A body remains at rest … unless it is acted upon by a force.

—Sir Isaac Newton

This is my problem right now. I have been at rest. There are many things that I desire to do, but I have not been able to find that acting force to nudge me into motion.

I do enjoy writing these thoughts here. It helps me to parse things that I am unable to in other ways. I also hope that my insights may be beneficial to at least one other person out there…somewhere.

I have the first lines of so many of these posts written, but can’t seem to find the way to capture the essence of my thoughts in a way that I think others will be able to relate to. I also fear that when I do get things down, my writing will be lacking and too simplistic for another to enjoy.

I find myself locked in a battle within my mind. I want to write and let these thoughts into the world. Any time I sit down to commit the act, I become paralyzed and can’t seem to find the courage to press my fingers to the keyboard.

This inability to act doesn’t just affect me when I write. I find myself in this stale-mate all too often. I want to go to a concert or sporting event with my wife, but I’m afraid to. I wish I could talk to new people in person, but I freeze up around strange people. Many times when I try to make decisions, I will just sit and debate pros and cons for hours without ever coming to any conclusion for fear of making the wrong choice.

Frequently, I feel like a dog chasing its tail. I know that I am going in circles; I just don’t know how to stop. This loop keeps me trapped inside my head and I can’t bring forth an action in one way or another.

I know this can be extremely frustrating to the people around me. They just want something to happen, as do I. Where can you learn the skills to break these thought loops?

Normally, when I write these, I try to have a solution to my problem or a bit of advice for others to maybe help them deal with a similar situation. This time I’m just writing to say I have a difficulty, and I’m not sure how to address it.

If you have any advice, I’d be more than happy to have it.