Told in my car after a rollerblading training session—trying out an audio version of the blog!
Note: Scientists are still not entirely in agreement about the mechanism of functional freeze, but for me it feels like you’re in a car pushing on the brakes and accelerator at the same time. The slowing down and regulating my system to try rollerblading as I mention in the audio is different from the panicked feeling that automatically leads to a freeze response. If going outside and trying a new activity feels like too much and you’re in a freeze state, the best thing to do is to first acknowledge the state, then ask your body what it needs.
Can you start by making baby steps towards the thing you need to do, while letting go of judgement and other feelings that might be tied to the task?
Or can you try something challenging and strenuous enough that you might feel motivated to do something less physically difficult afterwards? For example, you could throw on some music and dance like nobody’s watching, even by just wiggling your toes and moving your head to the beat.
I don’t have clear answers to these questions yet, but by giving myself more patience and compassion, I can start to work with myself and face stressful circumstances with more confidence and inertia, actively choosing new ways to respond.
With resilience,
Michaela
