Lately I’ve been struggling to write a blog post. You probably know the feeling – you want to get something done, yet every time you try, you feel paralysed. Writers call it writer’s block. Creatives call it creative fatigue. Actors call it being in a drought.
Despite my usual pre-writing rituals, like meditation, walking in nature, basking in the sunshine, each time I’ve sat down at my laptop, fingers poised over the keyboard, absolutely nothing would come. Nada. No inspiration. No ideas. I was met with a complete blank. So, I’d busy myself with the next task on my to-do list and move on.
Today, as I faced the blinking cursor once more, something happened.
I embraced curiosity.
Being curious moves you from a judgement state to a place of understanding
Curiosity is a desire to know more. It’s an inquisitive state, rather than a judgmental one. Curiosity inspires interest and compassion for yourself. This means you are looking to understand rather than beating yourself up with self-judgements.
When I looked through my metaphorical magnifying glass to uncover the root of my inaction paralysis, I unearthed several things:
- Previous blog posts were sparked by an idea that I enjoyed shaping up, whereas my current struggle stemmed from a forced attempt to create content.
- Lately when sharing my writing on social media, I’ve noticed my people-pleaser ego on high alert. What if people don’t like what I write? What if I am rejected for my thoughts?
- Delving deeper into my concern about rejection, I uncovered what sat underneath that. Fear. Fear of rejection, fear of loneliness and fear of failure.
Being curious allowed me to understand that fear had stopped me from taking action. As my fingers hovered over the keyboard, paralyzed by a mental blockade, I now understood this was a protective response. The primal part of my brain was doing me a favour: don’t take action as then you will be safe.
Gain clarity behind what’s behind your inability to take action
When you’re in a state of inaction, without curiosity your mind can throw up a host of self-judgements: You’re lazy. You don’t want to work hard. You’re not good enough. You don’t want it enough (i.e. success, health, money, etc).
However, these judgements are the protective barrier, something else is sitting below these thoughts. Possibly a lack of confidence in your ability, or not remembering your worthiness. And under this? It’s almost certainly fear.
When you uncover the thoughts and fears behind your inaction paralysis, then you may notice compassion for yourself: Wow, I am afraid of rejection as I’m fearful of failure and loneliness.
Curiosity allows you to ask questions to move through the fear:
- Am I lonely right now? No. I mean, I’m sitting here alone typing this, but I am not lonely.
- Will it truly affect me what a stranger on the internet thinks? No. I know who I am, I know my worthiness and am grounded in this knowing.
- Am I safe in the here and now, while typing this? Yes.
By being curious as to why I had paralysis of inaction, I was able to get to the bottom of my fear. Recognising I was safe, from a more grounded place I found inspiration and motivation to write about this process and share these learnings with you.
Apply curiosity the next time you're feeling paralysed when it comes to taking action
We can all relate to being in a state of inaction paralysis, whether it’s starting a new exercise routine, pursuing a new job, or embarking on a creative endeavor. Curiosity can help you navigate through your fears and uncertainties holding you back.
Have a think about your own circumstances. Is there an area in your life you want to change, or something you want to do, but feel an overwhelming inability to proceed with the next step?
Becoming aware of your inaction paralysis can be reframed as a gift. An uncomfortable gift, yes. But a gift nonetheless. When you become aware of your paralysis of inaction, consider it an invitation to go deeper and wade through the shadows.
When you look at the situation through compassionate and inquisitive eyes, you can bring the fear that’s holding you out into the light, and take action steps towards what’s important and meaningful to you.
So, if you are feeling blocked and you can’t figure out how to move forward – get curious!
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Connection Compass acknowledges the Turrbal and Jagara people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live, and gather. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging, and draw inspiration from their connection to Country, community and spirit.
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