Guidance for: I'm frozen — I can see it and can't move

Move your body before your task

Freeze happens somewhere below the level of decisions. You aren't going to reason your way out of it, which is why the lecture you're giving yourself isn't working. Change the physical state first.

Then, if you have room for it

• Change position. Standing beats sitting; walking beats standing.
• Ten slow breaths where the out-breath is twice as long as the in-breath.
• Do one thing with an obvious ending — fill a glass, put on shoes, wash one dish. It proves motion is available.
• Only then look at the task, and only at its first step.

Watch

• How to turn off the fight, flight or freeze responseTherapy in a Nutshell (Emma McAdam, LMFT) · 7 minThe physiology of being stuck, and what actually switches it off.(opens in a new tab)
• Are you stuck in freeze mode?Therapy in a Nutshell (Emma McAdam, LMFT) · 14 minLonger and more thorough. Worth it if freezing happens to you often.(opens in a new tab)

Read

• How to get started: 5 solutions for chronic procrastinationADDitudeThe BEGIN method — bait yourself, grab the easy parts, intend for ten minutes.(opens in a new tab)
• ADHD and overstimulation meltdownsADDitudeFirst-person account of sensory overload and why deep breathing alone doesn't fix it.(opens in a new tab)