertainty: Avoiding action out of fear of making the wrong choice or failing gives a false sense of protection against negative outcomes, even though it has its own negative consequences.
Cognitive Overload: When overloaded, your brain shuts down to conserve energy, disengaging and disassociating in a way that makes inaction feel like the easiest route.
Freeze-Proofing Your Mind
Four preventative strategies for avoiding a freeze:
Time Blocking: Break your day into blocks. Use time blocking to structure your day in a way that focuses on one main objective at a time (ex., answering emails, being off your phone).
Limit Decision Fatigue: Simplify your choices! Routines are a beautiful way to minimize decision-making on stuff that doesn’t need to change on a regular basis - make them consistent (ex., meal prep, specific times you work, when you wake up).
Schedule Rest: Yes, you are in the era of scheduling leisure activities! Work in intervals and ensure that your time blocks allow for space to go outside (if you work in an office, walk around the building) and be off all your devices.
Delegate or Eliminate Tasks: Your value doesn’t equal being needed by other people! Recognize when something can be done by someone else. Reducing your burden makes space for someone else to be empowered.
Thawing the Ice
Four steps to break free from a freeze:
Step 1 - Acknowledge and Accept the Overwhelm: Recognize the signs if you’re entering a freeze (ex., procrastination, avoidance, shutting down) and give yourself permission to pause. Pausing creates a space where you can acknowledge how you feel without rushing past it or judging it.
Step 2 - Reframe the Problem: Break down the mountain - take the overwhelming situation and break it into smaller, more manageable tasks. What’s the smallest step you can take right now?
TIP: Use the 80/20 rule. Not everything has to be done at once - focus on the 20% of tasks that will produce the highest return on your time.
Step 3 - Take Small, Consistent Action: Choose one simple, manageable task. Start small and let it build momentum.
TIP: Use the “two-minute rule”, if it will take you less than two minutes, do it right now to get you moving. Another spin on this technique is setting a timer and committing to working on a task JUST for that timed period (ex., 10 minutes). When the timer goes off, if you want to keep going, great - if not, you met the goal. This is much less overwhelming knowing you have an “out”.
Step 4 - Set Clear, Achievable Goals: Set micro-goals instead of overwhelming long-term goals. These are goals that you can achieve within an hour or in a single day. Focus on habits that support your larger goals but don’t cause you to burn out in order to achieve them (ex., a micro-goal of meditating 5 minutes a day instead of 30 minutes).
TIP: Celebrate consistency and small wins to keep building momentum! The steps along the way are what get you there, and they are worth celebrating!
Breaking free from the cycle of overwhelm and functional freeze isn’t easy, but it’s possible. By recognizing the signs, breaking tasks into manageable steps, and taking consistent small actions, you can regain control and build momentum. Remember, progress is progress - no matter how small. The key to progress is persistence, not perfection.
Want to go deeper? Learn about ways to work with me.
Takeaways + Tools + Prompts
Remember, you don’t have to tackle everything at once! Consistent, small actions are what add up to lasting, transformative progress.
Leverage time blocking to focus your time and reduce distractions - this is a perfect balance between having too open a schedule and too prescriptive or limiting a schedule.
When you feel stuck, break down the big tasks into smaller, achievable goals or even into micro-habits. Because they are so much more manageable, you are more likely to do them consistently. This will help you regain a legitimate sense of control (instead of the false one avoidance creates).
Creating routines actually helps you to be more creative. By reducing energy burned on activities that don’t dramatically impact your life, you free that energy to flow into what you’re truly passionate about. Your mind has more capacity to focus on what matters most.
No matter how small, build momentum and maintain motivation by celebrating your wins! Positive reinforcement is both incredibly powerful and effective.
Meditative Prompt
Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Visualize the overwhelming tasks that have been weighing on you as individual stepping stones, not mountains. Focus on just one stone - what small action can you take to move forward? Breathe in clarity and exhale the weight.
Creative Project Prompt
Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a mountain. Now break that mountain into smaller hills, each representing a task or goal that overwhelms you. Next to each hill, write one small action that could help you climb it. Let your creativity flow as you visualize overcoming each step.
Gratitude Prompt
Consider writing these out by hand in your own words and saying them out loud:
I’m grateful for the clarity to take small steps forward, even when I feel overwhelmed.
I’m grateful for my ability to pause, reflect, and approach each challenge with calm and intention.
I’m grateful for the progress I make, no matter how small, and for the lessons learned along the way.
Thank you for that 80/20 tip. And the starting the timer to do a task is genius…Really good read tonight🤍