This is the 1967th most frequent German word.
fielen
"Fielen" is the past tense of "fallen," meaning "fell" in English.
In this sentence, 'fielen' refers to the action of falling from a specific location, which is the tree.
Die Äpfel fielen vom Baum.
The apples fell from the tree.
'Fielen' in this context metaphorically refers to the difficulty or hesitation involved in making decisions under pressure.
Unter Druck fielen die Entscheidungen schwer.
Under pressure, the decisions were made with difficulty.
Here, 'fielen' is used to express the inability for words or ideas to come to one's mind spontaneously when needed.