When taking small steps feels like walking up a mountain

John couldn’t get himself out of bed. He stared at the wall; it was 6 AM, and he had to get up and get to work, but my god, could he not get himself up? He thought of everything he had to do before he even got out the door, the traffic to work, and the ridiculous amount of meetings that could have been an email – what about lunch? Does he even have time for lunch? What was the point of it all if everything was going to repeat itself tomorrow, an endless Groundhog Day loop?

We have all been there: life has become completely overwhelming. Forget about starting a workout routine, forget about even putting clothes on, what was the point of getting out of bed.

The struggle is real. Our shadow offers resistance and tries to keep us stuck to protect us from harm—be it physical, emotional, or psychological. Our shadow wants us to stay safe and not risk failure, disappointment, or pain.  It is a natural defense mechanism; sometimes, the shadow overwhelms us and forces us into a freeze response.

But here’s the good news: even the tiniest step can create momentum. Do it by creating an action so small, you can’t not take it. It has to be ridiculously small. For example, you can’t get out of bed at all, but you have to go to the bathroom. Rather than going back to bed after going to the bathroom, see if you can go to the kitchen instead. Or, give yourself a hot shower. Is that too much? That’s ok, sit in the bathroom until you get hungry. Then, go to the kitchen.

Do you need to clean an entire room? Great. Start by picking up one item. Do you need to take a break? Do it. All you did was pick up one item for today? Perfect. Try again tomorrow. See if you can do two items. You can’t? That’s okay. Pick up at least one item.

And each time you succeed, celebrate. You picked up one shirt off the floor and can’t do more? That’s okay. Celebrate by lying down and resting. Then, celebrate by picking up one more item.

Don’t focus on how hard something feels, because right now, every action you take is incredibly hard. Think about the relief or pride you will feel after, the sense of accomplishment: a win is a win, no matter how small it is.

Above all: it’s not about perfection. Sometimes, we force ourselves into overwhelm because we believe whatever we have to do has to be perfect. Good enough is good enough. You have permission to be good enough.