- Niro Feliciano is a mental health expert who regularly shares her advice
- She recently detailed everything there is to know about a ‘functional freeze’
- The Brooklyn cognitive therapist also described how to combat this
A therapist has identified four signs that you may be suffering from a ‘functional freeze’ and explained how you can get back to being productive.
Niro Felicianooriginally from Brooklyn, is a mental health expert who regularly gives advice on how to improve yourself through small-scale practices.
The psychotherapist often discusses the effects that a busy schedule can have on your brain and body.
She recently educated people looking to improve their mental health about a new term circulating on social media: “functional freeze.”
According to the doctor, the term is “a physical, emotional, and mental condition in which you lack the motivation to perform tasks.”
A therapist has revealed the four signs you’re suffering from a ‘functional freeze’ – and explained how to get productive again (stock image)
The therapist, who is also a mother, said that mothers suffer from this more often than others and shared her best tips to combat this problem.
While I was talking to TodayShe described the four indicators that may indicate that you are experiencing functional freezing.
She described the phenomenon as follows: ‘You can also feel disconnected from your life, despite being successful at work or having many close relationships.’
The first sign that you may be experiencing functional freeze is that you feel like you have an awful lot of work to do, but you can’t get it done.
She added: ‘Outwardly you may be functioning, but you feel frozen and lack the motivation to do simple tasks, especially in your personal life.’
If you no longer see your purpose in things at home or at work, you may experience mental freeze.
The therapist also said that you may be experiencing extreme feelings of exhaustion.
She described her second tip as follows: “You feel ‘tired and tense’ — a pervasive, low-level anxiety mixed with exhaustion.”
Niro Feliciano is a mental health expert who regularly gives advice on how to improve yourself with small practices
The therapist noted that during a functional freeze, you cannot complete the tasks you have started.
Finally, she said, “In more extreme cases of functional freezing, you feel disconnected from family and friends and want to avoid social interactions.”
While functional freezing has a huge impact on the brain, Niro revealed that there are ways to combat it.
The first thing she recommended if you are experiencing functional freeze is to spend some time outside.
She noticed that the sun and nature make you feel grounded again and that your thoughts become clear again.
She also said that exercise can help increase your endorphin production, which makes you happier and gets your brain moving again.
Niro says laughing and taking deep breaths will help get your body back into work mode.
Finally, she noted that a certain work technique can help you improve your mental health.
‘The Pomodoro Technique is useful for making overwhelming tasks more manageable by using 25-minute cycles. Set a timer for 20 minutes and take a five-minute break.
“Repeat three more times, then take a longer, more restorative break. This method focuses on one task per 20-minute session and can help train the brain to refocus when concentration wanders,” she explained.