5 Signs of Functional Freeze and How to Overcome it

My tango teacher always wants me to play while we’re dancing. In the beginning I would freeze and respond, “I don’t know how.”

While it comes so natural for him, for a long time I was disconnected from my playful and creative side. I realized it felt so foreign because I was stuck in a functional freeze state - operating daily as a mother, business owner, and managing a household on my own, yet completely numb and disconnected from my body (even as a trained yoga therapist!). The very lightness of being I used to feel when I was younger was gone.?

My daughter was only six months old when the pandemic began and I had to furlough my entire staff at my yoga studio and wellness center, including my mother. Classes moved online and I juggled raising a baby alone, managing the tech for those classes, my continued backend marketing and administrative duties for the studio, and worked about 10 hours a week as a virtual assistant, which kept us from losing everything during that time.??

We don’t often consider the unseen strain of the pandemic on our current mental health as we venture back into a so-called normal. A “normal” that’s still so heavily constructed with the masculine energy of doing and striving and driving.?

And if you're a high-functioning woman, make things happen, and get shit done like I do, you could be operating from a functional freeze response rather than completely embodying your whole self, and integrating your feminine energy into your life (i.e., flowing and going, being before doing, creativity and playfulness). You stay stuck in the sympathetic nervous system response and your body and mind never truly get a break to recalibrate.

Here are a five signs of functional freeze:

1. You’re wired and tired at the same time. Yeah, you’re ready to go to sleep but you can’t stop thinking. And if it’s after 10 pm, you’re staring at the ceiling in frustration.
2. You’re operating comfortably numb. So, playing and creating seem like the last thing you have the energy to do. You’re not even sure where to start. And if you have children, you feel a bit guilty that you’re not more fun.

1. Your muscles are tense and your body is rigid, but you may not even realize it until you go to do something like yoga, dancing, etc. or get a massage.

1. You’re running on autopilot - even though you’re getting it all done, even so-called self-care like never missing your gym session or your Pilates class. Yet, you’re still exhausted.

1. You have difficulty taking a deep breath and feel relaxed. Your internal system runs fast.

The way out is through re-establishing a deep connection to your body and regulating your nervous system through daily and weekly forms of movement and meditation that become a ritual for you to care for yourself. Plus, truly stepping back and re-evaluating how you are living on a daily basis and making space to be in nature, for your creative pursuits, and for your heart to feel again.

This is the truest form of self-care.?

Embodying your feminine energy is one way to incorporate all of this so you become balanced deep within your body, mind and soul. It helped me reconnect to that playful energy I once fully embodied when I was younger. I meditate every morning, sometimes do yoga nidra meditation in the evenings, walk every day, and make tango dancing a weekly priority, plus, some belly dancing, yoga or Pilates, too. And my weekly, private tango class continues to be the barometer of my ability to completely surrender and relax.?

If this resonates with you, DM me and let’s continue the conversation. Or join me inside my monthly, FREE Wild Wisdom Hour coming up on Friday, May 31st where we have an open, candid conversation about being a woman, standing in your worth, and embodying your wild, feminine wisdom. Sign up at https://wildwisdomretreats.com/wild-wisdom-hour

When you're ready, there are 3 ways we can work together for your personal and professional transformation:

1) Join WOMAN ELEVATED: Johanna Lynn and I created Woman Elevated , because we know often we get in our own way and what it takes to embody a new paradigm of living and working long-term. It's a powerhouse of high-vibe, high-performing women inviting more joy, abundance and freedom into their lives. Think of it as business therapy.

2) Let's plan your customized, 1:1 Retreat in Mexico integrating business strategy with embodied feminine energy (or sessions on Zoom over the next month). DM me and let's chat about what is the best next step for you to take you to your next level of success.

3) Book Your Room for the Wild Wisdom Retreat in Tulum - October 17-21, 2024 - Join me on a sacred journey for like-minded women ready for your next level of success while nourishing your wellbeing on retreat.