"We are living in a moment of extraordinary transition. Political battles, campus instability, social discord, shifting job markets, and the rise of AI have altered the rules of daily life. Many of the predictions our brains relied on-how institutions behave, how careers unfold, how relationships develop-no longer hold true. For many, this mismatch creates a profound sense of unease. What once felt stable now feels unpredictable, and the brain struggles to catch up."
"From a psychological perspective, the gap between expectation and reality creates cognitive dissonance. When our predictions fail, the nervous system doesn't just "adjust" immediately-it often freezes. This freeze response is more than inaction-it's a form of psychological avoidance. Instead of confronting discomfort directly, the mind diverts energy into coping strategies that feel safer in the moment. It shows up in subtle but powerful ways: procrastinating on important tasks, distracting ourselves with endless scrolling or Netflix binges,"
Extraordinary transitions—political battles, campus instability, social discord, shifting job markets, and the rise of AI—have altered daily life and invalidated many predictive models the brain relied on. The gap between expectation and reality creates cognitive dissonance, and the nervous system often responds by freezing rather than immediately adjusting. That freeze functions as psychological avoidance, diverting energy into procrastination, distraction, numbing, or paralysis in decision-making. These behaviors can overlap with anxiety or depression but can be a normal response to transition as the brain pauses to recalibrate. Naming grief, accepting discomfort, and maintaining small daily routines restore control and enable forward movement.
Read at Psychology Today
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