Fight and flight have long been established
Functional freeze, otherwise known as the the third "F" in the fight, flight, freeze and fawn list, is a stress response defined as a feeling of numbness or paralysis when faced with a threat. This may look like an inability to respond in a verbal confrontation, or the body's refusal to take action upon receiving a request or demand.
"Functional freeze is the body's natural reaction to a threat," says Sean Leonard, board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner at Rocky Mountain University. "It's often linked to burnout, depression and trauma. People can feel dissociated, feel like they're out of their body and frozen in time. The body just cannot react."
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The feeling of being frozen can last weeks while sufferers navigate the world with a sense of detachment, as if watching themselves from a distance go through the motions of their day. While to some, this may seem like an extreme response, for those dealing with extreme stress, it may be exhaustingly common, stresses Leonard.
Notably, 86% of workers reported experiencing moderate to extreme levels of stress in 2024, with 83% of those respondents stating that their stress primarily comes from work. Functional freeze, among other stress responses, may be more widespread among workers than employers think.
Navigating functional freeze
The good news is that there are coping skills and grounding techniques to help people work through their freeze. For example, if someone begins to recognize that they're detaching themselves from present action and demands, they can try to find somewhere quiet and take some time to just describe everything they see in detail. Sometimes eating mints or hard candy, touching a comforting object, or taking a walk can also help people ground themselves in their bodies.
"Some people will use a physical trigger, like cold water or grabbing an ice cube, to take themselves out of the [freeze] and refocus their thoughts on what's going on presently," says Leonard. "Some people will do breathing exercises or certain phrases they can say to themselves as well.''
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After a person has successfully grounded themselves, Leonard advises them to break down whatever tasks or responsibilities they need to face into small, manageable pieces. If this means responding to a stress email or preparing for a particularly painful meeting, then they take measured amounts of time throughout the day or week to prepare. If there are projects looming over them, check in with a manager and create a list of to-dos according team priorities.
Leonard encourages workers to tackle their work days with this attitude from the jump.
"Before you start your job, go through what your day is going to look like — kind of like an athlete stretching before they do their sport," says Leonard. "Take 10 to 15-minute breaks throughout the day, but don't just be on your phone. Take the time to reassess what you need to do to relax for the day."
Mental health doesn't improve in a vacuum
As for employers, Leonard asks that they reflect on their employees' current responsibilities and how it compares to their original role's listed duties.
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"Companies are downsizing all the time and handing responsibilities to others," he says. "Make sure job functions match job descriptions. Because if employees are overwhelmed all the time, they may freeze and stop working. That's a loss of production and a loss of income for the company."
He warns employers that a stressful work culture is more likely to breed resentment and attrition rather than high performance. He notes that when patients continue to struggle with work-related anxiety to the point that they're constantly overwhelmed, he typically advises them to begin looking for work elsewhere.
"If you're trying coping skills, trying therapy, trying medications and it's not working, maybe you need to reassess life," says Leonard. "See what other jobs would better benefit you and your family."
