Why I Freeze Every Time Someone Hurts Me (And How It Destroyed My Life)

I’m gonna tell you something that took me way too long to learn: if you freeze when someone insults you, it doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’ve been hurt before and your body still remembers.

Yeah, that’s the solution: it’s not about “being tougher,” it’s about understanding why you shut down.

I used to think I was just soft. Like, someone would say something messed up to me real cold stuff and I’d just stand there. No words. No reaction. Just frozen. And after, I’d beat myself up for not saying anything. “Why didn’t I speak up? Why did I let them win?”

This happened once in high school. A dude said something about my family, something really personal. In front of a bunch of people. And I remember… my heart dropped. My face got hot. But nothing came out. I just stood there like an idiot. Everyone was watching, and I felt so small.

And the worst part? I pretended it didn’t bother me. I laughed it off, went home, and cried in the shower like some movie cliché. But that wasn’t even the first time.

The thing is, no one teaches you how to respond when someone targets your weak spot. It’s not just about insults, it’s about the stories you’ve lived through. If someone hits a nerve that connects to an old wound, your body…