What is 'functional freeze'?

The term has been popularised on social media to describe numbness and low motivation. Experts offer ways to break out of these feelings.

- Christina Caron

Let's face it: The holidays aren't always the happiest time of the year.

We're busier than usual, scurrying around buying presents, mailing cards and attending events. We're battling the nasty winter illnesses that pop up in December. And we're often navigating complicated family dynamics while feeling pressured to create perfect memories.

The result: Overwhelming stress that can sap our energy or focus. On social media, that feeling is sometimes referred to as "functional freeze."

Though it is not a formal psychological term or diagnosis, the topic has taken off in numerous videos and posts online. In one TikTok that has been viewed more than four million times, a therapist explains functional freeze as a state of mind driven by chronic stress. You're still capable of getting things done, but you feel as if you're "just existing" and mainly going through the motions.

The video drew more than 1,700 comments. "Finally I feel seen," one user wrote.

We asked psychologists to weigh in on the term and offer solutions for feeling better.

What exactly is functional freeze?

The meaning of "functional freeze" can vary depending on who is describing it.

The phrase was popularised on social media, peaking in internet searches in 2024 and garnering media attention from outlets like Today.com, CNBC and Forbes.

Dave Boyd, a marriage and family therapist in Olympia, Wash., had never heard of it until about two years ago when a patient, a young mother, showed him a video that she had watched on TikTok.

His first reaction was: That's "not a thing," he recalled. But he was curious.