do you freeze and how to stop it

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Hello,

I am looking for any information on cases similar to this, and how you solve them or deal with them.

When my mind can't make a decision because all things are equal or I don't see a solution, or maybe I am very tired or frightened, I freeze up.

For examples: can't decide whether to read my book or not. Stand with my hand outstretch for hour unable to either pick up the book or turn away from the book.

For example, I am frightened of the strange room am in so I can't look up or move. Or in the strange environment I can't move about and change places and don't like other people and things changing places.

For example, I am anxious to go to bed because of nightmare but I can't go downstairs because parents my will be cross so I stand on the steps for a long time.

I am looking for idea to solve this problem.

Thank you.

Start working on it and earn yourself a nobel prize
I think we all freeze up; at least most of us do.
I think basing myself on your examples I can say your problem is fear of judgement, and shame , you're ashamed of something you have very little control over, like executive dysfunction ( "I neeeed to get started why haven't I started this yet, omg it's getting so late, I still haven't started" etc until exhaustion lol) , anxiety, and probably a difficulty indentifying your own feelings .
It doesn't have to be linked to depression in my opinion, not for autistic people. But anxiety you have for sure, and the freezing up is an inability to identify what you want to do and what the consequences might be, leading you to stay in the middle, doing nothing in appearance but spending a lot of energy trying to weight the pros and cons of things you can't feel.
It could be alexithymia, it does look like it, plus anxiety, and executive dysfunction. All very autistic.
I have no real solution, but analyzing your feelings and what causes your anxiety could help.
ETA: I expressed myself very badly, if you can't feel your feelings you'll have a hard time analyzing them....
I don't even have a solution, sorry if I wasn't helpful, I can't "unfreeze" myself either once frozen..

Ayna, the same thing used to happen to me--at least the part about freezing up. I think a lot of it has to do with insecurity. Aspies tend to have a very definitive comfort zone.

As far as being indecisive, I think the reason for this is we look for perfect solutions to problems--solutions with no downsides. The problem is there is no such thing. All we can do is what the business types call cost-benefit analysis, which means choosing the option with the most to gain and the least to lose. But perfection just ain't happening--at least not in this world.

I'm guessing you're a lot younger than I am, so the following solution would necessarily involve your parents: About the only time I freeze up is in crowds, especially when I'm expected to perform--situations such as meetings. What I do is take one to two Valiums, depending on how anxious I am.

This recommendation comes with a proviso though: If you take Valium or Xanax regularly, it will become counterproductive; it will become something you need and will not do you any good. To avoid dependence and tolerance, my doctor prescribes me twelve pills a month. I only take them when I'm about to melt down or I have to contend with crowds.

Again, the paradox with diazapines is that they only work when you don't use them. Be careful if you do start taking them.

Thanking you for your answers. Could I ask some further questions? I am trying to find a solution.

What does ETA mean?

What doe these mean? All they tell me is 'you're autistic and have lots of anxiety and other stuff and everything difficult is beacuse of it.'


Ok, difficlt sentence. You mean 'I am not sure what is going to happen either way. And, I am not sure what emotion I feel either way.'? Is this why I go freeze?

I work a lot with picto cards still. I am thinking maybe a solotion is picto cards telling me what to do but how do I get the picto card if I can’t move? It s very tricky.

I have medicine. I have oxazepam but it’s only for when I have a really super melddown or very super panik attack and I am not allowed to take it on my own and freeze always nearly happens on my own because no people to help. I can’t be on other medicine because I react extremely sensitive to them and in past got very ill on risperidone.

oh, that means "edited to add"


executive dysfunction is hard to describe, it stops you from getting started on things you actually WANT to do, or can prevent you from stopping doing something, or both. For example you can't stop cleaning your bedroom once you've started, you'll end up cleaning between the floor boards with a knife 3 hours after deciding to just clean up the mess. But knowing that you can't stop, the idea of "cleaning your bedroom" is immediately associated with "omg, exhausting, it takes at least 3 hours"..... but that's because you can't stop. So you don't start, because you're tired just thinking about it and planning how to do it. Sometimes I am too tired to get up from my chair to go to bed, that's how bad it can be: problem changing activity.
Alexithymia is an issue knowing what you feel. For example you're wondering: "should I stay friends with this person or just tell her it's over, since she's not always nice?"
you picture telling them it's over: you feel a bit of adrenalin in your stomach. You picture staying friends, you feel exactly the same. But you can't name those feelings. What was this adrenaline about? am I scared? excited? happy? stressed? No idea.So you can't really "prefer" an option, and you can't choose, so you leave things as they are, just in case.


That's what I meant yes, but only you can tell me if I'm right or wrong I'm not in your head!


I don't think picto cards can really help you in those cases, they're all very different situations....sometimes, "just picking one" is possible. I know it's hard at first, but try training yourself to "just pick one".
Go downstairs, it's what you want to do, tell your parents you needed to get out of the room where you just had a nightmare and get some air. Make a choice at random first and slowly you might start feeling preferences.
There's no "amazing" solution to that, I think age helps a bit. I don't know anything about the medicine you mentionned, but if you're on medication, try mentionning to your doctor those "freezing" moments and ask him if those things he prescribed can have an effect on the mood.

Wait what's wrong with the quotes?? (edit: yay I fixed it)

Ok,

Yes both cases I think is me, but it's always hard to tell because most of the time just not sure.

Now I don't yet know a solution but I do know a bit more and will do some more investigation.

Thank you for your help.