Anxiety Thrives Between Thinking And Doing

“Anxiety thrives in the space between thinking and doing.”

How often do we find ourselves stuck in that space? I know I’ve been there—overthinking every decision, analyzing every possible outcome, and waiting for the “perfect” moment to act. But here’s the catch: the longer we stay in that gap, the more anxiety grows.

Inaction feels safe at first. We tell ourselves it’s preparation, caution, or waiting for clarity. But in reality, it keeps us stagnant, stealing time and energy that could be spent on growth, learning, or simply living.

So how do we close that gap? Here are three strategies that have worked for me in the past:

1. Set a Timer and Start Now: Whenever I am afraid of starting something new or I am procrastinating on a task I set a timer for 5 minutes and commit to 5 minutes of action—whether it’s writing the first line of an email, making a call, or organizing one small thing. Often, once I start I keep going after 5 minutes. Many times starting is all we need to overcome the inertia.

2. Overwhelm creeps in when I try to solve everything at once. Instead, I’ve learned to focus on just one actionable step I can take right now. One step leads to the next, and momentum builds from there.

3. Lastly, I learned from a book read called “Everything is Figuratable” to ask myself, “What’s the worst thing that could actually happen?” Then compare it to what’s likely and what I end up finding is that most of the time my fears are far bigger than my reality.

The truth is, anxiety shrinks when we take action—no matter how small.

So today I invite you to take action on whatever you are overthinking. Anxiety thrives in the space between thinking and doing because the truth is that anxiety thrives in the space between thinking and doing!