The Psychology Behind Hype: Why We Freeze, Why We Fizzle, Why We Shine

There are weeks where I feel unstoppable — dialed in, routined, consistent, doing all the things I say I’m going to do. And then there are the other weeks. The blah weeks. The ones where the smallest task feels like a boss-level challenge and it takes a ridiculous amount of hype just to get myself to move.

And honestly? The most annoying part is knowing — deep down — that I’m spending more time thinking about doing the thing than I’d spend actually doing it. I could’ve finished the task already in the time it took me to dread it.

But hype isn’t about motivation.
It’s about psychology.
It’s about energy.
It’s about what our mind is doing in the moments before we take action.

And yesterday, while I was speaking in a room full of women and girls about keeping them in the game — my passion, my heartbeat, my reason for doing all of this — I felt it.

The adrenaline.
The electricity.
The surge that starts in your chest and shoots down your leg.
(Yes, the mic-in-hand shake. I had to set it back on the stand because the hype was physically pouring out of me.)

That moment?
That was hype at its purest.
That was energy on fire, rising because the message mattered.

Let’s talk about why we freeze, why we fizzle, and how we can shine — on purpose.

🔥 Why We Freeze: The Psychology of “Blah Mode”

There’s nothing wrong with you.
Let’s say that again: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.

The “blah week” is often your brain’s natural response to:

• mental load

• hormonal cycles

• emotional saturation

• overstimulation

• lack of novelty

• or simply not enough recovery

We freeze because the brain wants to conserve energy. It mislabels routine tasks as “threats” even when they’re harmless. It whispers: hold up — that looks hard, when really it’s not.

This is why thinking about a task feels harder than doing it.
Your brain is literally throwing up “wait” signals before you even begin.

🔥 Why We Fizzle: The Psychology of Overthinking

You know what kills hype faster than anything?

Imaginary people.
Imaginary judgments.
Imaginary criticism.

Thinking about what other people might think, say, or judge is the quickest way to drain the spark from anything you’re about to do.

Our brains are wired for belonging — so the fear of embarrassment or judgment hits like a survival threat. Even though it’s not. But your body doesn’t know that.

So the hype fizzles, the confidence leaks, and suddenly you’re:

• rewriting the email

• hesitating before posting

• questioning if you belong

• stepping back from the thing you were excited for

You're not broken. This is literally how human brains work.

🔥 Why We Shine: The Psychology of “I’m On”

And then there’s the moment you’re in the room — the right room — talking about the thing that lights you up.

Your adrenaline spikes.
Your leg shakes.
Your voice fills the space.
Your whole body says, “This is it.”

That’s the moment the hype becomes embodied energy.

This is your brain aligning:

• purpose

• passion

• presence

• and physiology

That shake you felt?
That wasn’t fear.
That was capacity.
That was your body opening the floodgates and saying, “Stand back, we’re doing this.”

🎧 The Hype Tools That Actually Work

And here’s the thing — hype doesn’t require a whole production. The best hype tools are micro shifts.

✔ Put in your headphones.

Especially your GRL Initiative Playlist. Mood-altering, body-activating, instant-shift energy.

✔ Give your brain a tiny win.

One small action breaks the freeze. Stand, move, get dress, get water… small.

✔ Speak to yourself out loud.

(Yes. Out loud.)
The brain listens differently to your voice than it does to your thoughts.

✔ Remove the imaginary people.

Don’t hype for the judgment.
Hype for the action.
Hype for the message.

❤️ What I Need You to Hear

It’s totally normal.
It’s not just you.

What is you…
is learning how to move through it.
How to understand your energy.
How to honor your cycles.
How to hype yourself when the room is full — and when the room is empty.

You don’t need to be consistent every day.
You just need to learn your own patterns.
The shine comes from knowing how to flip the switch — even when it’s dim.

You can do that.
And you don’t need perfect hype to start.
You just need enough.