A letter you've been meaning to send for 3 weeks, a conversation you're avoiding, paperwork that's been lingering in the back of your mind...

This week, I want to talk to you about the paralysis we feel when facing action.

As someone who struggles with anxiety, it's a topic I've had to confront often, and last week, a client shared with me: "This week, I'm going to focus on not being afraid of judgement so I can finally take action."

Perhaps you've told yourself something similar? It's so tempting to think that all we need to do is stop being afraid to unlock the situation. Except that...

Whether it's tidying up, paperwork, a difficult conversation, booking a medical appointment... We've all experienced a situation we've put off for days, weeks, months... and which has stayed in the corner of our mind, draining our mental energy day after day.

That's the first trap. The task takes on ever more gigantic proportions the longer we let it drag on.

But there's a second trap. The illusion of "I need to stop being afraid before I can act".

Why is this a trap? Because fear and anxiety will be there, whether we like it or not. It's an emotion we can't control. Trying not to have it means going against ourselves, and that puts us in a position to fail.

If we wait to be in the "right state" before acting, fear becomes a valid excuse to do nothing. It keeps us stuck in inaction, and the frustration we feel towards ourselves grows.

So what can we do? Act with the emotion.

Accept that anxious thoughts will come, recognise them when they rear their heads, but don't let them take the wheel. We can even say it out loud: "OK anxiety, you're here, but today, you don't get to decide for me."

And we choose to act for ourselves: to free ourselves from the mental weight of the situation, to improve our daily life, and to prove to ourselves that anxiety doesn't run our life.

This ability to act despite discomfort can be cultivated. And guess what? You're already training it on your mat.

When you hold a difficult posture, your thoughts are screaming at you to stop. But you stay a few more breaths. You don't eliminate the discomfort, you learn to coexist with it.

It's exactly the same in life: you don't wait for the fear to disappear, you move forwards with it. Your mat is your laboratory for strengthening this "muscle" of action despite resistance.

So practically speaking, what do we do the next time we find ourselves facing this paralysis? Here's a short 2-3 minute protocol you can use JUST BEFORE taking action (not tomorrow, not when you feel ready... just before):

1. Anchor yourself physically: feet firmly planted on the ground, hand on your chest to feel your breath.
2. Acknowledge: "I notice that I'm afraid/that I'm resisting. That's OK."
3. Breathe: 3-5 cycles of conscious breathing (for example, breathe in for 4 counts, breathe out for 6 counts)
4. Set an intention: "I'm doing this for me. Just the first step. Just 5 minutes."
5. Take action: without thinking, just go.

Now, it's your turn.

Take 2 minutes to answer these questions:

• What's ONE thing you've been putting off for too long? (It doesn't need to be huge, it's often the small things that weigh on us the most.)
• What fear/thought is holding you back? (Fear of doing it wrong? Of being judged? Of the outcome?)
• What would be the SMALLEST first action? (Really tiny, like "open the file for 5 minutes", "write the first sentence of the email", "book the appointment without overthinking it")
• When exactly are you going to do it? (Set the day and time, otherwise it doesn't count!)

If you want to commit, reply to me with your micro-action. I'm already getting my cheerleader pom-poms out 📣

Remember: discomfort is part of the process. You don't need to do everything perfectly. Just one small step. Then another. Then another.

Om, peace 🧡

Clem