Shout out to all my high functioning functional freezers...
Feeling Stuck or "Frozen" In Messy Emotions? You may be in a nervous system response I know all too well known as "functional freeze". This can be associated with chronic stress, unhealed trauma, or ongoing anxiety. Here's how it might manifest on a day-to-day basis: - Working without eating, drinking, or taking any breaks - Feeling numb, zoned out, and disconnected from life - Getting everything done but not remembering doing it - General difficulty remembering anything - Perfectionism (being incredibly hard on yourself) - Difficulty in fully relaxing, as the body and mind remain on edge - Constant need to vigorously shake a leg or tap fingers - Biting fingernails or picking at your skin - Persistent muscle tension and stiffness, especially in the shoulders, neck, and jaw - Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep due to an overactive nervous system My TOP THREE favourite ways to shift out of functional freeze are: - Cold shower or cold plunge (literally THE BEST!!! and instant shift in mood) - Dancing to music my body LOVES (if you feel resistant - dance anyway and see what happens) - Taking a long mindful walk in nature - leaving all devices at home! These are simple, yet powerful tools to that can help you shift, but they will only be temporary shifts if you don't address the root cause of your nervous system dysregulation - trauma held in the body. These practices, when combined with shadow integration work, offer a path out of fight/flight/ freeze and will allow you to find safety in your body once again. Do you experience any of the above? What are the tools you use to help shift stuck, sticky emotions? Let's talk about it in the comments! Also, I offer you this 50 minute ecstatic dance journey I recorded recently which can be used to take yourself on a mini hero's journey and shift that stagnant energy. Get curious and compassionate with your inner landscape and JUST KEEP DANCING. We got this, guys!! With love, Nicole xo