Once, some years ago, after finding myself in that space, I took a baby step – I started to work on the simplest of the tasks – and found that the simple act of doing – even though it was only addressing a tiny piece of the real or imagined burdens – immediately made me feel better. The key out of being stuck in anxiety and inaction was simply to do something.
That awareness gave me a reliable tool that I used many times since, when I found myself sinking and unable to cope. Find something, anything no matter how minor, and begin to work on it. Two things happen right away. By moving the mind from anxiety to action, I shift from a state of fear (anxiety) to a state of engagement and problem solving. I am also better able to assess the real priority and importance of the tasks, and they are never as overwhelming as I had feared.
I don’t have that experience of overwhelming anxiety nearly as much anymore. When it does start to appear, I’m usually aware of it well before it completely wraps around me, and I move into action. Sometimes I have that feeling when I first awake, before my mind is able to move out of the timeless sleep state and reorient all the spinning stuff into the framework of time and action.
Interestingly, a reliable way to disperse the cloud is to meditate – which in one sense is doing nothing – at least in terms of taking action to complete an item on the to-do list. But meditating is, in reality, very deep and focused action for the mind. There’s an appropriate thought that I’ve seen on the internet attributed as an “Old Zen adage.” Regardless of the actual source, the truth in it is clear.
“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day—unless you're too busy; then you should sit for an hour.” –Old Zen adage
I have yet to meet a person who meditates who doesn’t agree with that idea. Whatever amount of time is needed to bring the mind to a state that is not “too busy” will reward you by bringing clarity and focus to the rest of the day.
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