How to Fight Anxiety Freeze with Action
Not medical advice; if anxiety is severe or persistent, please talk to a clinician.
When anxiety spikes, it drains emotional energy first (worry, fear, tension). Soon after, your mental energy tanks—focus blurs, choices feel impossible, and you slide into freeze. The fastest way out isn’t to “think harder.” It’s to reduce drains, make one tiny move, and let action create energy again.
“You don’t have a clarity problem—you have a clutter problem.” — Jay Shetty, On Purpose
What anxiety is (and why it hijacks your energy)
Anxiety is excessive worry and nervous system activation that shows up as mental loops (what-ifs) and body symptoms (restlessness, tightness, GI issues). It’s a normal human response that becomes a problem when it interferes with daily life. When emotional energy is low or depleted, the brain seeks safety by avoiding risk—so your mental energy gets spent on scanning, not starting.
A relatable example (pottery class)
You want to take a pottery class—it’s been on your vision board for months. But thoughts spiral:
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“If I can’t make something beautiful the first time, what’s the point?”
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“Which studio? What should I wear? What if I’m late?”
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“This week’s busy; I’ll go next month.”
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“I’ll mess up and the teacher will regret letting me in.”
Overthinking drains emotional energy and blocks the mental energy you’d get by doing the thing you love. Paradoxically, the moment you take one action (book a drop-in, pack a T-shirt), anxiety eases. Action creates energy.
The anti-freeze plan (Jay Shetty’s 7 steps—through an energy lens)
Jay Shetty’s episode “Give Me 30 Minutes and You Will Never Struggle With a Decision Again” lays out a simple system for overthinking, procrastination, and anxiety loops. Below I translate each step into energy-first moves, with quick examples you can use today.
“Every should I adds up. Every let me think one more time drains fuel.” — Jay Shetty
1) Catch the noise before you choose
You don’t lack clarity; you have too many inputs. Reduce mental drains first.
Try: pre-decide micro-choices (outfit, route, snack), and make big calls earlier in the day when your mental energy bucket is fullest.
Pottery example: Decide once: “Thursdays = Studio Nova drop-in.” Save the address and parking screenshot. Clothes = “old tee + jeans,” no debate.
2) Label the decision: Type 1 vs. Type 2
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Type 1 = harder to reverse → take your time.
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Type 2 = reversible/low-stakes → decide fast (aim for ~70% info).
Treating everything like Type 1 empties mental energy.
Pottery example: A drop-in is Type 2—book now. Committing to a 6-week course can wait.
3) Feel first, then think
We decide emotionally, then justify logically; unacknowledged feelings hijack energy. Do a 30-second emotion check: What am I feeling? Is it a trustworthy signal or old fear? Then decide.
Pottery example: Name it: “I feel embarrassment.” Trustworthy? Maybe, maybe not. Action: “I still book one session.”
4) Use 10–10–10 to zoom out
Ask: How will I feel in 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years? Zooming out reduces urgency and frees mental energy for wiser action.
Pottery example: In 10 minutes I’ll feel proud I booked. In 10 months I might have a shelf of wobbly cups I love.
5) Run a regret simulation
If I choose this and it fails, will I respect who I became? Choose integrity and growth over fear—anxiety shrinks when values lead.
6) Decide from identity, not panic
Ask: Who am I becoming? Which choice matches her? What am I willing to trade to protect that? Then act as future-you.
7) Decide, then move (within 5 minutes)
Indecision is a decision—and it fuels anxiety. “Action reduces anxiety, not certainty.” Book the slot, send the message, pack the bag.
10-minute Energy-First routine for anxious freeze
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Breath reset (1 min): 6 slow exhales, longer out than in - to lower stress.
- Do an energy boosting activity. Find out what boosts your energy by following the Energy Tracker.
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Lock it in (5 min): take the smallest physical step (book, screenshot parking, put T-shirt in a tote).
Repeat. Let the action → energy flywheel build.
