Daring to Look Beyond Functional Freeze
- Brainz Magazine
- 1 minute ago
- 7 min read
Written by Petra Brunnbauer, Mind-Body Coach
Petra Brunnbauer is an award-winning Mind-Body Coach, founder of The Jōrni® well-being platform, and host of the globally ranked Jōrni Podcast. With a Master’s in Psychology and as a doctoral student in Mind-Body Medicine, Petra is committed to advancing holistic approaches to health and healing.
After spending weeks, months, or even years in survival mode, the idea of moving beyond Functional Freeze can feel both exciting and terrifying. There is no finish line waiting, no moment when everything becomes perfect. Instead, we stand at a threshold where small shifts have begun, and very often a question emerges. What becomes possible when we dare to imagine life beyond just getting through the day?
When survival becomes the only story we know
For many of us, Functional Freeze has become the backdrop of daily life. The nervous system adapts to chronic stress, and what once felt unbearable gradually becomes the new normal. We continue meeting obligations, leading teams, managing households, and showing up for others while internally cycling through overwhelm, numbness, and exhaustion. Over time, survival mode stops feeling like a crisis and starts feeling like the only way to function. The idea that life could be different begins to fade because imagining it feels too risky when barely holding on already takes everything we have.
This change happens so gradually that we often do not notice until we have lost touch with what used to matter. We abandon our hobbies because we are too busy. Maybe our relationships become more transactional than meaningful. And we might not even remember the last time we felt true and unbridled joy. The world shrinks down to what must be done, what cannot be avoided, and what keeps everything from falling apart. Even moments that should bring pleasure, like a vacation or celebration, feel like another task to manage rather than something to anticipate. The nervous system, in its effort to protect us, has decided that survival is the priority, and everything else can wait.
Yet even within this narrowed world, small moments of awareness are still there, waiting to be noticed. You might find yourself pausing before responding to an email, catching your breath between meetings, or recognizing the tension in your shoulders that has been there for hours. These moments are invitations to gently expand your awareness beyond the next task. Today, try noticing one moment when you feel your body bracing or your mind racing ahead. Just notice it without trying to change anything. That simple act of recognition begins to create space where survival mode has become the baseline.
The fear hidden in progress
When we first begin to notice small shifts, something unexpected can happen. The nervous system, which has spent so long keeping us safe through survival strategies, may actually resist the very changes we have been working toward. A moment of heartfelt laughter might be followed by anxiety. Or a good night's sleep might leave us feeling disoriented rather than refreshed. Even positive changes can trigger anxiety because the body has learned to associate familiar patterns with safety, even when those patterns are exhausting and painful.
This resistance makes sense when we understand how the nervous system works. For months or years, staying in Functional Freeze has been the way we managed impossible demands. Hypervigilance, emotional numbness, and the constant cycling between overwhelm and shutdown became our normal. Now, as regulation begins and we start feeling more present and connected, the nervous system may interpret these new sensations as unfamiliar and therefore potentially unsafe. Regulating can feel destabilizing because it requires letting go of the very strategies that helped us survive.
Recognition changes everything. When you notice resistance showing up as you start to regulate, meet it with curiosity rather than judgment. The next time you experience anxiety after a good day, or find yourself pulling back when connection feels possible, pause and acknowledge what your nervous system is doing. You might even place a hand on your chest and take a few slow breaths, letting your body know that these new sensations are safe. This gentle acknowledgment helps your nervous system begin to trust that progress does not equal danger.
What is beyond actually looks like
Moving beyond Functional Freeze does not mean life becomes stress-free or that challenges disappear. Stress remains part of being human, part of navigating work, relationships, and the demands of daily life. What changes is your relationship with stress and your capacity to manage it. Instead of getting trapped in the same patterns over and over, you begin to respond with more flexibility. The nervous system learns it can shift and regulate rather than remain locked in survival mode. This is what beyond looks like, the ability to respond rather than to react, to feel rather than to stay numb, to recover rather than to remain overwhelmed.
As regulation increases, something else begins to shift as well. The ability to feel returns, and with it comes access to the full range of human experience. Joy becomes possible again as something you can actually sense in your body. Curiosity resurfaces, along with spontaneity and the capacity for authentic connection. These transformations happen gradually. They show up in small moments, like a laugh during conversation, noticing beauty in something ordinary, or feeling engaged in an activity rather than just going through the motions. The emotional numbness that Functional Freeze creates begins to change, and life starts to feel less like survival and more like living.
Take a moment to reflect on your own experience right now. What has shifted, even slightly, in recent weeks or months? Maybe you notice decisions feel less overwhelming than they used to, or perhaps you have caught yourself feeling present during a conversation instead of planning what comes next. These small changes matter because they show your nervous system is learning to regulate again. Write down one shift you have noticed, no matter how small it seems. Recognizing what has already changed helps your nervous system understand that regulation is possible and that looking beyond Functional Freeze is already beginning to unfold.
Maintaining balance as life continues
The transition out of Functional Freeze often brings a shift in how we approach our daily routines and self-care. What once felt like crisis management can transform into something more sustainable when we understand that maintaining balance requires ongoing attention. The nervous system benefits from consistent, small acts of support rather than waiting for moments of dire need. Think of it like tending a garden rather than putting out fires. Regular care prevents the deeper struggles that come when stress accumulates unnoticed over weeks or months. This shift from reactive to responsive creates a foundation for weathering the inevitable challenges life brings.
Learning to recognize the early signs that stress is building becomes essential. You might notice your sleep becoming interrupted, your patience wearing thin, or small tasks starting to feel overwhelming again. Perhaps you catch yourself snapping at loved ones or feeling that familiar brain fog creeping back into your thoughts. These signals are invitations to pause and offer yourself support before the patterns deepen. The more familiar you become with your own nervous system, the easier it becomes to notice these shifts and respond with care. This awareness is what allows you to stay more balanced over time rather than cycling between crisis and temporary relief.
The practices that helped you begin to regulate in the first place remain valuable even on days when you feel good. In fact, those are often the most important times to maintain your support systems. Today, choose one small practice you can commit to even when life feels manageable. It might be a few minutes of intentional breathing each morning, a gentle body scan before bed, or simply checking in with yourself during transitions throughout the day. This consistent support teaches your nervous system that regulation is sustainable and that maintaining balance is possible, even as life continues to unfold with all its complexity.
Creating space for what matters
As the nervous system begins to regulate and energy is no longer consumed entirely by survival, something remarkable becomes possible. Space opens up for the things we set aside when we were just trying to get through each day. Hobbies we abandoned, creative pursuits we stopped thinking about, and relationships we let fade into the background can all begin to surface again. What emerges is the rediscovery of what brings meaning and joy when we are no longer operating from depletion. The return of interest in what once mattered signals that the nervous system has more capacity available, and that capacity can now extend beyond managing obligations into actually living.
Reconnection with what matters often starts small and unexpectedly. You might find yourself lingering over morning coffee instead of rushing through it, or pausing to listen to music you have not thought about in years. Perhaps you reach out to a friend you have been meaning to call, or you pick up a book that has been sitting untouched on your nightstand. These moments are essential as they remind your nervous system that life includes more than stress management and that pleasure, connection, and creativity are worthy of your time and attention. Each small act of engagement with what lights you up affirms that you are moving beyond survival.
Take a moment to identify one thing you have set aside that you are curious about exploring again. It does not need to be grand or life-changing. Maybe it is playing an instrument you used to love, spending time in nature, cooking a meal without multitasking, or simply sitting in stillness without guilt. Write it down and commit to one small step toward reconnecting with it this week. Honoring what matters to you means trusting that as you continue to regulate, there will be more space for the things that make life feel worth living.
Daring to look beyond Functional Freeze is how we learn that the nervous system can hold both the memory of survival and the possibility of thriving. What begins with small moments of reconnection gradually becomes a life where presence, joy, and meaning return to the center of our days.
When looking beyond Functional Freeze feels both thrilling and uncertain, having a clear path forward can make all the difference. Explore The Functional Freeze Formula for tools, practices, and support designed to help you move beyond Functional Freeze and live with more energy, connection, and joy.
Petra Brunnbauer, Mind-Body Coach
Petra Brunnbauer is an award-winning Mind-Body Coach, founder of The Jōrni® well-being platform, and host of the globally ranked Jōrni Podcast. With a Master’s in Psychology and as a doctoral student in Mind-Body Medicine, Petra is committed to advancing holistic approaches to health and healing.
