What Freeze Actually Looks Like in Girls and Why We Often Miss It: Understanding Girls' Mental Health

What Freeze Actually Looks Like in Girls and Why We Often Miss It: Understanding Girls' Mental Health

From Teen Whisperer Podcast: Girls Mental Health & Behaviour by Rach Friedli - Girls Mental Health & Behaviour Specialist

February 18, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 71

About this episode

This episode explores the freeze response in girls and its implications for understanding their mental health.

Send us Fan Mail If you believe anxiety in girls only looks like panic and restlessness, think again. In this episode, I explore an often overlooked aspect of girls' mental health: the freeze response. When your daughter can't get out of bed, refuses to eat, or becomes withdrawn and silent, it’s not laziness, it's a biological survival mechanism known as the dorsal vagal shutdown. I'll help you understand adolescent behaviour better by showing why freeze is frequently mistaken for depre...

People in this episode

Host: Rach Friedli

Topics covered

  • girls' mental health
  • freeze response
  • anxiety
  • adolescent behavior
  • dorsal vagal shutdown

Keywords

  • freeze response
  • anxiety in girls
  • mental health
  • adolescent behavior
  • dorsal vagal shutdown

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