Freeze is the first reaction that humans learn, even before fight and flight.

And we all freeze. We procrastinate. We don't act because we are anxious or afraid. We tell ourselves we need more information or better information before we act.

In our MindShifting: Mastering Your Resourceful Brain, we talked about different ways we can get moving when our reaction is freeze. Here are some of the statements we can tell ourselves:

• Grounding statements:
  • "I am safe right now."
  • "This will pass."
  • "I can handle this."
• Action-oriented phrases:
  • "Take one small step."
  • "Focus on what I can control."
  • "What's the next right thing to do?"
• Self-compassion:
  • "It's okay to feel this way."
  • "I'm doing the best I can."
  • "Be kind to yourself."
• Perspective-shifting:
  • "How important will this be in a year?"
  • "What would I tell a friend in this situation?"
  • "This is temporary, not permanent."
• Empowering questions:
  • "What can I learn from this?"
  • "How can I grow through this?"
  • "What resources do I have available?"

Not a bad list, is it? Let's get moving.